Clearing out 'Clutter'

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here. I'm sorry folks, life just got too cluttered for a while there. Which leads me to today's post,which is all about clearing the clutter from your life. How to tell if you have clutter is simple, just ask yourself "Do I have enough available time to do projects that I want to do?". If the answer is "No" then perhaps you are involved in too many things.

To Clear out clutter first, make a list of what you are required to do. Things you can't just stop doing, like work/school, cleaning, errands, etc. Make a note of how often and how long you do them. Next make a list of fun things. Things you can just stop doing, like visiting, tv, clubs, hobbies, etc. Again make a note of how often and how long you do them. This is what my list looked like.

Required:
Work - 40hrs/week (8 hrs 5 days a week).
Cleaning - 1 hour daily or 4hrs/week.
Errands - 4hrs weekly.

Fun:
Coloring on Gimp - between 3-6 hrs depending on picture.
Reading - 4hrs daily.
Studying - 2 hrs daily.
Visiting - 3 hrs weekly.
Dragon Pals - 5 hrs daily.
(20+ hrs total daily)

I was staying up late into the night and getting up extra early in order to do all of this. I had no time to relax or take care of things I wanted to do. So I went through the list and crunched them down. This is now what my list looks like.

Required:
Work - 40 hrs weekly.
Cleaning - 1 hour twice a week (I don't generate a lot of trash, so I have no need to sweep every day (for example))
Errands - 2 hrs weekly (I re-routed my path to do errands so that I can make a big circle rather than drive zig-zag accross town).

Fun:
Coloring on Gimp - 3 hrs when all else is done.
Reading - 2hrs daily.
Studying - 3 hrs daily.
Visiting - When free to do so.
Dragon Pals - Quit
Flight Rising - 1 hr daily.
(16+ hrs total daily)

My schedule has reduced down a lot emptying out some free time. Sometimes I have friends come over to visit rather than go visit them (like when I'm cleaning).

Now you play with your lists. See which fun items you can do without, or spend less time doing. See which required items you can do simultaneously or ways to decrease the time spent on them. If applicable to you, share the load with others (like partner, roommate, kids, etc.).