Simple Suggestion #39... Terminate subscriptions and memberships for which you don't have time

We used to get a lot of magazines... until one summer day, I cleaned up the magazine shelf and found a half dozen that I had never even seen. Then I had to ask myself -- if I didn't even notice or remember that they had arrived, why was I bothering with a subscription that only wasted lovely glossy paper, also known as trees and chemicals? True, I could have saved those issues for a time when I run out of reading material... but when would that day ever come? I was also receiving a half dozen e-newsletters that sat in my inbox until I deleted them, unread!

The problem is that there are just too many interests to pursue in this life, and not enough time. I'd love to keep up with Vegetarian Times, Organic Gardening, numerous writing magazines, and even just the weekend crossword puzzle. And then there are all the membership possibilities -- fitness classes, art or writing courses, and other activities that could keep a person running every night of the week. And those emails that never get read!

Getting over-committed, whether to what comes through the mail or online, or through signing up for courses and classes and conferences -- only adds a guilt-load to life. The false expectation that I should be able to do everything ends up sapping my energy to the point that I want to do nothing. Fortunately, that's usually when summer holidays kick in, and I'm reminded that life can be a lot more relaxed if I don't sign up for everything!

So when I cleared off the magazine shelf that summer day, I made the decision to let those magazine subscriptions lapse. I cut back on free inspirational emails for my inbox, decided that one or two activities would be my limit, and chose freedom over the guilt-load of subscriptions and memberships that I hadn't been juggling very well at all. I wish I could say that the guilt-load has vanished, but it hasn't quite, as the temptation of one more activity/membership/subscription always exists. No, it hasn't been perfectly smooth sailing, but then what's life without a few waves?

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.