Do you have subscription overload? A few years ago I had Delta Airlines points that were going to expire. I didn't have enough for a ticket but I could cash them in for magazines.
I think at one point I was getting about 10. The ones that arrived weekly, like TIME or Newsweek, did nothing but cause me anxiety. If they started stacking up I felt behind – ‘Yikes! They're current events! I have to read them now!” I also subscribed to fashion, fitness, home, and cooking magazines. When I made the decision to get rid of all of them, it was partially because I couldn’t keep up and partially because I wanted to stop being subjected to advertisements.
It's easy to look at a stack of magazines and determine what you are behind in. How about your email newsletters and RSS feeds? How behind are you in those? Do you subscribe to so many that you can't possibly read them all? Does it cause you anxiety because you feel like you're behind?
Repeat after me “I will never be able to read everything I want to on the internet and it's okay.”
Unsubscribe. Unsubscribe. Unsubscribe.
There is a reason why I only send my newsletter once weekly. Anything more than that is too much in my opinion. I include everything that I've put out in the last week directly in the newsletter so you can pick and choose what interests you to click on. Do I want you to unsubscribe from me? Of course not! However, I also recognize needing a low-information diet. If you find relevance in my message, keep me.
For the next week, take inventory of what comes into your inbox and make a decision to keep or release. I promise, you'll still be smart 🙂
