It's the novel that suffers

The week started out very productively.  I got a lot done Monday and Tuesday, and picked up a new client to replace some of the work I've been missing from a client that isn't as active as they used to be.  I'm feeling like I don't have quite enough client work lately, so I'm looking for maybe one or two more small-but-regular clients, preferable something fun.

The rest of the week wasn't as productive.  Wednesday my mom and I started getting organized for a doll show we sell at every year, so I guess that was a productive day, just not in work terms.  Yesterday I had my riding lesson and then just a few hours in the afternoon to do some administrative kinds of things before a friend came over for dinner, so I got virtually nothing done.

Of course, as you might have realized from the title of my post, it's my novel that has suffered from the lack of work time.  I didn't work on it much at all the two days I did work, except for a little research that I did (thankfully) get done.  I haven't added anything to the word count all week.

As a result, I ended up changing my plans for today.  I was going to go over to my in-laws' house to work with my mother-in-law's 2-year-old colt, something I've been doing once a week most weeks, but between sleeping in (apparently I was very tired!) and a last-minute babysitting job, my window of useful time today narrowed so much that I decided I'd better stay home and get some work (and some laundry) done.

It's disappointing in some ways — I really do love my time with this colt — but at the same time, it feels like the right thing to do.  Besides, if I can make a spontaneous decision to put aside work in order to do other things, I ought to be able to make the reverse decision when needed, right?

What about you?  When you lack the time to do everything you want to, what is it that suffers first?