End of year Digital Declutter — Part One

We’re a mere 21 days out from Christmas, and I bet your inbox reflects it.

This can be a strange time of year for many businesses, who are either seeing action and sales opportunities heightened through the holiday period, or who are quietening down if they’re in an industry space that’s not so front-and-centre come Christmas time. Whether you’re overwhelmed with sales or are counting down the days in a quiet office, now’s an important time to think ahead to the world beyond December 25. Presents are opened, food is consumed (with seconds!), you’ve fit in a holiday nap… and you’re back to work, ready for a new year.

Before you close up shop for the Christmas/New Year’s break, take a moment to take stock of your digital footprint. We had a 5-day digital cleanup challenge in our Automation Hackers Facebook group this week, full of 2-minute tasks that can set you up for success come that first day of work. Now’s a fantastic time to get a jump on New Year prep by ticking off some simple tidying up that can save you time, money and energy.

We’ll cover this digital declutter in two parts, to truly ease you into the sleepy holiday spirit!

Part One: Check your subscriptions

Remember when Netflix was new to the scene, and we all thought we’d cut cords and save significant chunks of our entertainment budget every month? It’s a laughable idea now that we’re seeing competition from places like Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, Hulu and more. I don’t know if you’ve ever fallen prey to the sneaky 7-day trial and have ended up hit with a hefty credit card bill, but it’s all too easy to let a wide range of digital subscriptions cash in on our year-old, unused sign-up on a monthly basis.

The right app and service subscriptions are game-changers and return their value in multiples — but those useless trials are just like that video-on-demand subscription you’re accidentally paying for and never using. Time to show them to the door.

A few things to check your last few months of statements for…

• Amazon Web Services charges
• Google Drive subscriptions
• Dropbox subscriptions
• Password managers
• Website charges
• Stock image subscriptions
• CRM subscriptions
• Security software subscriptions
• Social media tool subscriptions
• Any recurring charges from services such as Apple, Paypal or Stripe — these may be attached to app subscriptions

You may run a check of your statements, identify everything on the list above and know you’re getting the maximum value possible out of each of your services. If so, that’s great!

If there’s some sneaky recurring charges on there for a subscription you never touch, or if you’re getting hit with a bill for something you’re only touching the surface of, make a note. Cancel the unused subscription and commit to evaluating whether that service or app subscription is truly delivering value to you.

Let’s say you’ve got a Zapier subscription you’ve had the best intentions for, but are yet to fully deploy, or perhaps a Buffer account you’re not using to schedule your socials. Revisit the features of these apps and take a look at how they can add value to your everyday work, whether they’re giving you back hours of manual time, decreasing your workload or increasing your customer relationships. If they’re hitting your account, they’ve got to earn their keep.

Let me know how you go — next week we’ll take a look at some other easy clean-ups that can save you time and money.

Enjoy your weekend!

PS — Whenever you’re ready, there are some extra steps you can take to make your business an automated powerhouse:

1. Join the Automation Hackers community

It’s our Facebook community for business owners who want to automate — Click Here.

2. Get your free Automation Checkup

In a free call, I can show you what you can [and should] be automating in your business — Book Here.

3. Work with me and my team privately

Using my Automation Deep Dive method, we’ll create an Automation Blueprint unique to your company. Just send me a message with the words ‘Deep Dive’ and some details about your business, with what you’d like to focus on, and we can take it from there!