Lots of people fantasize about writing. But the daily to-do lists and responsibilities get in the way. And well, it’s kind of hard to call yourself a writer if you’re not writing. So how do you write when you have a day job, kids, and/or a dog?

I run a full-time writing business now, but I started it while working a day job. I was a full-time journalist, with my little writing business on the side. I did that for two years, before leaving the day job to focus on my writing projects. So I know it’s not easy to write when the regular tasks of the day won’t wait. But just because it isn’t easy doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

So, to help you move forward in your writing career, here are 14 ways to write when your life is filled with other responsibilities:

Seek out opportunities to write

1. Look for found time. No matter how busy our lives are, we can find some time to fit in writing, if we choose. So consider your day. Can you skip doing the dishes tonight so you have time to write? One day of dirty dishes doesn’t mean you’re a bad housekeeper.

2. Trade your lunch for your pen. Instead of heading off on your lunch break with your favorite crew from work, huddle in a corner (or even your car) and write instead.

3. Multitask. Think through your story while doing the mundane tasks — washing those dishes, folding the laundry, maybe even sitting in that boring staff meeting at work. (Surely, I’m not telling you to zone out at work, but sometimes those meetings last way too long with nothing new coming out of them.)

4. Get a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. Or a lined notebook, if you like it really old-school. Carry it around everywhere and write when the inspiration (or opportunity) strikes. You’ll be surprised at how much work you can get done while waiting to see the doctor, hairstylist, or heck, even to be seated in a restaurant. (And spending that long wait time working on your project will make you less cranky, too.)

5. Get up early. If your day is so filled with work and kids and dogs and whatnot, then getting up 30 minutes to an hour early specifically to write may be your answer.

6. Go to bed later. So you’re not an early riser. I get that. I’m not a morning person, but I sure do get a lot done late at night! Going to bed later may be the answer to your time crunch. The key here is to make sure that the late-night time you designate for writing actually goes to that, and not to some stray item on your never-ending to-do list.

Become more efficient with other tasks

7. Tag-team. If you just can’t seem to get any quiet time to write, try tag-teaming with a friend who also needs a bit of time for something. This is especially helpful for parents. If you have a spouse or partner, get him or her to handle household tasks or watch the kid for a designated period of time while you write. Unless the place is on fire, you’re not to be disturbed.

If you are tag-teaming with a friend, then the same applies: Your friend watches your child for a set period of time while you write. In exchange, you do the same. You take the friend’s kid to allow your friend time for whatever she needs.

8. Find a drop-in daycare. A part-time or drop-in daycare option you can use on an as-needed basis can be the solution to a time crunch when you have little ones at home but don’t need full-time childcare.

9. Plunk junior in front of the TV. Wait, before you blast me that this is an example of poor parenting, hear me out. If you need 20 or 30 minutes to write, an educational video can be a godsend. Let junior get some entertaining education while you work on your masterpiece. Don’t worry. It won’t fry your child’s brain. Really.

10. Be more efficient in your other work. Sometimes we waste a lot of time. Can a task that has been taking three hours be whittled down to two hours? If so, use the additional time to write. (This actually goes back to the first tip on this list. Look for found time.)

11. Outsource tasks. If you’re having trouble finding time for writing, maybe it’s time to get some help. Consider hiring someone to clean the house, take care of the lawn, or handle other projects that take up your time but don’t necessarily require you to personally do them.

12. Eat a sandwich. You don’t have to cook dinner every day. Maybe picking up something on the way home from work or fixing a sandwich or a meal of leftovers can free up your time for writing.

13. Plan your meals. Try cooking a week’s worth of dinners on the weekend to save prep time during the week. Then you can pop your meal into the microwave and you’re done, in much less time than it would take you to prepare a meal from scratch. If that shaves off one hour every weekday, that’s five hours of found time!

14. Segment your work. Your writing process has several stages. There is concepting, where you are thinking through the project, research, where you are looking up info related to your topic or conducting interviews, writing, and review. Break up the project into these segments and fit those segments into your daily life. For instance, if you’ll need to research your topic, create a folder where you can just dump your research into it. That way, if you come across research in the course of your day (maybe you’re surfing the net and find a relevant fact or resource or your people watching turns up something interesting), you can drop it into that folder and pull it out once you’re ready to write.

Use these 14 ways to write when your life is filled with other responsibilities so you learn how to be more productive and grow your writing career.

What ways have you used to increase your efficiency when it comes to writing?