Master the art of scheduling.  In addition you may need to learn how to say no:  not the right client match, not the right time, not the right moment...not right now.   Not easy especially when you are new to the business...An important lesson and another one that is seldom taught in real estate class.  

Good luck.

I am very disciplined about managing my time. I am not available to clients 24/7 and during "crazy hours." There's not need to .... we are not brain surgeons and don't need to be available 24/7.

It's necessary to set boundaries from the start.

E.g. I let my buyers/sellers know that I'm off Sunday mornings for church.

If you've got a family obligation, treat it as another "appointment" and just let clients know you're already booked if they hit you up for the same time.  They don't need to know it's for your 5 year old's birthday party.  If an urgent need, have another agent in the office cover you (e.g. hot listing on the market and buyers need to see it NOW).  It'll most likely cost you a showing fee, but you don't get a 2nd chance at major life events.

Chris, it sounds simple, but put family time on the calendar, just as you do with lead generation time, marketing time, follow up time, open house time and appointment time.

Set hours and as best you can, honor them. If you don't, your clients won't.

Close by 6PM and take Sundays off for example. Or whatever day off works best for your spouse and your marriage. Then, unless it's going to cost you a deal, go home by a certain time every night so your spouse can count on you for dinner. Your marriage is #1, not your career.

Here's the advice I gave someone in The Rain 4 years ago and I stand by it:

Set your Boundaries and here's the key phrase: that you yourself can keep first, so others will respect them. They do not work if you won't first honor them yourself. So keep them realistic for your lifestyle & work-style.

Schedule your Month, week and days in advance, prioritizing your goals, work & family priorities. Let the little daily-distractions have to fight for room in your already planned schedule of the priority stuff. Again, you first, have to honor what you schedule. Goals can be categorized into Business-Financial-Family-Spiritual-Personal Mental Health & Personal Physical Health. 

Whenever possible delegate & hire "it" done. My time is worth $300/per hour, so I'm not going to spend any $15.00/hr time on tasks when I can hire that done. Realtors seem to like "busy work" and miss out on productive work; I was guilty of that for years. But these books cured me...

Read:

1. Dr. Henry Cloud's BOUNDARIES
2. Darren Hardy's The Compound Effect
3. David Allen's Getting Things Done
4. Michael Gerber's The E-MYTH Revisited
5. Brian Tracy's GOALS!

Schedule family time like any other appointment - that way you can tell prospects that you already have an appoinment at such and such time - how does such and such other time work??

 First...I treat real estate as a full time job. I am self-employed so M-F 8-5 is not my schedule.

Second...I take time from my work when I need to or want to. That is the flexible nature of the job. Still have to keep my clients happy and produce and close business but don't have to spend every working moment doing so.

Follow a time block, and your clients and family will appreciate and respect your priorities.

You have to be disciplined and plan

Not reading down yet; forgive if duplication.
THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS. There are a couple of ways to look at this:

My first broker said, "As a new agent, your success depends on your availability" and there is truth to that. BUT it is wayyyy easy to get burnt out quick if you are ALWAYS 'ON'.
SOOO . . . KEY is to HAVE A PLAN.

KNOW how many folks you need to talk to. How many listings you need to get. How many closings. In a day, a week, month, year, 5 years yada yada.
When you have a handle on that, you will THEN be able to balance your life.

I run 2 businesses out of my home - one is RE related and the other quite the opposite. I deal with folks the same way in both. I'm available enough to serve my clientele, but boundaries and expectations are set at the onset.
ALSO, my phone ringer is OFF after a certain point. Intake after (in my world) 6pm will be dealt with 6am the next morning.

Most folks don't know the difference as they sleep later than I do!

I fill in my personal & 'family time' on my calendar first. Then, schedule appointments around that. It works beautifully! 

Good luck, Chris!

Make sure your clients know that you have an appointment at a specific time. They do not need to know that the appointment is watching your son's Little League game or spending time biking with your daughter. They should understand that they are not your only client and others need to be attended as well. Schedule that time with your family!

When you typed "as real estate professional" you were extremely close to answering your own question. Family first works for me. Everything goes on the calendar then you'll know when you're open for business. I believe it was Tom Hopkins who taught me to always give the customer two choices and they'll choose one or the other. That luxury doesn't exist so easily with Family, therefore, I suggest learning how to say NO to your customers if there's a scheduling conflict. They'll try you far more times than family but they also have families and soon understand your value to each!   

You set your hours of work right from the start. Don't let your clients or anyone for that matter take advance of your time. 

You need to set boundaries and calendar things.  Have set times that you start and stop for the day (obviously emergencies can get past those windows).  Also setup a schedule.  "Prospect from 8-10, follow-up from 10-11, preview new listings 11-1, gym 1-3, evening listing appointments 5-7, family 7 on."

Block time out for family on your schedule. You are then free to fill in the rest with work!

You have to set boundaries, whatever is necessary to balance your life. Will you lose some potential clients? Maybe. But you'll retain your life health. 

people are understanding....let them know in advance if you are taking a day off.... give them hours to call you.... and when all phone calls will go into voice mail....

Become a banker.

For sure you will work with your schedule 

Schedule family time before anything else AND STICK TO THE SCHEDULE!

It's all about being efficient with Time Management. 

Have your priorities straight.  Have a business plan and manage your time.

Liz and Bill Spear gave you a great suggestion. A

It's important to make a commitment to family, including putting appointment, family time, etc. on your calendar. It's also important to set expectations with clients and prospects about the times you are available and when you are not.

You need to time block and stick to it.

Time block, be flexible, you will have to answer your phone, and plan... Realtors work weekends but you will have time to attend your children's games, recitals and family vacations- make the time. 

Have Faith and Believe. 

Time management.

Avoid distractions. 

Boundary setting. 

Family Support. 

Set a schedule and let your clients and associates know it

The beauty of being self employed is the flexibility to be there when your family needs you. We keep a pretty flexible calendar but schedule our family time in ink.

A great question and even better answers.

Reduce your family to a bare minimum, and then tell them they're on their own and don't expect to get any attention from you.

Schedule time with the family, bock it from schedule and stick to it. I also do that for 1 hour a day for the gym. I do work 7pm to 9pm most days, but do take the time to see my daughters events

I was able to do it through out my career Chris Marston . It's not always easy to say no but you need to practice that discipline to ensure a good family life.

You must become the ruler of all you survey. Jump-in and begin....

My 3 simple rules... Schedule, scheduling, scheduled!

Good Planning all the time.