How do I get some space?

So I started seeing this guy about a month ago. He's in his 20s and I am in my 30s. Definitely mutual attraction and I think he's awesome. We've been out a total of 5 times, but he tries to hang out with me every single day or evening. I am a busy woman. I'm trying to get a writing career going on top of working full time hours, so I get home from work and get started on my writing.

He'll text me every day around 5pm asking what I'm doing and if I want to meet up, and I'll tell him I'm busy, but it's getting to the point there I am getting tired of having to turn him down. I told him a week ago that I am busy and also going through some family stuff, and I asked for his patience and understanding ans I prefer to take things slow. He seemed cool with that, but it didn't get him to back off of asking me out every day. It's stressing me out because I feel like it has to be getting old on his end as well, and I don't want to lose him but he just can't be the top priority in my life at this point. I want to keep him in my life but add a little bit of space. What should I say to him?

Just be honest with him. Let him know you're busy and what your priorities are, but you want to see him too. If you really want to keep him, make sure you let him know that and that you want to see him, he just needs to be patient with you and respect your time. If he's worth keeping he will understand and back off and be strong and patient for when you do hangout.

No back story and no apologies- keep it short and tactful and sweet- do a sandwich “I’m flattered rejector enstctovspendcall this time with me. Right now I can see you about once or twice a week and of course in between we can miss each other (say that with a wink). Tell him that you look forward to seeing him soon. I dated someone briefly many years ago who did not get tjstvmy job wasn’t 9 to 5 - I too was building a career and worked many and unpredictable hours. He was a teacher with a set schedule. One time he asked when I “take dinner” at work as if I had a specific time to take a dinner hour (we ordered in and I ate at my desk when I worked late at night. There were other reasons it didn’t work out but he simply didn’t get the concept of working beyond a set schedule.