Simple Productivity: Track Subscriptions in Your Calendar
Dedicated subscription trackers are nice, but not necessary
I’ve spent the better part of a year trying to cobble together a solution to replace the excellent dedicated subscription tracker I used to use. Doing what I can with the tools I already have is a bit of a hobby, you see.
I’m determined to stop paying for apps to help me stop paying for subs I’ve forgotten to cancel, and I’m going to do it for free, by golly!
After having a cry that my beloved plain text can’t possibly do a good enough job on its own, I tried scheduled emails, Google Sheets, Apple Reminders, and Things 3. Each worked, in its own way, but none ticked all the boxes.
After spending waaay too much time on this, I’ve come to the conclusion that the simplest answer is the one for me.
All I do now is enter subscription’s details into my digital calendar. That’s it!
Case Study
This morning I subscribed to the excellent Ness Labs membership site, so I can access the Mindful Productivity course Anne-Laure will be running in a couple of days.
After payment went through, I opened my calendar and created a new event in the Subscriptions calendar I’ve created especially for this purpose. I’ve coloured it red, to remind me I’ll be in the red if I don’t take care! It’s an all-day event, with two alerts: one for a week before the renewal date, and another for the day before.
There’s a space for a URL, notes, and attachments. If I ever run a separate spreadsheet, I’ll add a local link to it in the notes section.
I’m already in the habit of checking my calendar daily, and I keep a calendar widget on my phone, so this is the ideal solution for the way I work. If you’re used to a paper calendar, that’ll work too.
Keep it simple, but use the best tools for YOUR needs
Sure, if I want to keep a budget of how many subs I have and how much they’re costing me each week/month/year, I’ll need a spreadsheet. And yes, that’ll mean a small amount of extra work, but extra work and I are friends from way back. I find it keeps me more mindful and intentional about the subscriptions I take on.
If you’re already using something like Chronicle, Bobby, or YNAB, keep going. As I always say, don’t change for the sake of it; let the friction, or frustration of a system prompt you to look for a different solution.