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Discover how to simplify your life with a minimalism challenge that cuts the clutter and boosts your happiness over the next month.
Key takeaways:
- Walk through your home and donate items that don’t bring joy.
- Use an inbox system for papers to avoid clutter build-up.
- Reset your home each night for a stress-free morning.
- Declutter your car and keep only essentials.
- Spend 30 minutes outside for mental and nature-inspired decluttering.
Table of Contents
Walk Your House With a Donation Bag
Start in one room and work your way around your home, holding each item for just a moment. Ask yourself if it sparks joy or if you’ve used it in the last year. If it doesn’t ring any bells, into the bag it goes! Keep this bag visible and accessible throughout the day so you can add items as you come across them.
Remember: the goal isn’t to strip your home bare but to consciously decide what deserves your space. This approach turns decluttering into a proactive choice rather than a chore, making it surprisingly satisfying to see that donation bag fill up. After your first sweep, keep the bag handy for a few days; often, you’ll find a few stragglers that are ready to say goodbye. This method not only clears your physical space but also gives a little boost of dopamine every time you drop another item into the bag — who knew cleaning could be so gratifying?
Create an Inbox System for Papers
Taming the paper tiger doesn’t need to be as daunting as finding a real tiger in your living room. Start simple: get yourself a couple of trays or bins. Label one for incoming papers—bills, letters, kids’ school papers, you name it. The other is for outgoing items—signed forms, mail to post, and anything else destined to leave your house.
Each day, or even just once a week, take a few minutes to sort these papers. The goal? Avoid letting them pile up into a terrifying mountain. Remember, handle it once! Read it, file it, bin it, or send it on its way.
Not only will this keep your surfaces clearer, but it’ll also save you time hunting for that elusive permission slip or unpaid bill. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find the counter beneath those stacks of paper has been waiting to see the light of day again.
Do a Nightly Reset
Instead of stepping over that pile of clothes or ignoring the dirty dishes, take a few moments each evening to set things right. This small habit can work wonders for your morning mood—and hey, who doesn’t want to start the day on a positive note?
First, tackle the visible messes. Clearing surfaces like counters and tables can instantly uplift the look of any room. Next, return stray items to their designated homes. That lone sock, the book under the sofa, and other miscellaneous refugees deserve their own space too. Finally, take a serene walk through your home, adjusting as needed, ensuring everything looks neat and inviting.
This brief nightly effort ensures you wake up to a home that’s ready to help you take on the day, not add to your stress. Plus, it’s quite satisfying to outsmart chaos with just ten minutes of tidying!
Declutter Your Car
Start by emptying out all the trash. Yes, those ancient receipts, empty water bottles, and mysterious wrappers have got to go. Next, tackle the glove compartment and center console. Only the essentials should stay: the manual, registration, insurance card, and maybe your favorite sunglasses.
Review what’s in your trunk. It’s not a second closet, although it’s very tempting to treat it as such. Keep only the necessities: spare tire, jack, and perhaps a small emergency kit.
Finally, consider a car organizer for the items you use often, like charging cables and water bottles. A tidy car not only looks great but also feels surprisingly liberating every time you climb in. And let’s be honest, finding your seat without navigating an obstacle course of gym bags and fast food bags is the kind of joy everyone deserves!
Spend 30 Minutes Outside
Embracing the great outdoors offers a refreshing break from the endless stuff that seems to multiply indoors. Even just half an hour can act as a mental reset, giving you new perspectives—perhaps on why you should be saying goodbye to that collection of garden gnomes.
Take this time to practice mindfulness. Focus on the sensations around you—the rustle of leaves, the chirp of birds, maybe even the distant laughter of children or the rhythmic barking of a dog. This is not just about physical decluttering, but mental decluttering, too. Nature sidesteps the noise of our daily grind and infuses peace and clarity into our minds.
Consider this your scheduled breather from decision fatigue. No need to sort, organize, or decide if something sparks joy. It’s just you and the open space. Let the simplicity of nature inspire simplicity in your life. Each leaf, not overthinking its existence, can remind us that sometimes, less truly is more.
