35 Days to Declutter Your Life

It’s inevitable. Just after Christmas every year I start to have a burning desire to declutter ALL THE THINGS in my house. This year, the urge to purge has been even stronger. In fact, all year I have been slowly eliminating clutter and excess from my life. I have a desire for a more minimal, more “hygge,” less cluttered lifestyle. But I also have a problem with collecting things. I love antiques and books. I love hand-thrown mugs and ironstone pitchers. So I tend to collect them despite the fact that I don’t actually need more.

It’s Time to Declutter!

In this new year, I want to continue my journey of becoming more minimalist, but it will be a long and difficult journey for me. I need to let go of any sentimental feelings I have for “things.” Instead, I want to focus on the things in life that actually fulfill me: family, friends, nature, laughter. I want to surround myself with only the things that I absolutely love or need in my life to make it fulfilling and efficient. But where do I start? How do I begin this process without becoming absolutely overwhelmed?

I think I need to do it slowly, one category of “stuff” at a time. So that is my plan. I have come up with a plan that takes me through 35 days of decluttering my life. Each day designates an area of “stuff” to go through and purge. It is my goal to purge at least 5-10 items in each category. By the end of the 35 days, my house should be filled only with the things that I love or need.

35 Days to Declutter Challenge

To download the PDF version of this calendar, click here!

I figured that I’m not the only one seeking to declutter her life. So I thought I would share my 35 Days to Declutter schedule with all of you! Hopefully, you will find this calendar useful. Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re going through this process:

Before you begin, gather boxes, bins, or bags to put your purged items in. Try to keep similar items together so that later you’ll have less to do when organizing your purged piles.
Decide if you want to donate your items, sell them in a garage sale, or a combination of both. If you decide to have a garage sale, put it on your calendar now right after the 35 days is up. It will give you a daily reminder to get your decluttering done on time!
Dedicate a space to put all of your purged items as they are collected. I will be storing mine in the garage until my garage sale.
While you’re going through these daily categories, ask yourself these questions: Do I absolutely love it? Do I need it? Can I live without it? For clothing, if you (or your kids) haven’t worn an item in over six months, let it go!
Some of the categories I’ve listed may not apply to you. Maybe you don’t have a ton of books. Maybe you don’t have kids. Or maybe you don’t have a garage. You can either skip those days and take a break, focus on a different category, or revisit a category you didn’t get enough time on before.
You may finish before the 35 days are up. If so, that’s okay! I tried to put a lot of wiggle room in the schedule because as a busy, working, single mom I know I may have to skip a day or two. Give yourself some grace!

Keep Up the Good Work!

After you’ve completed the 35 Days to Declutter Challenge, try to keep up the more minimalist lifestyle in the days and months ahead by shifting your shopping habits. This one is definitely going to be hard for me! Before you buy anything, ask yourself: Do I absolutely LOVE it? Do I really need it? Can I live without it? Am I settling for something that’s good enough that I’ll just end up tossing or replacing within a year? Answering these questions for yourself before each purchase will help you get into a more intentional mindset about the things you bring into your home.

Good luck with your decluttering! I hope this schedule helps you. I’d love to see your progress as you go through the 35 days. I will be sure to post mine on Facebook on Instagram!