Anyone who knows me relatively well knows that since I was 14 years old, it has been my dream to be an author. I didn’t actually sit down to write a book until I was 36.

I remember so clearly the catalyst for making the decision. I had just had my daughter, and as is the case with most new moms, my focus was on my baby girl. I wanted to spend every moment with her. I wanted my baby girl to know that with God’s help, she could do anything she wanted to in this world—that her dreams could come true, no matter how crazy they were.

Rather than being the type of parent who just told her her dreams could come true, I wanted to show her, so I challenged myself to write a book before my daughter turned a year old. The problem for me was figuring out how to make it happen. The only option I had was to get up every morning at the crack of dawn and write before spending the day taking care of my sweet girl. My hard work paid off. A month before her first birthday, I finished my first manuscript.

After I did that, I decided I wanted a book deal, so I challenged myself to land one before my daughter turned two. I received the offer for my book Spin It Like That two months after her second birthday.

The reason I like to share this story is to show people that I’m no different than anyone. I was just a kid with dreams. Just like my dreams came true, yours can too. It might be a little harder now that you’re a mom, but I’m living proof it’s not impossible. Here are a few tips to help you find the time to work toward your dream.

1. Instead of listening to music while driving, listen to a podcast or YouTube tutorial or transcribe ideas into a voice recorder.
2. Get up one hour earlier. Do it in increments. Set the alarm to get up 10 minutes earlier, then gradually increase that over the course of the next month.
3. Use your child’s practice/homework time. Instead of talking with the other moms, sit in your car or away from the others and work on your dream.
4. Get off social media. It’s amazing how much time I waste on Facebook. Rather than scrolling for hours on end, I set a fixed time, then use the reminder of that time to write.
5. Work in 15 minute blocks. The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. You don’t have to have hours blocked off to work on your dream. Set a timer and work for fifteen minutes. At the end of the week, that’s more than an hour you’ve spent on your dream.

Remember, we all have 168 hours in a week. Don’t you owe it to yourself and your kids to find at least one hour to work on your dream?