Is it time to cull some of the dead weight in your address book?

The signs:

• They never call;
  
• They stand you up;
  
• They send 10-page emails to you every minute of the day, but you can only be bothered with a one-line reply;
  
• They drop you for someone better looking, and only come back when it fails;
  
• You can't remember why you still hang out;
  
• You find yourself planning your shopping list while they talk to you.

Possible culprits:

• Old school friends: especially when you are misguided enough to try and contact them via Facebook, only to discover why you couldn't be arsed to stay in touch before;
  
• People from old jobs, who you never really liked, but helped you network with the people who gave you your top job;
  
• People so depressing that every time you talk to them they make you want to cry. (Although if they have a real problem and you want to stay mates read our mental health information);
  
• Your mate's ex who cried on your shoulder and you've never had the heart to tell them to piss off;
  
• Your best mate from school, college or university - you've grown out of them but don't want to admit it;
  
• Habitual mates - you know each other so well it bores you;
  
• The next door neighbour from where you lived when you were five - you played together out of convenience and parent match-making until you were old enough to realise they were dull.

Result:

When you finally realise how much of your precious little time these people are hogging, every little thing they do will irritate you beyond belief and you will feel yourself about to SCREAM at them. That is the time to get rid - time to dump your so-called-mate(s).

You will feel a million times better afterward, relieved you don't have to think up excuses as to why you won't go role-playing with such-and-such or truffle-hunting with so-and-so. Instead you can do whatever you bloody like with whoever you bloody like until your mailing list gets clogged and it's get-rid time again.

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