Reduce Tiling Dry/Wait Times
Some ideas:


Use a faster mortar (or an admix designed to speed cure time).
Finish the set in the evening to give it overnight to cure before foot traffic.
Lay down blankets and then plywood/OSB after the mortar has sufficiently set. It'll dramatically reduce the force on any particular tile and give you a good safety buffer.
Set one side of the area one day, and the other the next. (Grout it all together for color consistency.)