schedule it really. If you don't have a private space to practice, then it has to be after bedtime or get up early. I have a few days a week specifically dedicated to music but that's more for production. The rest I either wait til bedtime, or try to get up at some ungodly hour. My kid just started preschool too so there's some time there, but I don't work a day job.

+1 Great advice. I have a 1 and half year old. And life got complicated. The Freestyle approach to life, especially practice, is foolish and has lead to 0 practice time. I work a day job

I've also gotten really good at djing in my headphones.

Although my daughter is at the age where she now asks me to DJ, but I can only get so far before she a) asks to play with the knobs, faders, and platters or b) gets more entitled than your bar star request princess and demands one of the same 20 songs she likes to listen to on repeat.

I have an 1 hour drive to work each way some days its 90mins each way, So the car is the listening studio. I specifically upgraded the car's factory speakers to some Gladen + Mosconi amp. The stock was just not cutting it.

I'm either listening to mixes on Mixcloud or Spotify.
I have shazam armed & ready to use if a track catches my attention. if an entire mix is fire I just activate auto shazam as I listen.

In terms of actual practice on decks....thats a fantasy.

The odd time I do get the chance to practice, I use it to learn scratching.

The rest of "my time" is not mine to decide on how to use. #Life

At least I still get to DJ.

It gets easier as the kids get older. My youngest is in High school and I'm able to get in at least 45 minutes of "practice" each night. Sometimes practice is just me listening to records, or doing maintenance on my decks. My wife and kids are just used to me spending time DJing or doing something DJ related. I try to find a way to include them by either asking their opinions on a song or getting them to help me with a project.

Great reading everyone's struggles. I don't feel so miserable thinking I'm the only one that can't get a decent practice in now. Knowing you guys go through the same but are able to still make things happen as a DJ. Great tips also! Realizing #Life

I have a 2 yr old daughter.

As far as listening to new jams, I do that on the way to work as well and in the office. I have a one in ear headphone piece that I use so I can still hear what's going on at work while peeping mixes and new tracks.

Practicing, recording mixes, downloading songs, & any type of library organization are usually done after bedtime. I also mix in my headphones when I practice/record mixes as well.

Lol. This. I'm pretty much limited to play Juju on that beat, Bruno Mars, DJ Khaled, Can't Stop The Feeling, & Bob Marley or I feel the rath of an angry toddler myself.

My daughter is big on Daft Punk, OK Go, the Beatles, and MJ along with some assorted others.

She does love listening to new music, but only for a bit and then decides she needs to listen to her favourites.

I just came to the horrid realization that when I was my kid's age (3 and a half), the music my dad was playing for me - The Beatles, Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, etc - was actually newer for me in 1980 than the music I play for my daughter now...