One reader mentioned to me that their key struggle right now is "not letting [my] energy get drained by a gazillion other things."

I hear a fair number of writers talk about time and a lack of time to write ... but I think energy is an even more significant factor. After all, simply having time available isn't much help if you're too exhausted (or too stressed) to write a word. 

There's no magic fix here. (Except for possibly caffeine, which I used to rely on in order to write after I came home from my day job.)

A few things you can try, though, are:

Making a list of energy-draining things and seeing if you can cut any out (or at least reduce them). This could mean anything from seeing less of certain friends to automating paying your bills.

Keeping track of all the stuff you need to deal with, so it's not all constantly in your head. I find it incredibly energy-draining to have a nebulous bunch of to-dos and to-remembers in my head. The Getting Things Done (GTD) system works for me, and I've blogged about it from a writer's perspective here: http://www.aliventures.com/getting-things-done-for-writers.

Doing your writing at the start of the day, when your energy hasn't been depleted by everything else going on. This isn't always possible (maybe you'rereally not a morning person or you have small people who wake at the crack of dawn) but if you can manage to fit in even 15 minutes of writing first thing, it can make a big difference.

Have a drink and a snack. You can opt for the healthy (water, fruit/nuts/seeds) or less healthy (latte, chocolate) ends of the spectrum here -- I'm not here to judge. ;-) For sustained energy, though, you'll want to avoid anything especially sugary.

Put some music on. This can be instantly energising. I listen to a lot of metal when I'm writing, but your tastes may vary. Ideally, you'll want something with a fairly fast beat and which isn't so distracting that you'll start singing along instead of writing.

Try to get worries out of your head. If you're going through a rocky time financially, or in terms of your health, or any other major area of your life, it's hard not to let worrying nag and nag at you. Keep a bit of paper to hand when you're writing, and if a worry appears in your thoughts, jot it down and tell yourself you'll think about it later -- but not right now.

Get some exercise on a regular basis. You don't have to be at the gym for hours every week -- many writers find walking is a great way to have some free-thinking time but also to get their blood flowing and their energy levels up.

Don't take on any new commitments until you've got rid of old ones. It can be really tough to say "no" -- to other people and to ourselves -- but even commitments that are small in terms of time can be a real drain on your energy.