We all have clutter in our lives. Naturally, one of the first steps on the road to simplicity is to challenge what and how much you consume. The basic idea here is that, the more you consume...meaning buy, acquire, receive, etc...the more complicated your life can be, and the more clutter you have, too! The less you consume the simpler it will be.



So as important as editing is...and that’s an ongoing process...understand that just as important on the road to simplicity is your ability to slow your accumulation of stuff.  Read more...


Note: Our new book Supermom vs Super Mom is digital and will help you eliminate clutter in your life, too!

Topic: Stop the Accumulation of Clutter
But stopping the accumulation of "stuff"(aka clutter) is not as easy as flipping a switch. You’ve got to change your mindset, establish boundaries like we talked about back in Episode 54, and exercise a great amount of self-restraint.
The reality is, most of us have been on autopilot when it comes buying and accumulating things. To consume is human. But consuming is easy...too easy as a matter of fact; which makes slowing the accumulation a little more challenging. But who doesn’t like a healthy challenge?

Ways to Stop Clutter from Finding Its Way Into Your Life
Awareness
The first step in slowing the accumulation is becoming aware of your own buying habits and also being aware of how marketers and advertisers work.
The Stuff Cycle: On the last show, Dan introduced the Stuff Cycle as this seemingly natural 6-Phase cycle of why and how we consume stuff.
You can go back and listen to that in Episode 61, but remember the 6 phases are the:





Perceived Need Phase
Acquire Phase
Utilization Phase
Replacement Phase
Edit Phase and the...
Refine Phase




Let's focus mostly on the Perceived Need phase and how that influences the Acquire phase. There are a few things you can make yourself aware of that influence how you perceive unmet needs or desires which effect how you act in the Acquire phase.
Marketing Strategies: Being aware of how Marketers and advertisers try to convince you that your life will be so much better if you get their product. Now...a lot of times they’re right. We definitely like some products we buy because they have made our life simpler….or added value to our lives. But more often than not, products just add clutter.
Here are just a few strategies marketers will use to get you to buy "stuff":




They’ll use simplicity and minimalism against you: 

Ex: Target had a commercial about minimalism with their clothing….yeah right!
Ex: After saying Vanessa didn't use or need a lot of product because she takes a minimal approach to makeup, she was told at a makeup counter that the manufacturer was "all about minimalism" too.








They tout their products will make life “easier” but usually they just cause more clutter. 

"If Necessity is the mother of invention, Convenience is the mother of the unitasker!"








They use "sale" terms are used over and over again but their real intent is to make you buy. Such as:

"It’s FREE!!!" Well, nothing is ever FREE. 
Advertisers will tempt you with quantity over quality by using “Buy one get one free” or “Buy 5 for the price of 4” strategies for example. Seriously? You only need 1 tub of yogurt. Can you really go through that much before it spoils? Just sayin'. Or...
Buy one get one free but...“just pay shipping and handling”...which usually ends up being outrageous!








They capture your information for their sales funnel and hope for a later sale.

Ever put your name in a drawing to possibly win a FREE whateveryoucallit? Well, you just entered their sales funnel. Now they’ve got your email or mailing address.
Your name will be added to a list for a later sales pitch at their convenience

Most likely, they'll sell your info to third parties (for profit) and those companies will contact yo...