I decluttered my life in 30 days

Summary

In this video, the creator shares their 30-day minimalism challenge, known as the 'Men's Game,' where they declutter both their physical and digital spaces. Starting with small daily tasks, the challenge grows to eliminating 465 items over 30 days. The video highlights strategies for successful decluttering, such as creating a personalized tracker, organizing by categories, and addressing sentimental items. Reflecting on the journey, the creator reveals how this process brought not only a cleaner space but also mental clarity and a deeper understanding of what truly adds value to their life. The video also includes tips for viewers to try the challenge themselves.

Takeaways

• 😀 The catalyst for the decluttering challenge was losing a favorite coffee cup, which led to the decision to clean up and simplify life.
• 😀 The Men's Game Challenge is a 30-day minimalist challenge that involves getting rid of an increasing number of items each day, from one on day one to thirty on day thirty.
• 😀 Completing the challenge results in clearing out a total of 465 items, but it can be overwhelming as the pile of stuff grows.
• 😀 Creating a tracker that's visually appealing and enjoyable to use is crucial for staying motivated throughout the challenge.
• 😀 Breaking the decluttering into categories (clothes, books, makeup) or spaces (bathroom, beauty drawer) helps streamline the process.
• 😀 Skipping around the days rather than following the linear order can make the challenge feel more manageable and less overwhelming.
• 😀 Going through items twice helps make better decluttering decisions, as the second pass allows for a more ruthless approach.
• 😀 Asking key questions like 'Would I miss this if it went missing?' and 'Have I used this in the past year?' helps make decluttering decisions easier.
• 😀 Sentimental items can be tough to let go of, but taking photos of these items can help preserve memories without keeping physical objects.
• 😀 Digital decluttering—such as organizing cloud storage, deleting old files, and unsubscribing from emails—can provide mental clarity and simplify your workflow.

Q & A

Why did the creator start the 30-day minimalism challenge?

The creator started the 30-day minimalism challenge after losing their favorite coffee cup in the clutter, which led to a realization that it was time to declutter and regain control over both their physical and digital spaces.

What is the Men’s Game challenge and how does it work?

The Men’s Game is a 30-day minimalism challenge where the participant gets rid of a certain number of items each day. On day one, they get rid of one item, on day two, two items, and so on until day 30, where they dispose of 30 items, totaling 465 items by the end.

What motivated the creator to declutter their life beyond just cleaning?

The creator was motivated by the possibility of moving to another country and realizing that they didn’t want to carry unnecessary possessions like 20 mugs and a whole closet full of clothes. They also saw decluttering as a way to lead a more organized and clear-minded life.

What is the significance of creating a tracker for the minimalism challenge?

Creating a tracker helped the creator stay accountable and organized throughout the challenge. It also served as a visual tool to mark progress and made the process more enjoyable. The tracker was designed on an iPad using Notability and shared publicly for others to use.

How did the creator organize their decluttering process?

The creator organized their decluttering by categories instead of spaces. Categories included clothes, books, and makeup, which helped streamline the process. They also deviated from the linear order of the challenge, tackling random days based on their personal needs.

Why did the creator choose not to follow the Men’s Game in a strict, linear order?

The creator found that following the linear order of the challenge, starting with one item and gradually increasing, made the process harder. Instead, they preferred to skip around, doing a higher number of items on certain days, which kept them more motivated and engaged.

What are some key questions to ask when decluttering your possessions?

When decluttering, the creator recommends asking the following questions: 1) Would I miss this if it went missing? 2) How often have I used this in the last month, season, or year? 3) If I were moving across the world, would I bring this with me?

What challenges did the creator face while decluttering?

The creator faced several challenges, including dealing with sentimental items, large possessions, and the overwhelming process of figuring out how to dispose of items (e.g., donating, selling, or throwing away). They also struggled with the emotional aspect of letting go of things.

How did the creator deal with sentimental items during the decluttering process?

For sentimental items, the creator took photos of things that held emotional value rather than keeping the physical items. This helped them preserve the memories without the need to store or carry the actual objects.

What were the benefits of decluttering the creator’s digital space?

Decluttering the digital space provided a sense of relief, made the creator’s workflow more efficient, and helped them better organize their files, emails, and cloud storage. The process of deleting unnecessary files also freed up digital space and improved mental clarity.