What real schedule helps you run a agency while steadily building a self-funded product?

It’s easy to let client commitments swallow your calendar whole. Because client work brings immediate revenue internal products usually take a backseat whenever a deadline gets tight.

I've tested setting aside specific days or taking on fewer clients but unexpected client requests usually ruin the system within a few weeks. Balancing direct service income with long-term software development needs a far more realistic routine.

Have you successfully managed to split your week between client tasks and your own app or did you eventually have to drop client work altogether?