How To Write In The Midst Of Other Things

I'm working on preparation for editing Mr. Gunn & Dr. Bohemia, and I have a list of places that need various changes—essentially a list of questions for myself in the general form, "This scene needs to achieve X; how can I shape the scene to do that?" Most of these questions have been answered. I'm down to the last two or three.

Problem: How to make useful progress in a day filled with other (family-related) things.

Answer: Pick one of those last questions. Roll it around in head. Get a feel for it. Let it ferment while family things are going on.

So far this works. I can still focus on family things but the question pops its head above the trench whenever I have a few minutes, and often I've had an insight that's given me a part of the answer.

Essential equipment: notepad and pencil is vital. I'd hate to have the perfect answer pop into my head only to lose it because I didn't scribble down so much as a single keyword to remind me later.

Enough said for today. Back to family affairs.

(postscript: it worked again. The answer to the problem I was thinking about came to me while I was in Walmart looking for a birthday card.)