Decluttering our home is – without doubt – a challenge but we actually make decluttering a much bigger challenge than it needs be. 

Firstly, because we set ourselves too much of a challenge to get started and then because we don’t learn to declutter in a sustainable way.

I have to say I partly blame Marie Kondo for this.

I know she helps lots of people but she never had clutter so never felt for herself the utter overwhelm of yanking all your stuff out and ending up with an even bigger mess than when you started!!

But luckily I found there is another way to tackle the crazy clutter challenge.

The Crazy Clutter Challenge

The big secret is to set yourself the challenge of decluttering just a little bit of stuff every single day without yanking everything out and making a mess.

By letting go a few things every day we get into the daily declutter habit and because us humans are brilliant at learning tiny, little habits, it becomes easier and easier to do every day.

And suddenly it’s not a challenge, it’s just something we do daily without a load of thought and effort and time.

So to get you started I’ve got 30 tiny daily declutter challenges you can do in just five minutes a day.

I’m sure they will seem too tiny to make a difference to your crazy mountain of clutter but you know what? If you:

• declutter 10 little things every day
• you will let go of 3,650 things by the end of the year!!! 

And that truly would make a difference wouldn’t it?

So let’s get started.

First, I’ll explain how to get about your daily declutter challenge. And then give you your 30 daily declutter challenges.

For more help with your crazy clutter challenge, do follow me on Facebook and check out my step-by-step declutter guide to your home.

Daily Declutter Challenge Rules

The first most important rule of your daily declutter challenge is … you only take 5 minutes.

We’re building a feedback loop to tell our brain decluttering is quick and easy. Stick to 5 minutes every day and our brain gets the message. Spend longer and our brain gets the message decluttering is hard and then we won’t stick to the challenge.

The second rule is … DO NOT yank stuff out, just:

1. Open the relevant doors or drawer for that challenge
2. Open your eyes to what you’ve got.
3. And spot anything you are ready to let go.

It might be something broken or a duplicate  or something you never liked or never use.

It might be 10 things but initially, it might be two or three. And that’s fine because every single thing we let go today helps us let go more the next day.

When your 5 minutes is up:

1. Shut the doors or drawer.
2. Pop your finds in your charity bag, recycling or the trash bin.
3. And repeat tomorrow.

So now you’ve got your challenge rules are you’re ready to start on day one of your daily declutter challenges? Great stuff.

Remember they will seem too tiny at first to make a difference but our goal is NOT to clear 10 boxes of clutter in a week, it is to build a sustainable declutter habit so we CAN clear 100 boxes of clutter over the year!!!

And at the bottom of the challenge list you’ll find a set of new challenges that will help you do just that.

30 Daily Declutter Challenges

Remember don’t yank anything out, just focus on the challenge for each day and spot any broken, forgotten, out of date, expired or unloved items or duplicates you can easily let go …

1. Cups & mugs
2. Glasses
3. Plates & bowls
4. Tea towels, aprons & oven gloves
5. Can openers, cork screws, garlic crushers & graters  
6. Recipe books
7. Spatulas, spoons & ladles
8. Saucepans & frying pans
9. Mixing bowls & baking tins
10. Cleaning products you never use under the kitchen sink
11. Expired food in the pantry
12. Forgotten food in the fridge
13. Newspapers & magazines
14. Catalogues & brochures
15. Travel guides
16. Paperbacks
17. DVDs
18. Board games & jigsaws
19. Bath toys
20. Lotions, creams & gels you’ll never use
21. Ancient perfumes, after shaves & body sprays you’ll never finish
22. Hair brushes, combs, clips, grips & bobbles
23. Make up bag
24. Expired medicines – drop off at the pharmacist
25. Towels at the bottom of the linen cupboard you never get to
26. Bed linen you don’t even use when you’ve got guests
27. Caps & hats & scarfs – how many do we need?
28. Night clothes – you never any wear
29. T-shirts & hoodies – any outgrown or stained  
30. Sweaters & cardigans – any shrunk or moth eaten 

And there you go, 30 five minute daily declutter challenges that won’t overwhelm you and will build your declutter habit so you can keep going and start tackling these bigger clutter challenges:

• How To Declutter Your Garage
• How To Declutter Boxes Of Forgotten Stuff
• Summer Declutter Challenge
• Christmas Declutter Challenge
• How To Sell Clutter On Facebook
• Clear Paper Clutter Easily

Original image sources: Chest of Drawers from Homegets , Plates