I keep a standing calendar date with my long-distance friend. At first I made the typical excuses β "My schedule changes all the time", "I'm really busy", "I'll try to make it", "maybe when terms up"....thank god for this friend b/c she did not let me slack. Rarely do we cancel and it's actually fantastic. We have our own little rules for the gathering (no course prep, no admin, no emails) only writing/research/making.
FIND FRIENDS THAT KEEP YOU ACCOUNTABLE AND THAT SUPPORT YOU