Working on this list of 120 things to declutter will help you create space in your home, your heart and in your mind. My simplicity journey is gentle and my decluttering journey was slow. I didn’t wake up one morning, cancel my cable television, quit my job and throw all my stuff in a dumpster. One small change led to another. It’s been an inch by inch, shirt by vase by book process of letting go. I’ve simplified and edited every part of my life and continue to approach my life and work with a less is more philosophy.
The slow and steady way is the only one that has ever worked for me in terms of sustainable change. That said, picking up the speed and intensity on my simplicity journey in little bursts has helped me make progress, have more fun and maintain motivation. I’ve shared a lot about personal challenges and experiments like this one and this one.
120 Things To Declutter From Your Life
Set aside a little time to let go of 10 items in each of the following 12 categories. In decluttering math, that’s 120 things to declutter! The faster you release this clutter the better so you don’t overthink and convince yourself to hold on. Fun music will help. Challenging a friend to join you will make it more fun. Do it to make space. Do it for more light. Do it to smile. Do it because things are too heavy and too much right now. When excuses pop up, turn up the music. Enjoy this decluttering checklist!
1. Start with the spices.
Declutter 10 items from your pantry or refrigerator. Grab the spices off the shelf and the sauces and condiments in the fridge that you don’t use. You may have bought something for one recipe and then just never used it again. You’ll use your favorite items to cook when you have fewer choices. See how I store my spices here. Bonus things to declutter in this area: clear your refrigerator of any magnets and your freezer of things that have been in there for way too long.
2. Declutter 10 items of clothing.
Free up some hangers and get a box ready for donations. Remove anything from your closet that doesn’t fit your body or your lifestyle. If decluttering things from your closet gets you interested in creating a smaller, capsule wardrobe, here are 10 tiny tips to help. Bonus things to declutter in this area: Purses, jewelry, scarves and other accessories.
3. Cut the cord on the random cords and chargers.
Find your box or drawer of excess cords, most of which you never use, never used and will not use again. Find 10 that don’t go to anything. Let go. I say this with love because I’ve been there. If you worry that you may need them “just in case,” put them in a box marked, “donate after 60 days” to prove to yourself that everything will be ok without them. You may also consider labeling cords in the future so you aren’t wondering what they are for. Bonus things to declutter in this category: Manuals, old batteries, boxes that your digital devices and small appliances came in and old electronics.
4. Release 10 books you’ve already read.
I know! Books are not clutter. That said, if you aren’t going to read them again and they are taking up space, it might be better to pass them on. There will always be more books and more great reading. Bonus things to declutter in this category: Anything that falls into the craft, puzzle or holiday decorations categories.
5. Time to declutter the coffee mugs.
Coffee mugs seem to multiply overnight. I drink coffee and tea and the accessories were so collectible. Even when I had plenty of options, I always used my favorite cups. Narrow down your coffee cup collection by at least 10 so you can use your favorite cups every day. Bonus things to declutter in this category: Travel mugs, water bottles, take out menus you don’t use, food storage containers and anything with missing lids.
6. Find things to declutter in your junk drawer.
The junk drawer is the ultimate form of procrastination. “Because I don’t want to take the time to find a place for this, I’ll just throw it in here…and never use it again.” It won’t be hard to find 10 items to declutter in your junk drawer. Most of these things don’t matter to you at all. Bonus things to declutter in this category: Missing pieces, extra pens and markers and keys that don’t work.
7. There are always toiletries to declutter.
Find 10 items like beauty products you don’t use, worn out hair ties, lotions and potions and other things you keep in your bathroom that are expired or go unnoticed. Bonus things to declutter in this category: items in the medicine cabinet and linen closet.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations!
If you worked through the first seven categories, you’ve released at least 70 items from your living space. Now let’s turn to the invisible clutter and work on your heart and mind. Even though it doesn’t take up physical space, it is all consuming when it comes to digital clutter and mind clutter.
8. Declutter your negative thoughts.
You know those things that bother you? The ones you have no control over? Write them down. Make a list of 10 things that you spend way too much time thinking about. Move them from your mind to paper and then rip up the list and throw it out. If they come back, repeat the process. Clearing your mind is just as important (or more so) than clearing your closet or your junk drawer.
9. Let go of things that used to be a good idea.
Release 10 goals, hopes or dreams for the future that you’ve held on to but don’t really care about anymore. You are allowed to change your mind, let go of ideas and goals and projects and move forward in a direction that better suits who you are today. You can create new goals, hopes and dreams but you have to make room for them.
10. Declutter your expectations for other people in your life.
It’s natural to want the best for someone else but you can’t want something for someone more than they want it for themselves. This is not your job or your responsibility and it results in constant disappointment (for you and them). Remove 10 expectations you have for adults in your life. As Anne Lamott says, “Help is the sunny side of control.” See how your relationships improve when you aren’t trying to be so helpful.
11. Remove a bunch of apps from your phone.
Get rid of the apps you don’t use (at least 10). Then remove ALL of the apps from your home screen. Instead, keep all apps in one folder. I open my apps (when I want to) by typing the app name in the search bar. That way I’m not tempted to open an app just because I see it on my phone when I am innocently checking the time or weather. For the most part, you’ll likely forget they are there at all.
12. Unfollow (declutter) people or accounts that make you feel bad.
Review your social media accounts and ruthlessly unfollow people or accounts who post things you aren’t interested in, or that lead you into the comparison trap. If an account makes you feel bad, has you rolling your eyes a bunch or doesn’t belong in your feed for any reason, unfollow. If you want more goodness and simplicity in your instagram feed, follow me here.
Some of these are easy and some are more challenging. Set a timer and see how long it takes and then do it all over again next week and see if you can beat your time. Have fun with it! Use this decluttering challenge to help you make progress and then go back to gentle, consistent, tiny steps.