It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's, It's, It's SUPER CINDY!

Writing is hard work. It's a daily struggle with unruly characters, plot holes, and my own lack of self-discipline. No Wii until I've done my 1000 words for the day! That's my motto. However, I'll take twenty rounds of copy and line edits any day over my toughest job--keeping the household running!

Yep, it's September, back-to-school time. While we Domestic Warriors (enough with the 'homemaker' or 'stay-at-home-parent' euphemisms!) appreciate the quietude that comes from a house free of children and significant others, the fresh onslaught of classes, extracurricular activities and 'must-have' shopping trips challenge even the most organized among us....And yeah...you could probably guess, I'm not organizationally gifted. What writer is?

This year is particularly challenging for me because not only is the little one going to school, but so is the BF. He's attending firefighter certification classes. On top of all that, my ex- will be teaching night classes. I get overwhelmed just thinking about juggling all those schedules. Prepared with color-coded Post-Its, a dry erase calendar, MS Outlook, and various other methods to keep me on the straight and narrow, I feel prepared. Sort of. What worries me most is the feeling...nay, the certainty that I will forgo my own needs to keep up with the needs of others. I look at my already miniscule amount of writing time each day and worry, "Will I even have that much time this fall?" Indeed, I'm feeling like I will have to sprout a cape and the ability to timetravel just to keep up with it all.

I'm sure every writer reading this can sympathize. Whether you work at home or punch a time clock, we're all busy, busy bees. So, here's the challenge: How do you ensure time to you meet your personal and professional writing goals? Can't wait to read what sage advice y'all have to give!