“but I believe I’ve heard several times, that if a guy learns during the time he isn’t working, it’s as if he was learning while he was working too. “
I also learned that. In fact, if he dedicates his working to the idea that he is fulfilling Hashem’s will and doing so in order to be able to afford to spend his free time in learning, he gets the learning s’char for every working minute. it’s like when you go to sleep at night and say to yourself that you want to have a good night’s sleep so that the next day you will be able to be mekayeim more mitzvos, then every minute of sleep becomes a mitzvah in itself becuase of its purpose.