So far, we’ve talked about cleaning dirt, clearing desk drawers and piles of paper, and getting rid of books you’re not going to read. We’ve also focused on cleaning up computer files, email, and digital subscriptions you don’t use.

None of these steps will probably save you money. Today’s challenge is different because you’re going to look at paid services and subscriptions you no longer use.

As someone who runs a membership group (The Daily Writer Club), I love recurring income. It’s a fantastic business model because people continue to pay you month after month, or year after year if it’s an annual subscription.

As a consumer, I love it because it spreads out automated expenses into smaller chunks. But it’s also very easy to stay subscribed to services or tools you don’t actually use, especially if you don’t pay attention to your monthly expenses.

Here’s your assignment: go back through your last two months of bank or credit card charges. If you have a business checking account or credit card, do it for both personal and business.

Make a list of any recurring subscriptions or services you don’t use, then either cancel them or see if you can get a cheaper version if you still want to keep it. This goes for magazine subscriptions, streaming services, professional memberships, digital tools and apps… you name it.

Look at everything you’re spending money on. Pretend that you’re going into a meeting where you have to justify all those expenses to your boss. If you can’t justify the expense, it probably needs to go.

In doing this exercise myself, I canceled four items:

1. An $8/month subscription to a writing membership.
2. A $50/month subscription to a writing resource.
3. A $15/month subscription to a streaming service.
4. A $99/year subscription to a mind mapping app.

I just saved $80/month (almost $1,000/year) just by canceling things I wasn’t using anyway!

Keep in mind that you don’t always have to cancel something entirely. You can often get a discount if you try to cancel, or if you simply contact support or customer service and ask for a discount.

Likewise, you can often downgrade a subscription to a lower tier if you still want to keep it but don’t need the version you’re currently using.

What does all this have to do with writing? Writing isn’t just about the words and content. If you want to have a writing business, you need to think like a business owner. You can easily give yourself a raise if you cancel services and subscriptions you aren’t using.

Today’s Challenge: Go through your past two months’ worth of bank or credit card statements and make a list of subscriptions or services you’re not using. Then cancel or downgrade them.

The post Clear the Clutter: Paid Services & Subscriptions appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

Now I want to help you clear even more digital and mental clutter by letting go of subscriptions to podcasts and email newsletter subscriptions that aren’t helping you.

This might seem ironic, given that you’re consuming this content right now either in the form of a podcast episode or an email newsletter. Obviously, you find this helpful or you wouldn’t be here.

But what about all those podcasts and email subscriptions clogging up your podcast player and inbox? You know, the ones you might get to someday… but probably won’t? You should let go of them.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity we have as content creators today. Anyone with a computer and internet connection can be a writer, author, or podcaster.

That also means, however, that there is far more content being produced than you can ever consume. So rather than trying to consume more and more, I teach that you should only consume things that you find really compelling, or that are helping you right now.

Here’s a simple way to decide what you should keep. I call it the “six-week test.” If you have read or listened to it in the last 6 weeks, or if you plan on reading or listening to it in the next six weeks, then keep it. Otherwise, unsubscribe from it.

I just went through my podcast app and unsubscribed from 15 podcasts using this method! Now, I feel less stressed when deciding which episodes to listen to.

You might ask, “What if there’s something good in those emails or podcasts that I’ll miss if I unsubscribe?”

Good question. I believe if something is important and is meant to be in your life, it will come around again at just the right time. Plus, since it’s digital, it will always be there to consume anyway.

Your time is limited. You only have so much bandwidth for email newsletters and podcasts. Let go of the ones you’re not using so you can focus on the ones that are truly valuable for you right now in your journey.

Today’s Challenge: Look through your inbox and podcasts, then delete the ones you’re not using. Don’t overthink it. It needs to be a clear “yes” in order for it to continue taking up space in your life.

The post Clear the Clutter: Podcasts & Email Subscriptions appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.