Is there a secret to "doing it all"?

A girlfriend who I consider to be a blogging queen in addition to running several businesses, being a mom to young children, loving wife, crafter, and one who always remembers to do what she said she would in addition to exercising and having fun, sent me a link to this blog post by Jane Friedman on the Writer Unboxed blog titled The Secret to Finding the Time to Write, Market, Promote, and Still Have a Life.

It's filled with several great tips about doing and not doing. One thing I'm trying this week is visually tracking my time so I understand the flow of my days and weeks more (I still use a digital calendar for appointments and reminders).

This is helping me to see my main studio work times, where my part time job fits in, and where the best times are to workout and cook for the week (very important with the dietary restrictions I have going). I also know which days are my potential "weekend days" for when I don't have to do anything planned but maybe snowboarding (usually 1 day Tues-Thurs and Sunday), and which days I can book a doctor's appointment, etc. It's helping me to protect my time as well as understand it.

I have other tools in place to help me use those time blocks to their best advantage. Case in point... it's now time for me to set the timer and tackle a project I've been letting loom over my head for too long.

Do you have any pointers for achieving a balanced life and fitting in all those desires, both professional and personal?