Justine Harrington on March 14, 2017 0 Comments Who doesn’t love a good challenge? Particularly when you’re attempting to declutter your entire home (eek!), having a specific challenge in mind can help you set tangible goals that you can accomplish. Check out our list of the best decluttering ideas you should challenge yourself with: 1) The Capsule Wardrobe Make no mistake, the capsule wardrobe will change your life. Why? One of the biggest ways that we tend to fill up our homes with clutter is by buying clothes. And, if you’re anything like the average American, you only wear roughly 10-15 percent of what’s hanging in your closet. A capsule wardrobe can change that! Simply put, a capsule wardrobe is a mini-wardrobe that’s made up solely of versatile, simple pieces that you LOVE to wear. For both women and men, this may look like 2-3 pairs of jeans, a couple pairs of nice pants, an array of 10-12 shirts – it all just depends on your lifestyle, of course (a true capsule wardrobe is comprised of less than 40 pieces, total — including shoes). The trick here is to cultivate a wardrobe with timeless clothing that you feel super comfortable in, so you won’t get tired of wearing the same pieces over and over. And, of course, you can always update your capsule wardrobe in the spring or fall! 2) 40 Bags in 40 Days The 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge is a period in the spring where you aim to declutter at least one area of your home, every day. The goal is to fill up one bag per day, though you can do less than this (or more!), of course. This popular challenge even has its own hashtag (#40Bagsin40Days), and thousands of people have used this as inspiration to successfully declutter their homes, once and for all. Here are some helpful tips to get you started! 3) Oprah Winfrey’s Closet Hanger Experiment You know if it’s got Oprah’s stamp of approval, it must be good. This experiment is a great way to determine what you do and don’t wear (in fact, it would be a nice precursor to compiling a capsule wardrobe!), and it’s super easy to do. Start by hanging up every piece of clothing on hangers in the REVERSE direction. Then, after you’ve worn a particular piece, place it back on the rack with the hanger facing in the correct direction. Soon, you’ll have a clear idea of which clothes you wear, and which you can easily get rid of. Note: The closet hanger experiment can also be applied to other areas of clutter in your home. 4) The 12-12-12 challenge Here’s a great challenge to do if you have kids, because it can easily be turned into a game (or hey, even a competition with your spouse!) The gist of the 12-12-12 challenge is this: you pick out 12 items that need to be thrown away, 12 items that need to be donated, and 12 items that need to be returned to their proper place. This can be done in one area of the home, or throughout your entire living space. Get the whole family involved, set a timer, and get ready to have fun while doing some major decluttering! 5) The Four-Box Method To start the Four-Box Method, you’ll need three boxes and a trashcan. Label each box, “Put Away”, “Give Away”, and “Storage”. The trashcan will be for any items that need to be tossed. Then, determine one area of your home that you’d like to focus on, go through each piece of clutter in that area, and ask yourself which box it belongs in. (You’ll likely be surprised at how many items you won’t want to hang on to!) At the end of your mini-decluttering session, take a few minutes to put all items in their proper places as per the label on the box. The Four-Box Method is effective, as it forces you to make necessary decisions, on the spot, about what you want to keep, what needs to be put away in storage, and what’s dispensable. 6) Declutter 365 The best thing about this challenge is that you’re able to set easily reachable goals, every day. Essentially, Declutter 365 involves taking 15 minutes per day to accomplish a “decluttering mission”. This can be anything from sorting papers on your desk, to clearing off your bathroom counter. The point is to make decluttering more of a habit than a one-time challenge. Simply set aside those 15 minutes every day, and get ready for decluttering to become a lifestyle! Here is the official Facebook group for Declutter 365 – each month, the moderator posts a super helpful calendar with ideas for daily decluttering missions. 7) The “No More Frivolous Spending” Challenge Once you’ve successfully begun to declutter your home, what’s the best way to keep MORE junk from piling up? Not buying more stuff, of course! If you want to cut back on your superfluous spending, the “No More Frivolous Spending” challenge is for you. Start by carefully tracking all your expenses, so that you can determine a proper budget. Then, set a minimal budget dedicated just to “frivolous” spending. This is different for everyone, of course – for some, frivolous items may constitute a new pair of shoes every month; for others, this may be anything other than the bare necessities. Regardless, it’s important to stick to this budget, to keep from stockpiling more clutter. Or, if you’re really digging the budgeting thing, you could try a No Spend Challenge! Set aside a block of time (one day per week or more) in which you resolve not to spend ANY money on things other than gas, groceries, or bills. Though this may sound intimidating at first, you’ll probably be surprised at how easy it is – and how good it feels – not to spend money on things you don’t need.
