It is the year to unsubscribe, where subscriptions must prove their worth. At least for me it is.
I have been unsubscribing and deleting the overwhelming emails that have deluged my Inbox over the last few years. Since we moved, I had kept most of them because many contained files or references that were important at the time. With that critical time now past, I can more readily identify what truly needs to be kept. I’ve also been unsubscribing to newsletters that no longer interest me and ads that come back with a vengeance every time I order something from their website.
The reality is there is very little you actually need. The key is to take the time to identify what is important and to eliminate all the rest.
Email is only the beginning. There’s the newsletter subscriptions, streaming subscriptions, meal delivery subscriptions, Amazon and other online ordering subscriptions, app subscriptions, vehicle subscriptions, magazine subscriptions. And most social media accounts don’t require a paid subscription because you are the automated recurring customer they wish to engage.
There are even apps to manage your growing number of subscriptions (Rocket Money, PocketGuard)! I’m not suggesting you use these. Most of the unsubscribe advice I found was woefully generic and at best, not useful, because recurring messaging leads to recurring revenue. Subscription-based models generate greater long-term revenue than one-time purchases or single transactions increasing customer lifespan and loyalty.
To unsubscribe, you must first understand that free is only an illusion. Granted, I offer these thing$ you should know without a fee or advertising, but this does require you to pay with your attention and time. How much are you paying for with your attention that is frivolous or wasting your time?
Only you can determine what is worthwhile and what truly matters to you. Many proclaim what specifically you should unsubscribe from, but what may not be useful to you may actually be useful to someone else. The process of unsubscribing requires your time and focus which are hard to come by if you are not intentional about it.
There are some aspects, however, you should consider before you indiscriminately unsubscribe or cancel a subscription.
• What concrete problem does the subscription solve for me?
• Does it provide something I can’t do myself that is necessary or useful?
• Does it provide meaningful value to me?
• Do I enjoy it or do I rarely use it?
• What would happen if the subscription ended?
• Can I resubscribe at a later time or never again?
For example, most security and camera systems will require a monthly or annual subscription fee. Many will advertise no monthly fee but with a disclaimer that you will need to monitor the system yourself. We were alerted to one audacious coyote early this morning because we pay an annual subscription fee for alerts and 180 days of recorded video playback. No one can monitor their security system 24/7.
Another example, does your computer or laptop need additional virus protection provided by a subscription? Most don’t, unless you are regularly visiting and downloading from unsecure or high-risk websites (i.e. from Facebook, Instagram), deal with sensitive data or are still using a Windows 10 operating system that ended support as of October 2025.
In my quest to establish my own Apple ID (after 15 years of sharing one), I found that I need to delete and reestablish almost every app on my newly acquired phone. While it is a pain, it requires me to evaluate each app and whether it is worth redownloading to use and several are not.
This year, I challenge you to unsubscribe from everything that truly isn’t worthwhile and to subscribe only to what matters. It will require intention and some research to curate what is valuable to you and know that it will differ from others. It will also require time to figure out how to find the often hidden Unsubscribe or Cancel Subscription option.
I don’t require subscriptions, but I appreciate your attention. It helps me determine what to write that will be worthwhile. I only get a number and that number has grown from a once-a-month email to a dashboard number on my website admin page.
“Elimination is the best productivity tool. Most advice helps you do more of what you don’t like. The better approach is to do fewer things and actually want to do them.” – Justin Welsh, Unsubscribe
The exhaustion of always being available.