Recap of My First Ever 30 Day Minimalism Game

During November I participated in the 30 Day Minimalism Game. This decluttering challenge was first made popular by The Minimalists. When I started my minimalism journey in 2020, I decluttered a ton of stuff. But I knew there were many things I missed which is why I wanted to do this challenge.

What is the 30 Day Minimalism Game?

The basic premise of the game is to declutter items in your home for the next 30 days. On Day 1 you declutter one item. On Day 2 you declutter two items. On Day 3, three items. And so on. That means on Day 24 you’re decluttering twenty-four items. It sounds easy enough, but as you’ll read below there were definitely hard days.

You can choose to do the game whenever you want. It doesn’t have to be in a month with 30 days. You can start it in the middle of a month or whenever you choose. So long as you declutter items for the next 30 days you’re participating.

The main takeaways from my first ever minimalism game

It doesn’t matter how small the item is

People tend to think that decluttering means getting rid of large items such as clothes, furniture, and knick-knacks. As I started decluttering I realized just how many little things I had that weren’t adding value. By little I mean run-of-the-mill office supplies like push-pins, paperclips, and more. I’ve been working on decreasing my paper clutter and having 100+ paper clips didn’t suit my needs. That’s why I ended up decluttering a ton of those as well as binder clips.

I also found a basket full of spare furniture parts. Ikea often gives you extra nuts and bolts. My family would keep them on the off chance we'd need them for something else. Needless to say, those in the basket haven’t been touched in years. So decluttering them seemed the appropriate next step.

All this to say when you declutter, don’t focus on only big items. Look in your drawers and see if you really need three boxes of paperclips or staples. How many do you go through in a year? My guess? Not as many as you think and so the minimalism game is the perfect time to pare down on what you have.

I had way too many pens

I’m a writer so it stands to reason that I would have a ton of pens. But the sheer amount that I had was insane! There were three days in a row when all I decluttered were pens, pencils, highlighters, and more. Three days! That’s a lot. And I still have a bunch leftover.

I don’t know where the majority of these pens came from. I don’t know why I ordered a box’s worth of one kind when I already had a ton waiting to be used. I prefer using a specific brand of pens so I decluttered the ones I'd never use. I also decluttered the overstock of my favorites. Don’t worry, I still have plenty to use.

I donated the unused pens to the non-profit I used to work at. Volunteers visit clients' homes and need pens for signatures. I figured this batch should get them through the first half of the year. For the used-up pens and pencils, I’ll be sending those to TerraCycle to be properly recycled.

Some days were harder than others

I’ll admit there were some days I scrambled to find things to declutter. It wasn’t that I didn’t have stuff I could get rid of. It was more being unable to determine if it was adding value or not. I’ll admit I talked myself out of decluttering something on Day 5 only to declutter it on Day 13. Sometimes it takes a few days to realize it doesn’t add value.

Determining an item’s value in relation to your life is one of the hardest decisions to make. While you might know quickly, more often than not, it takes some time. As for the number of items each day, the higher the number, the harder it was to find things. Days 1-10 were easy. Days 11-15 were tough. Days 16-25 were a little stressful. And Days 26-30 were almost impossible.

In the end, I managed to find the right amount of items to declutter each day. It took a little digging, but that’s when I found things that made me go, “I still had this?” This minimalism game made me search high and low for things. I’m grateful for it because I wouldn’t have looked in certain places otherwise.

Talking about it can rub off on other people

I’m not one to force my beliefs on anyone, but I did talk about what I was doing to my friends and family. And you know what, they started decluttering things themselves. Not as much as me, but my dad found things in the basement he said were no longer needed. My mom decluttered a few Christmas decorations she hadn’t put out in years. And my sister wants me to come over and help her declutter her clothes.

People may not understand why you want to declutter nearly 500 items in 30 days. But talking about it can rub off on them without you even knowing it. Remember that some people respond to action over words. When they see you decluttering, they’re more inclined to do it. Because once they feel how amazing it is to get rid of something they’ll never use, they’ll want to keep going.

Check your medicine cabinets

If this minimalism game taught me anything, it was to check your medicine cabinet. And I mean check it frequently — at least three times a year — or more. Why? Because during my decluttering challenge, I found so many things in my medicine cabinet that were expired. Not just medication, but toothpaste, makeup, and facial care products. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll use expired stuff if it’s a month or two past its date. But I found medicine and chapstick from 2017!

I get it. You buy a certain medicine for a certain cold. You use only what you need and then forget about the rest of the package because you don’t get that sick again. Next thing you know four years go by and it’s still sitting in your cabinet. When I helped my mom declutter her storage closet, we found so many expired medications.

So if you plan on doing this challenge for yourself one day, start with your medicine cabinet. Start in your bathroom in general. Look at makeup, cleaning supplies, medicine, etc. Trust me, you’re going to find plenty to declutter.

On Day 30, when I decluttered the final 30 items — bringing my total up to 465 — I felt super proud of myself. It’s hard enough decluttering one item, but to declutter 465 in 30 days?! It was definitely a challenge. One I’m proud to have accomplished and I look forward to doing it again.

If you’re interested in challenging yourself to declutter almost 500 items, you can download the Minimalism Game Calendar free from The Minimalists. Curious to see what I decluttered? Then check out my Story Highlight “Minimalism Game” on my Instagram. Be sure to follow me so you know when I plan on participating again. Perhaps you’ll join me next time.

Have you ever done the 30 Day Minimalism Game? Are you interested in trying it after reading this post? Let me know in the comments below.