It's been a bit since i've played or DM'ed and me and some friends who i've normally played with over the years have been kinda getting the itch to play again. especially me. The issue is same issue most people have even getting a small group of people together in the same place and time. i've heard and thought about people who play D&D online through a forum, etc. i don't know. i'm really here looking for tips or suggestions on how some of you other fine folks might have managed your group when between yourself and friends run into schedule and time restraints that just produce a not so fun gameing experience. Or alternative methods of playing? aside from the console. so yea. throw some thoughts and ideas at me.
Roll20 is a popular website that handles this well.
For me, my games are real-life, and scheduling them simply involves making it a priority and clearing it with the spouses.
Encounters program aka Adventurer's League is another option. Find a local gaming store and they will host your group on a weekly basis. While you are forced into playing the current season's adventure(s), you will have a dedicated location and time by which you and your group will be able to set their clocks.
awesome...this has helped me out a lot. thanks guys.
Finding groups through Obsidian Portal is useful, if you are looking for in house games in your region. Then roll20 and its various virtual table top cousins are also useful. I even use roll20 to play solo some times when I want to test group builds and such against various terrain/monster compositions. Ive been working on a 20 'dungeon' test lane I call the Guantlet. It helps pick apart the bad white room theory crafting to pick up a good build.
My group started to have this problem too. We are all friends who started to play together 7 years ago. At that time we were all in college and scheduling games on once or twice a week basis was no problem,one semester we played 2 times a week from 10 till 14,15 every monday and thursday. Few years have passed,most of us gratudated masters or are near the end of masters program,started working full time jobs parallel to college,some got married and got kids. In short,our gaming schedule was getting harder and harder to sync. Now,how we do it. We take out calendar for current month. Everybody crosses out dates that they know in advance they cant play. Days that are left are the ones we can potentially play. So,if life doesn't get in the way,we usually have 2-4 possible session per month. Usually 2. And usually one of work days,so it tends to be 2 or 3 sessions a month, lasting 4-5 hours tops. Sucks,but hey,this is our passtime,hobby. You take what you get. Oh,and there were times when we would not play for month or two. Last session was mid july,next one is mid september. 
We did use rpol for one campaign,which died away when our gm's second child was born. Two small kids,job and phd tend to kill your gaming time. So,try calendar method and like the others said,maybe play by post forums. Also,one of the friends started playing in pathfinder society (only organized play available where i live). So if you have any organized play going on where you live,check it out. Hope i helped.