Oh gosh, I remember the days I worked 5 and often 6 days a week. And for me, getting to know and gaining confidence in using my Weber kettle as smoker really developed when I sat down for an afternoon and cooked on it, watching it's temps and learning to tweak it or leave it alone. It still is one of my favorite pastimes and excuses to get out of "honey-do's", fire it up, set the vents, sip some iced tea or lemonade, and read a book. So putting it off until you can give it some real attention is not always a bad thing. His forbearance is commendable!
Oh yeah, and welcome aboard!