Recently I’ve been receiving an unprecedented volume of random nonsense in my inbox - I promise I’m the wrong target audience for flash sale on plastic cooling face rollers, and why on earth am I on a list to support a political race in Lincoln, Nebraska?
My annoyance at the sheer volume of unwanted emails cluttering up my inbox prompted me to take action. I did a little research to find out the easiest way to unsubscribe from, well, pretty much everything, and I’m sharing my findings below.
A quick Google search came up with unroll.me, a free service designed to help you swiftly unsubscribe from unwanted emails, keep the ones you want, and rollup the rest into a single daily digest. It’s genius and it works.
Since I have multiple email address (work and personal), and do still get a few random unwanted emails, I’ve also gotten in the habit of just taking two seconds to unsubscribe (and mark as spam) each time to keep my inbox clean.
I’m also considering Wirecutter’s suggestion of using an alias to sign up for promotions, newsletters, and accounts moving forward.
DMAchoice is another user-friendly service that helps you opt out of unwanted promotional mail offers, junk mail, and brochures, and I’ve had several readers recommend PaperKarma.com ($59 for a lifetime membership). Sweet relief.
Tired of getting pre-screened packets from credit card companies? Me too. You can opt-out of prescreened offers by visiting: OptOutPrescreen.com. This service is provided by the major credit bureaus and can significantly reduce unwanted credit-related mail by enabling you to opt-out. Bye!
Want to hear a sad story about how I ended up paying for Disney Plus for six full months because I opted in to watch Hamilton once? I’ll spare you the details but will encourage you to take a few minutes to check your credit card statements and then unsubscribe from any unwanted apps, subscriptions, and memberships you’re being repeatedly billed for. You can also use an online tool like rocketmoney.com to help identify forgotten subscriptions and have them opt-out for you - I’m officially intrigued.
I still use Instagram and LinkedIn for business, but I decided to opt out of Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) so I would have less mental clutter in my life. I haven’t missed either.
If you’re interested in taking a break, here’s how to deactivate or delete your Facebook account and here’s the info for breaking up with Twitter.
Since unsubscribing from unwanted emails, mail, credit card offers, memberships, and even deleting entire social media platforms, I have recovered loads of time and generally just feel less distracted and overwhelmed. Win. Win. Win!
Disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with any of the companies mentioned above. Just sharing what’s been working for me in case it’s helpful to you. I welcome other useful recs and resources in the comments.
The latest: New podcast appearances linked below. Take a listen:
🎧 The Change Lab - I’m talking with host Sasha Heinz about values-based organizing, mindset, and actionable ways to clear mental and physical clutter.
🎧 Unf*ck Your Brain - Master coach Kara Loewentheil and I discuss shedding expectations, shame, and clutter.
🎧 The Jen Marples Show - Living with less and creating Space for more in midlife with Jen Marples.
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Photography Credit: Vivian Johnson
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