Many readers believe that their favorite authors live a life of focused writing. Even I have that fantasy – about other writers.  Yes, there are some best-selling authors who have done so well that they can really devote their entire day to writing. They know that this is a job, a business, and that you have to put your butt in the chair and write…all day, if possible.

But the truth is, many of us have “other work” – jobs, small businesses, part-time work. Our writing doesn’t pay all the bills yet. We have had to learn to find, or make, the time to write, while juggling client requests, job demands, travel, commuting and countless other activities that put food on the table.

So recently I realized I was putting that “other work” at the top of my priority list. I thought I was trying to get the “other work” done so I could write for a couple of hours in the evening. But there was too much work to ever get it all done, and those hours in the evening turned into a couple of hours very late at night. And then that turned into one hour or none, late at night.

When I wrote the bulk of You Belong To Me, I was in a slower work mode (that means I didn’t have enough clients at that time!) I wrote from early in the morning until at least noon. Some days I had longer periods of time to work on it. But in any case, that morning writing time was extremely productive. And it energized me for the rest of the day. I felt satisfied with the writing I had accomplished that day.

So, I’m turning the priorities around. Regardless of my work schedule, I’ll be writing in the morning, first!

So, how do you juggle your multiple demands, whether you are a writer or a reader, whether you are employed full-time or run one or more businesses?  I’d love to hear your juggling techniques.