I’ve been thinking a lot about pruning. Not prunes… but pruning. Cutting away. Paring down. Simplifying.

I’ve been spending the past few weeks writing out my priorities, my goals for the year, and trying to work out some form of time management. So far I’ve realized that for me, time management is a lot like budgeting:

Great in theory. Awful in practice.

But I’m getting better. I’ve consistently written my plans for the upcoming week, usually scheduling out 15 minute blocks of time from 5am until bedtime. That’s a great theory. I just don’t follow through.

So far here are the five main things I’ve consciously decided not to pursue:

1. Golfing.
2. Working on my non-running, eternal project motorcycle.
3. Some mediums of art (painting & watercolor, not graphic design).
4. Our dogs (we’re giving away one tonight).
5. MySpace (soon to be deleted – long overdue).

As for the results… I’ve seen an incredible reduction in stress. I haven’t forgotten appointments in the past few months, and have gotten a lot more done.

Alternately, I’ve recognized an increase in self-induced stress from missing ‘appointments’ on my calendar (for example, “Running @ 5:00am”). I’m still learning the balance between organization and total obsessive-compulsion, but the benefits of simplicity have far outweighed the newer feelings of anxiety.

Simplify your life:

• Saying Farewell to a Hobby from Unclutterer
• Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task from Zen Habits

What works for you?