The Great Unsubscribe, Week 2
Detox the Other Digitals
Last week, we talked about clearing the clutter in our inboxes—because email itself takes too much time and energy. This week, we’re talking about a few other areas in our digital lives:
Podcasts
Creator tools
Social media
As a reminder, here are our ground rules:
Ground Rules for Unsubscribing
Do what you need to do, and don’t feel guilty about it. Technology doesn’t have feelings.
Don’t spend all day doing this (unless you want to!). Don’t make unsubscribing one more thing clogging up your to-do list. You might allocate just the first twenty minutes of your work day to unsubscribing, and then move on. Personally, I’m just doing it throughout each day as opportunities arise.
Podcasts
I love listening to podcasts, but I’ve gotten in the habit of subscribing to lots of them. Podcasts that look interesting, podcasts that friends recommend, podcasts I want to learn from later.
More often than not, I listen to a few interesting episodes, and then I wait. As new episodes drop, I listen to them in the hopes that they’ll be as good as the ones that enticed me to subscribe. Sometimes it happens, but not always. And I most often find myself scrolling wayyyyyy down my “New Episodes” list on Spotify to find the handful of podcasts I actually want to listen to. Like, the ones that make me think, “Hey, it’s Wednesday! I need to listen to today’s new episode.”
Honestly, it’s been hard for me to unsubscribe from podcasts I really don’t listen to. I’m always tempted by the idea that maybe the next episode will be another great one.
So to make it a little easier, I started another playlist that I’m just calling “Good Pods” (because I’m not a very creative podcast playlist namer). I went through the podcasts that I was only maybe/sorta/sometimes interested in, and I added the handful of episodes I saw that I truly still want to listen to. Now, I can just go to that playlist for a shortcut to good content. And if I’m really curious to hear what else that podcast has been up to, it’s a good way to remind myself to go looking at their recent episodes to add to the playlist.
I was also surprised when I went through my list of pods to see how many of them have stopped putting out new episodes! There were at least a handful that hadn’t published a new episode in 6 months or more. Automatic unsubscribe!
Creator Tools Payments
If you are a creator and trying to build a brand, there is no shortage to the number of software/”tools” available to help us do our jobs better—for a seemingly totally reasonable monthly price, or hey, you can get the annual subscription for an even better deal!
It all adds up.
As a small business owner, I have a bookkeeper (who’s the #1 best investment I made in my business this year, btw!) who keeps track of everything for me. I took a look at the most recent report she compiled for me, and I was shocked to see how many different tools I paid for in the last year. I’m embarrassed to say that there were a few I signed up for thinking they were so cool and I would use them, and then I never did.
Obviously, those were the first to go.
Then I took a look at the tools that I use but could probably find a cheaper or more efficient replacement for. For example, I’ve been paying hundreds of dollars for Calendly every year to schedule appointments with clients and Hungry Authors interviews. But there are cheaper replacements, including Google Calendar’s new (free) appointment scheduling tool. I’m trying it out right now, and I feel pretty confident that I’ll be able to at least downgrade my Calendly subscription for 2024.
I’ll also share here that I’m making what feels like a BIG change for me in the next few months. I’m leaving ConvertKit, and I’m moving my entire newsletter to Substack. This has been a hard decision and one I’m still not 1000% adjusted to yet, but one of the main reasons that I’m moving is because I can’t continue to justify the cost of ConvertKit, when Substack has so many benefits for free. There are more reasons aligned to my “why” and my vision for my business that I’ll explain in a future newsletter, but I’m giving you a heads up!
There are some creator tools that are truly fundamental to my job, like Google Workspace, Canva, Zoom, Otter.ai, and Publishers Marketplace. These tools make me more successful than I would be without them. But beyond those, I’m taking a hard look at where my money has been going so that I can spend it on hopefully better investments for my business next year.
Social Media
Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you you should get off all social media. Unless you want to. In which case, go for it! I admire you!
Honestly, social media is an area of my life that I need to interrogate more thoroughly. I’ve come to the conclusion that, as an aspiring author, investing in trying to grow my social media is a mistake. It’s insanely hard to grow your following unless you pay exorbitant amounts for ads. Even if you do have a lot of followers, that rarely translates into book sales. Having a large following literally yields me nothing. I don’t get to keep the subscriber list or have contact information of those who follow me. So what’s the value?
Earlier this year, I started paying for the Meta Verified badge because I hoped that it would help me grow my following there. $14.99/month for 109 followers in the last three months - that’s $.41 per new follower, which is insanely expensive. Granted, I haven’t been posting as regularly since our foster baby came to live with us, but I can tell you that the growth wasn’t too impressive in previous months either. I will be happy to see my Meta Verified badge disappear once the current month’s payment is up.
Throughout 2024, I’m not going to be putting nearly as much time into social media as a creator. It’s too much work and the rewards are too small. Instead, you’ll see me shifting more time and energy into doing what I love most anyway: writing books and creating content on my new Substack newsletter. 🙂
As a consumer of social media, there’s also some cutting that can be done. I have several accounts that are dormant: X, Threads, Pinterest (Lord, I haven’t looked at my Pinterest account in who knows how long!). Really, the only ones I use regularly are Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Although I haven’t cut the cords yet, I’m seriously considering just deleting my unused accounts, because I just don’t see value in them and, if nothing else, they take up storage on my phone. And, frankly, I’m tired of large, corrupt organizations leveraging my personal information to make money. Not today, Elon Musk!
I’d love to hear what other digital categories you’re unsubscribing from. What’s taking up useless space without offering any value in return? What’s sapping your energy, money, and time?
And as fellow creators, how do you find just the right tools that you need to do your job well and say no to all the rest? Please, help a friend out and share in the comments!
Next week, we’ll start getting into more of the heart stuff with unsubscribing: our calendars.
Upcoming Events
Your Bestselling Book Idea - In-Person Class
You've got an idea for a book... but how do you know if it's really good? How do you know that it'll work, that people will want to read it - and maybe a publisher will even want to publish it? In this 90-minute, interactive workshop, we'll break down the essential components of bestselling book ideas, using examples from real bestselling books. We'll also talk about how to turn a boring idea into a bestselling idea, and workshop each other's ideas to make them even greater.
In this class, you'll learn:
5 ways to come up with bestselling book ideas
How to analyze other bestselling books to identify the ideas that make them so popular
How to test your ideas to make sure they'll stick
Location: The Chattery, 1800 Rossville Ave. Ste 108, Chattanooga, TN 37408
Cost: $25
5 Keys for More Consistent Writing - Online Class
Most aspiring writers know that consistency is key—and yet life seems to always get in the way! We feel frustrated, creatively blocked, and worried that we’ll never make our writing dreams come true. However, there are small, simple changes we can make to reconnect with our “why” for writing and cultivate regular writing habits and routines.
In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn:
5 keys for more consistent writing habits
The printer vs. pixel method of writing
Tips & tricks for mastering resistance
Location: Zoom
Cost: $50
More for You
Write a Personal Essay
My friend Mara is a wonderful teacher, and she’s hosting an 8-week personal narrative class in the new year that you do not want to miss!
In the Unearthing Beauty personal narrative class, Mara Eller teaches students a repeatable process to identify a formative live event, unpack its meaning, and craft it into a powerful and polished narrative that captivates readers and reveals profound insights. With 1-1 feedback every week from an experienced expert and targeted exercises to provide inspiration and direction, you'll finish the 8-week experience with
a compelling, polished piece of writing
dozens of ideas for additional narratives
greater confidence (and skill!) in your writing ability
a clearer sense of who you are
…No matter where you are in your writing journey, this course will spark new ideas, boost your confidence, and turn your past into a powerful illustration of God's grace.
More Tips for Managing Your Email
I’m not the only person trying to clear away the detritus of 2023! Over on
, Sarah has posted more great ideas for clearing out your email clutter!
What’s Bringing Me Joy
One of my writing mentors, Jeff Goins, gave me a heartfelt compliment on my writing this week, and it’s provided a much-needed lift as I work hard to finish strong in the last weeks of 2023. It’s been a good reminder of the power of having people who believe in you. An honest compliment from someone you respect can do wonders for your self-efficacy.
Dear friend, I hope you have someone who believes in your writing, too. And if you can, pass it on. Take the next opportunity you can to encourage another writer. You never know when it will make all the difference.
Happy weekend,
Ariel
I deleted X from my phone and stopped posting there. I do like Threads, and Instagram is my main platform and I also post on Facebook. What made you decide to leave your email provider for Substack? I’ve been wondering about that too…
Ariel, I'm loving this Great Unsubscribe series! It's been just the nudge-nudge-nudge I've needed to reduce and put limits on the chaos.