SO,
I realized I didn't answer your question, or at least not all of it. How does one balance the writing, marketing, and other parts of their life when they have chosen writing as a career?

I'll give you what I know works for me, then I'm sure others can also give you tips for making it all mesh.

For me, it's a matter of discipline. This goes against every creative fiber inside of me...but it is the only way I can get anything done. As I've stated in other post, I use a timer for just about everything. So many minutes are allotted for research, so many minutes for answering emails, and so many minutes for yada..yada...yada. When articles are due or its time to write one, I adjust the time, if needed. I also don't answer the phone and don't post in here or anywhere else, until I'm done.

I think it is a matter of setting boundaries, goals, and priorities. Make list to see what needs to serve you NOW, what can wait, or what needs more attention/time. You have to have some sort of system in place. Otherwise, you will become overwhelmed and frustrated. And...something will suffer. You might even miss a deadline, and that would be the kiss of death to a writer. Also, think about this. If you have a system in place, and you take care of business, then you have all of this wonderful "free" time to play! Like NOW!

I hope this helps! JJ