Time is a precious commodity in the life of a writer. Demands on our time come at us from every direction these days. We’re expected to market our work, hobnob on the Internet, maintain an active web presence, research, edit, clean the house, make meals, keep up with family and friends, buy groceries… and, oh, yes, write. How can we possibly find time to write amid all this other stuff that needs doing?

In lieu of a magic machine that generates an extra hour in every day, following are ten tips for making sure your writing doesn’t get pushed to the back burner of your busy life.

1. Prioritize Your Writing Time

If writing habitually ends up at the bottom of your priorities list, you can hardly expect to accomplish much. In the December 2009 issue of The Writer, Karen M. Rider wrote,

Unless it’s life or death, remember that chores can wait or be delegated but ideas are fleeting—so writing can’t wait.

2. Create Daily Schedules

Once you’ve figured out your priorities, lock them into a schedule. Make a list of everything you need to accomplish in your day and put a time to it. Writing out a to-do list can help you use your time to its full extent.

3. Cull the Unnecessaries From Your Life

It’s easy to waste all kinds of time on unnecessaries: email, Internet games, TV, phone calls, etc. As fun as these things may be, discipline yourself to recognize what’s unnecessary—and cut it ruthlessly.

4. Get Organized

Organization takes a little extra effort, but once you have a system in place, it saves untold minutes you might otherwise spend hunting down research notes, sorting through scribbled notes, or running searches through your computer’s hard drive in pursuit of that outline your wrote last fall.

5. Plan Beyond Today

Writing time is too precious to waste on anything but writing. When you sit down each day at your scheduled writing time, make sure you’re ready to go. Have your scene outline, character sketches, and research notes ready to grab at a moment’s notice.

6. Use Your Non-Writing Time Creatively

Instead of pondering plot holes during your writing time, use the time during “brainless” activities (such as folding clothes, washing dishes, or mowing the lawn) to multi-task. Plan your next scene in your head before you ever sit down to write it.

7. Get/Stay up an Hour Earlier/Later

Borrowing an hour of sleep is an easy way to add an extra hour to the day. Plus, by writing when the rest of your household is in still in bed, you gain the added benefit of peace and quiet.

8. Write in Multiple Small Chunks of Time

If carving a solid hour or two from your schedule is too daunting, try grabbing fifteen minutes four times a day. Squeeze a little writing time in during your lunch hour or while in you’re waiting in the car at your child’s piano lesson—or even dictate into a tape recorder while driving to work.

9. Delegate Non-Essential Tasks

You don’t have to do everything yourself. Learn to delegate tasks. Hire a secretary, a babysitter, a maid, or a publicist. Your time is more valuable than the money necessary to hire help.

10. Encourage Others to Respect Your Writing Time

This starts with you respecting your writing time. If your writing doesn’t matter enough for you to make time for it, why should others respect it? Make it clear to family and friends that you can’t talk to them during writing time. They may need to be told firmly several times before understanding, so stick to your guns. If all else fails, you can always do what I do and keep a machete and a flame thrower in your desk!

Wordplayers, tell me your opinion! What do you to do find more time to write? Tell me in the comments!