Have you ever tried to put clean laundry away and had no space?  Or shoved shirts into an overcrowded drawer with things that you haven’t worn in years?  Or better yet, have you ever moved and thought “WHY DO I HAVE SO MUCH STUFF!” Most of us have had the realization that we need to get rid of things that we no longer need, but why is it so hard to actually do it?  It’s not hurting anyone by staying in our closet or on our shelf….is it?  

Well I’m sure you have all heard about the Marie Kondo craze by now and maybe even watched a few episodes of ‘Tidying Up’ on Netflix, but is all that trouble really worth it?  Well I decided to try some tidying up myself, but with a new twist. In noticing that the clutter I have accumulated over the years really frustrated me at times, I decided to get rid of some of this stuff.  But of course, I had to add a challenge to it to make it more of an … adventure dare I say.  

For my “Declutter Challenge,” I decided that, starting on the first of the month, I would get rid of the same number of items as the date.  So on the first of the month, I will add one item to the pile, on the fifth of the month, I will add five… all the way up to 31. At the end of the challenge, I will have a total 496 items in my pile!!! Now this sounds crazy, but I decided to give it a try. 

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10 things I learned from my Spring Cleaning Declutter Challenge:

1. It starts off easy and kind of fun!  

The first week was easy.  At only a handful of items a day, I was able to knock this out in no time, and it actually felt really good to get rid of things and see my clutter pile grow! I actually would look forward to doing this every day and starting with a low number made me more likely to actually start working on this.  Small attainable goals.  

2. As expected, it gets much more difficult as it progresses.  

As the second week started, finding things to get rid of began to get a little more difficult. I had to get a little creative.  Especially since I put off going through my clothes for last. 

3. It’s okay to set your own rules!  

For this challenge, I gave myself some very lenient rules.  I wanted to make sure I was getting rid of ANYTHING that was in my drawers, etc.  Some of my more lenient rules were counting items that may have been considered “trash,” like old receipts and used up batteries.  My rule: if the item was in my possession before beginning the challenge, then it can count. So this included any receipts or old boxes that were in my drawers, old food that was in the pantry, dead batteries, etc.  It felt good to keep moving and I didn’t want to discourage getting rid of these things that clearly didn’t belong anymore. Any receipts or similar items that I acquired during this challenge, however, were not eligible to count under my rules.  I did, however, set the limitation that “pairs” count as one. So a pair of shoes or old socks is one item, not two.  

4. If I missed a day, no worries! But I made up for it the next day.

If I missed a day, I wasn’t too hard on myself, I simply added that to the next day.  

5. I was surprised at how much stuff I had and how much stuff I didn’t need anymore!

I went through junk drawers, clothes, shoes, sock drawers, old t-shirts, toiletries, you name it! 

6. If you won’t miss it in a year, don’t keep it.

I always had trouble getting rid of clothes that still fit and were otherwise perfectly fine.  I would go through my clothes and think, “well it still fits fine so maybe I will wear it one day,” only to let it sit unworn in my closet for another year.  I have heard some people using the strategy of hanging all of their clothes on hangers facing out and turning them facing in once worn. Then after one year, they get rid of anything still hanging facing out.  This could be an interesting strategy as well! For my challenge, however, I used the strategy of asking one simple question. “In one year, will I miss this item or even remember that I got rid of it?” If the answer is no, then into the pile it went.  

7. Use containers or trash bags

I used a combination of storage bins (like these under the bed bins or these larger see through bins) and decorative cloth bins (like these or these) to collect all my clutter and watched my pile and collection grow throughout this time.  I like these bins because, after the challenge, they can be used for storage, laundry, or even a bag replacement at the grocery store!  

8. Organize as you go!

Throughout the process, I followed some of the tips in Marie Kondo’s book on using containers and bins to organize things that I kept.  I also found that combining drawers or rearranging clothes made the most sense after the clutter was cleared. For towels and pullovers, I LOVED Marie’s method of folding so that the articles are up and down when placed in the drawer or bin.  This way you can see everything from the top. I did not find this method quite as helpful for other clothing items, however, as they are more flimsy.  

9. Clearing out what you don’t want brings out hidden things that you do want!  

There were so many shirts, pants, shoes, books, devices, etc. that I didn’t even remember I had because they were buried in junk I didn’t use anymore.  In clearing out this “clutter,” I was able to rediscover things that I do want to use and organize them to be more accessible! I was never a messy person, and don’t have a large amount of possessions or hoarding tendencies, but I was surprised at how much I could still get rid of!  This freed up space in my drawers and allowed me to better access things that I still use. Boom. Win Win.

10. This one sounds cheesy but…..this challenge made me feel accomplished and happy in my new clean environment! 

Overall this challenge made me feel much happier in my own space and more in control of my surroundings and my life.  I found that I cleaned more frequently, but that it was easier to maintain with the added space. I was now more likely to put my clean laundry away right when it was dry since there was actually space in my drawers. I definitely felt accomplished and am glad I added a little challenge to the mix to keep me motivated and keep it interesting!   

So… are you going to give it a try?