The 30 Day Decluttering Challenge

It is January, and it is time to set the tone for the year.

I have been decluttering regularly for years and don’t think I’ll ever stop. Life changes and the things that are essential at one point in your life might not be essential later on. That being said, I do not throw things away. Not at all. I either sell them, donate them, give them away to friends or family, turn them into art, or recycle them responsibly. I am not trying to create more waste here. Decluttering, being mindful of my purchases and regularly evaluating what I own, what I use and where my life is headed have helped me significantly reduce the waste I produce.

Dealing with the emotional aspects

It can be very emotional to declutter your life. Some things are easy to declutter, and you can make a decision like that. But there are other things you may have to hang on to for a while and get back to. I have things that I gradually declutter to make sure I am okay with letting go of them mentally as well. As I change and my life changes, I find that I can discern what I actually want and need in my life and what is simply taking up space both in my home and my mind.

Konmari inspires me, and as an intuitive person, I let my intuition guide me. If I hold something and I am overcome with emotions and memories that aren’t positive, I cleanse it, thank it and let it go. If something makes me happy, helps reduce my stress or makes my life easier, I keep it. It isn’t about owning a certain number of things or making my space Instagram-worthy. I don’t care about either of those things. I want my space to feel like my own, inspire me and calm me down. It should be a space that can aid my creativity and help me relax when I need to slow down and do yoga, meditate or sleep.

In other words, if my space stresses me out or gives me anxiety, then I know I need to change things, declutter and find a new system. My space and the way I place things don’t need to make sense to other people. If it works for me and helps me be more productive and mindful, it is exactly as it should be.

Getting Ready For A New Year

For me, both the end of the year and the beginning of the year are very important. At the end of the year, I journal, evaluate the year, and think back on the highlights. What I learned, what projects I completed, where I started and where I ended up. Things that went great and things that didn’t quite go as planned. Things I can do differently and things I want to try. I go over my possessions and lightly declutter digitally and in my space. Anything that needs to be let go of and doesn’t match the energy I am bringing to the new year, I declutter. This doesn’t have to be material, but it can also be situations, relationships, beliefs, habits, etc.

At the start of the year, I set the course for the whole year. I generally do a complete material cleanse and go through everything to make sure what I surround myself with matches my energy, what I am working toward, and where I am.

This year, I decided to start with a No-Spend month, to switch from online shopping to purchasing essentials in person and with cash or gift certificates, and a 30-Day Challenge.

The Challenge

There are two ways to do the 30-Day Challenge. You either start by letting go of one item on the first, two on the second, three on the third and so forth. Or you start backwards. That’s my preferred method since you do the most while your energy is the highest. You declutter 31 things the 1st, 30 things the 2nd, 29 things the 3rd and so on.

I have decluttered digitally – my cloud storage, email accounts, bookmarks, browser tabs, browser history – all of it. I have almost finished decluttering my entire storage unit, and the goal is to declutter enough that I have cleared 50% by the end of the month.

Today, I cleared three suitcases, and on Thursday, I will go through the loose items and the moving boxes in the storage unit. I have gone through all of my work items, sorted everything in a way that works for me and placed everything I need to use up in a box. Everything in the box will be used to make art and designs that I can sell to earn a little extra.

I have gone through all of my yarn and organised it by project. I have made a schedule for the crochet projects, and I should have gone through my yarn stash by April. I’ve gone through all my pens, other stationery, drawing pads, bullet journals, bookkeeping files, old receipts, supplements, medicines, toiletries… It’s only the 15th, but it’s been a very productive month thus far. I’ve even gone through my entire pantry, logged everything, photographed it, and double-checked best-before dates. Of course, they’re more of a guideline, and most things are good long past those dates. Still, it’s good to keep track of things.

Day 15-31

I need to go through my wardrobe and see if there’s anything more I wish to sell or donate. I have a few things in my room that will be decluttered when two projects are completed. I am still evaluating the larger items in my space, mainly screens and other technology. The bigger the item, the bigger the decision.

I know I have some things left in my parent’s garage and attic, so I will bring an Ikea bag and decide what to keep, store, recycle, and sell/donate.

I am going to transfer most of the items in my cloud storage to my external drive.

I will mainly focus on finishing projects, selling things I’ve let go of, and being mindful of the things I use daily and what I surround myself with. There may be more items that will no longer be useful to me the further I get in this challenge. I have a feeling that during the final days of the month, I’ll grab an Ikea bag and go through everything in my space one more time.

Why do I do this?

I do this for my mental health and my general well-being. To live in a space that works for me and feels good to be in. It is a meditative and mindful practice that increases my gratitude and helps me get to know myself more. I keep learning new things about myself and what matters to me, which is a good journey. Also, I can donate things to help various charities, lower my expenses, earn a bit extra from the things I let go of, and manage to sell.

Those are all good things, and it becomes an excellent foundation for the next of the year.