Yahoo Lifestyle We Played the 30-Day Minimalism Game—and Decluttered 962 Things
As GH UK’s resident Household Advice Editor, I’m no stranger to decluttering. I’ve cleared out my bedroom with the Ski Slope method, and I’ve removed all non-essentials from my living room with the help of Swedish Death Cleaning. But, nothing could have prepared me for my next challenge; the 30-Day Minimalism game.
Because it’s a game, I had to get a few of my team members to take part. At first, we were all super keen to get stuck in, but by the end we could no doubt see the challenge! Here’s what happened when we played this competitive decluttering game.
What is the Minimalism game?
The 30-Day Minimalism game was created by a trio of decluttering experts called the Minimalists; hosts of the Minimalists Podcast and stars of the 2021 Netflix documentary The Minimalists: Less Is Now. The concept is a simple one; for each day over one month, you declutter the number of items according to the date. So on the first, you declutter one item, on the 2nd you declutter two and so on. It sounds easy enough, but trust me when I say things get tricky towards the end of the month!
General trash doesn’t count, and you can’t count tiny, but plentiful items either, such as toothpicks or hair clips. You also need to make sure the items are removed from your home each day, whether by donating, selling or throwing away. The winner gets the furthest through the month, or you share the victory if you reach the end together.
My colleagues, Bethan and Bobbie, both played the game alongside me; here’s what happened:
Bethan Rose Jenkins – Deputy Features Editor
Date reached: 23rd
Total number of items decluttered: 266
Notable items: 37 magazines, 46 documents and receipts, 52 cosmetics
I would describe myself as generally a very tidy person but, in true Monica-from-Friends fashion, I am guilty of having overfilled wardrobes and stuffed cupboards hiding all my sins. At first, the decluttering challenge was fun and, to be honest, easy. I could ease myself in by simply opening a drawer near me and grabbing a few old chargers to see if they still worked and easily tick 2, 3, 4 things off the list.
I knew my worst offending habit was storing magazines, which forced me to sort and prioritize the stacks of them around my apartment as the days hit the ‘teens’. Into the 20s is where the challenge began, as I had to really make an effort to tackle the areas where I least wanted to open a can of worms – beauty supplies and clothes. I was staggered by how many unused products there were from long forgotten gift sets, as well as snapped hair bobbles, broken flip flops and boots I’d forgotten I owned.
I tended to declutter every few days rather than daily, and tot up the numbers in chunks, relishing getting into the swing of things as I targeted each area. I’ve given away a few bits and bobs to friends, recycled anything I could, and chucked the odd thing that was truly beyond saving. The rest all in a box destined for the local charity shop – from plates and shoes to brand new clothes and unread books.
The upside for me? I can finally close my wardrobe, my drawers shut without force and I found possessions I forgot existed. As a reward, I treated myself to a bar cart to organize my now streamlined glasses and bottles collection, which freed up my newly decluttered bookcase — now with enough space to be organized neatly by genre.
Bobbie Edsor – Social Media Manager
Date reached: 21st
Total number of items decluttered: 231
Notable items: 1 smart speaker, 4 boots, 16 teaspoons
As someone who lives in a tiny one bedroom flat, I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to make it past day 10 of the minimalism game. Luckily, my competitive nature kicked in rather quickly as Bethan, Katie and I compared the items we were managing to declutter each morning in the office.
I found it easiest to tackle as small an area as possible each day. The cupboard under the TV? 12 half-used tealights. The cutlery drawer? 16 teaspoons from our overflowing cutlery divider. The bathroom shelves? Three half-used skincare products that just didn't work for me and so were passed on to my sister.
On day six, I was tackling the bedroom and came across a hoard of boots I've been meaning to list on a second-hand selling site. One of the pairs I've been keeping hold of to do so for literally two years, but have consistently put off for no good reason. I listed them all and by day ten, they were all on their way to their new owners with an extra £150 in my pocket.
Once I realized that not everything had to either be thrown away or given to a charity shop, I found the process easier, too. I started to build small piles in my living room where I would offer items to friends and family members before I would add them to the 'donate' or 'bin' piles. My mum was very ecstatic to take on my extra teaspoons, for example (it turns out that teaspoons are either something you're drowning in or never have enough of – who knew!).
Overall, I found this game a really motivating way to declutter. My bathroom cabinets and living room cupboards have stopped overflowing for the first time since we moved in two years ago. I might not have made it to the end of the game, but I'm still over the moon to have got rid of over 200 unnecessary items from my home – especially those that I was able to pass on to a grateful person!
Katie Mortram – Household Advice Editor
Date reached: 30th
Total number of items decluttered: 465
Notable items: 22 candles, 11 glass ramekins, 20 boxes of expired medicine
I decided to start with my cutlery drawer, mainly because it’s been overfilled for a while. I managed to spend the first week or so just clearing this space and the drawer beneath which was filled to the brim with miscellaneous items. Amongst the things I decluttered, we had three bottle openers (leftover from Christmas crackers), a packet of expired stamps and an extra set of measuring spoons. I even found a portable speaker in here we no longer used. I decided to stick to the kitchen once I’d finished here and moved onto my cupboards by the start of the second week.
I didn’t realize I had so many mugs, which seems ridiculous considering I only use about three of them! I decluttered six of them along with 11 glass ramekins I had stored alongside and reorganized the rest of the space so I could easily see and use what remained. I found so many plastic and paper bags stored in my kitchen too (19 more than I needed); these have built up over the years whenever I’m caught without one, but once I realized they could be recycled (check on recyclenow.com) I felt less guilty about letting them go.
Once my kitchen was organized, I started on the bathroom, I didn’t think there’d be much here to get me through the days. Little did I realize, I had 20 boxes of expired medication in there, as well as 4 expired medications for the cat and 7 expired covid tests. I filled days 11 through 16 in these cabinets alone.
By the time I’d reached the 20’s, I moved into my office. I keep a jewelry box here which was a literal goldmine of clutter. Because these items were small and abundant, I quickly had enough to fill the days. One item which threw me was a small dolphin pendant my parents bought for me when I was little. I didn’t have the heart to get rid of it, but I’d forgotten I even had it in the first place. I decided to offer it to my niece, which she gladly accepted. Now it’s more valued than it was before and I see it more than ever!
I’ve also built up a collection of candles over the years. While I used to love these (which is why I’m often given them as gifts) I’m no longer comfortable lighting them with my cat running around. So I decided to let them go and offer them out to friends and family.
I can mention all sorts of miscellaneous items I had stored around the home which I made quick work of; 9 CDs, 28 old greetings cards, the packaging for games consoles, smart phones and tablets (we are never going to sell these so there was no point in keeping) and 14 DVDs included. By the end of the process, my living room floor was filled with items to be either donated, sold or thrown away.
This was by no means a smooth process. I tried to keep up the decluttering day-by-day, especially towards the end, but this was not always possible.
I also didn’t get rid of items at the end of each day as I wanted to see the extent of what I removed. But this would certainly make the process even harder.
There’s also the fact that you need to check others in the household are happy with what you declutter. This can feel like it’s slowing you down, but it’s important. My partner wanted to keep a couple of souvenirs from our travels which I wasn’t so fussed about, but what means little to you might mean more to someone else.
The difference to my home is sensational. My pots and pans are stacked by size, my medicine cabinet is ordered by expiration dates and my office drawers slide in and out with ease. I can’t believe what a difference a month has made, although it is a tiring process to say the least! Let’s just say I was pleased there were only 30 days in September!
Verdict
The 30-Day Minimalism Game is an effective way to declutter your home. Competitiveness motivates you to declutter as well as the challenge to get as far as you can, but this can drive you to potentially remove items you might later regret. So you need to be prepared to put in the time to find suitable items to declutter, and you need to know when to stop if you can’t find any more.
I will say if you have plans to fill the days, it can get difficult to find time for it at the end of the month. For me, the final days felt more of a burden than a fun game. But if you manage to stick to it, it can make a big difference to all sorts of areas around the home.
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