high school just got simpler

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Simple Living: Part 3

Commitments: we all have them. They eat away at our days, weeks, even free time. Most of the time, there isn't any particular reason you are involved. That "spark" is gone, and you have no interest anymore. 

A couple things come to my mind when I hear about this. Either quit, or get enthusiastic

I recently edited a lot of my commitments. Not only did I free up my time, I got myself more motivated in my other commitments. Now that I have more time on my hands, I can use it to either work on my goals or my hobbies.

"Simplifying my life" like this has opened my eyes. Here's what I recommend you do:

Make a list of all your commitments. Create categories (work, school, sports, hobbies, etc).
  • Work: all those hours you need to log can add up.
  • School: do I need to say this? Homework, projects, and so forth. And you can't get rid of this commitment!
  • Religious: a lot of people are involved with churches, or maybe you go to a service weekly.
  • Hobbies: you might run, or play an instrument. Guess what? That's a commitment too.
  • Home: besides all the regular family things, you have the stuff that needs to be done at home.
  • Online: There are so many things that glue your eyes to the computer: email, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Google, blogs, and etc. Limit your time on each. It will help. No need to check every ten minutes. (It will be there later, don't worry!)
Ask yourself: What value am I getting out of this? Would my life be worse without it? Does this affect any of my goals? Is it a life priority? Try to limit only a few in each category when you are done.
This can get deep, and challenging.

Try to cut them out temporarily. See how you are after a week of edits. If you like what you're seeing, cut out more. You may feel guilty, but if it isn't helping you get to what you want, why stay?

Remember that it's what is important to you when other people try to pressure you into something. Don't fall into a hole you can't get out of.

Doing this personally has been life changing. I am now only focusing on certain things. My calendar isn't flooded with meetings, appointments, and such. I am able to work on goals, hobbies, and being with friends and family. You will be thankful for simplifying your commitments, I sure am.