I have blogged before about time.  We all know that there are 24 hours in a day and if you look at your schedule, you surely have some time available - Even when you have a full time job.

My typical day begins at 6am.  I get up, assist kids and hubby in getting up and going, then we all proceed to leave our home for work and school.  So far, no time is available because I’m pretty busy with dressing, making lunch, crying 5 year old, tearful preteen, and of course my breakfast is burning.

My workday is from 7:30 to 4 (although at times it goes from 8:00 to 4:30 please see above for reasons why).  I get a lunch, which I take from my desk.  If played well, I take this time to write – either revising/writing the MS or blogging.  Sometimes this is not the case and this time is spent, still working, emailing, etc.  So that’s thirty minutes worth of maybe.

Now if I play my cards right and leave work around 4:15 that gives me thirty minutes at whatever coffee house I’m near to write.  This idea started out great for about 2 weeks then went south real fast as work again won out.  So now by the time I leave the office, I am picking up everyone and heading home.

I get home at 6:00 and it’s time for dinner.  Alas I don’t have a cook or maid, so I am usually cooking sides for something bubbly in the crock pot, or some 30 minute meal.  Also during this time I do a little light housework.

So cooking, housework, talking and family time is usually done by 8:00.  Our goal is that by 8:30 children should be clean and in bed but the 5 year old does not see things that way. 

I usually try to write from 8:30 to 10:00 but without fail, the 5 year old comes in and want water or a story.  I don’t want to be put in a home later in life so I comply.  And usually since I’m tired from waking up early, I’m sleepy by 9:30.

If I am lucky I get in maybe 30 minutes or 1 hour of writing a day.  Hopefully in 2013, I shall improve.

How do you balance writing a novel with your full time job?