I tried ignoring the housework, but had to admit that I function better in reasonably clean and orderly surroundings (only reasonably - no perfection here!). So I've worked out a daily routine based on Flylady's principles that keeps things looking OK and is also gradually dealing with the backlog of cleaning and clutter. I do that in the mornings, and the rest of the day is mine. But I'm lucky, as I've recently retired. When I was working fulltime it was really difficult - that's when the backlogs built up. I used to try to make sure I got at least 30 mins sewing in each day, and more at the weekends.