This really comes down to two things – “How important is the thing I want to make time for to me?,” and “Can I be disciplined enough to schedule my time for this thing and honor that commitment?” That’s really all there is to it. Because if you really want to do it, you will find the time. Honoring your commitment may be difficult at first, but force yourself to be disciplined about it and I promise it will get easier. At some point it will simply become part of your life, and you will feel uncomfortable not doing it.
Exercise and meditation are two great examples in my life. At first, I chafed at the amount of time I had to set aside for both of these things. But relatively quickly, I experienced benefits that made it easier to justify the time spent. I have now been exercising regularly for 33 years, and meditating for six. These two activities changed my life, and the change wasn’t subtle.
If you are trying to be disciplined about finding the time to be creative, this can be more difficult. There is no clear cut benefit to this except self-actualization and expressing your humanity. If the creative endeavor is music, there is the intoxicating thrill of tapping into something magical when it works. Music is a mysterious and powerful force, accessing this requires discipline and respect for the process. But once you have experienced it on this level, there is no turning back.
The time is there to do with as you please. It is, however, finite. In that sense it is your most precious commodity. Guard it wisely…