30 Day Minimalism Challenge: A Complete Guide to Decluttering Your Life

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home, you’re not alone. The 30 day minimalism challenge offers a structured, achievable path to clear the clutter and simplify your life in just one month. It’s a concept I was curious about for a long time, and it helped me understand what is the minimalism in a practical way. Whether you choose the popular Minimalism Game—where you remove 1 item on day one, 2 on day two, and so on—or prefer a task-based approach, this challenge helps you let go of excess and create space for what truly matters. Its beauty lies in its flexibility and momentum, making it perfect for anyone who feels stuck.

What Is the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge?

At its core, the 30 day minimalism challenge is a simple commitment to remove unnecessary items from your life for one month. The goal is to build a decluttering habit through small, consistent actions. It generally comes in two popular formats.

The first is the Minimalism Game, created by The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. The second is a more flexible, task-based challenge where you tackle one specific area each day. Both methods work because they break a huge project—decluttering your life—into manageable daily steps. An “item” can be anything: a shirt, a book, a kitchen gadget, a digital file, or even an unused app on your phone.

The Minimalism Game Rules

The rules for the original Minimalism Game are straightforward and have a fun, competitive edge.

• Day 1: Get rid of 1 item.
• Day 2: Get rid of 2 items.
• Day 3: Get rid of 3 items.
• …and so on, until you get rid of 30 items on Day 30.

By the end of a 30-day month, you will have removed 465 items. A crucial rule is that the items must be out of your house by midnight each day. That means they are in the donation bin, sold, or in the trash. You can also play with a friend or family member, and whoever keeps up the longest wins bragging rights.

Task-Based Challenge Format

The task-based format is less about numbers and more about focus. Each day for 30 days, you complete one specific minimalism-related assignment. This approach often feels more holistic because it goes beyond just physical stuff.

One day you might clean out your car, and the next you might unsubscribe from marketing emails. This format addresses minimalism as a complete lifestyle, covering your time, energy, and attention, not just your possessions. It offers more flexibility, as you can often tackle the tasks in any order that works for your schedule.

Why Try a 30 Day Minimalism Challenge?

Starting this challenge is about more than just having a tidy home. The real payoff comes from the mental and emotional space you create. For many, the minimalism lifestyle benefits are life-changing.

Visual clutter creates mental clutter. When your environment is chaotic, it’s harder to focus and relax. Clearing your space often leads to a sense of mental clarity and reduced stress. You also gain back time and energy. Think about how much time you spend looking for things or cleaning around objects you don’t even use. When you own less, you have more resources for the things you love. It’s a powerful feeling.

30 Day Minimalism Challenge Daily Tasks

Here is a list of 30 tasks you can follow. Feel free to do them in any order that makes sense for you. The key is to just start.

Week 1: Easy Wins to Build Momentum

Starting with small, quick tasks builds confidence. These first few days are about getting the ball rolling.

• Clear One Flat Surface: Pick a kitchen counter, your coffee table, or your nightstand and clear everything off it. Only put back what is essential.
• Fill One Trash Bag: Walk around your home with a trash bag and fill it with obvious garbage.
• Unsubscribe from 10 Email Lists: Open your inbox and unsubscribe from newsletters and marketing emails you never read.
• Delete 5 Apps from Your Phone: Get rid of phone apps you haven’t used in the last three months.
• Clean Out Your Wallet or Purse: Remove old receipts, expired cards, and anything else you don’t need.
• Declutter Your Car’s Glove Compartment: You’ll be surprised what you find in there.
• Turn Off Non-Essential Notifications: Go through your phone settings and silence alerts that distract you.

Week 2: Tackling Common Clutter Zones

Now that you have some momentum, it’s time to address the areas where clutter tends to accumulate. This is where you can start to see a real difference in your home.

• The Closet Purge: Go through your clothes. If you’re serious about this, learning how to create a minimalist wardrobe can be a huge help. A good rule is to donate anything you haven’t worn in the last year.
• Tackle the Medicine Cabinet: Safely dispose of expired medications and old toiletries.
• Clear Kitchen Counters: Find a permanent home for everything on your kitchen counters that isn’t used daily.
• Sort Through Your Mugs & Cups: How many do you really need? Keep your favorites and donate the rest.
• Declutter One Bookshelf: Let go of books you’ve already read and won’t read again.
• Organize the Junk Drawer: Everyone has one. Empty it out completely and only put back what you truly need.
• Manage Your Paper Piles: Create a simple system for incoming mail and papers. Recycle or shred what you don’t need. Exploring ideas for a How to Create a Minimalist Home can give you great systems for this.
• Address Kids’ Toys: If you have kids, work with them to donate toys they’ve outgrown.

Week 3: Simplifying Your Schedule and Habits

Minimalism isn’t just about physical items. This week, the focus shifts to simplifying your routines and commitments to free up mental space.

• Create a Morning Ritual: Start your day with 15 minutes of quiet—no phone, no email.
• Plan Your Meals for the Week: This reduces decision fatigue and saves you time and money. It also naturally supports more intentional eating, especially if you’re exploring zero waste meal plan ideas that help you use what you have and avoid unnecessary purchases.
• Practice Single-Tasking: For one hour, focus on only one task without any distractions.
• Schedule “White Space”: Block out an evening on your calendar with no plans at all.
• Say “No” to One Commitment: Politely decline a request that you don’t have the time or energy for.
• Do a Nightly 10-Minute Reset: Before bed, quickly tidy up your main living area.
• Limit Your Screen Time: Set a goal to reduce your screen time by 20% for one day.

Week 4: Maintaining Your Progress

The final week is about cementing your new habits and creating systems to prevent clutter from coming back.

• Establish a Donation Box: Designate a permanent box in your home for items you want to donate.
• Cancel Unused Subscriptions: Review your bank statements for recurring charges and cancel any services you don’t use.
• Review Sentimental Items: Choose a few truly special items to keep in a memory box. Let go of the rest.
• Borrow, Don’t Buy: Identify one thing you need for a short time and borrow it from a friend or neighbor instead of buying it.
• Digitize Important Papers: Scan photos and important documents to reduce paper clutter.
• Clean Your Desktop: Organize your computer’s desktop and delete old files.
• Assess Your Pantry: Get rid of expired food and commit to eating what you already have.
• Review Your Progress: Look back at the last 30 days. Acknowledge your hard work and think about what you’ve learned.

How to Succeed at the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge

This challenge is simple, but it’s not always easy. Here are a few tips to help you stick with it and get the most out of the experience.

Start small to build confidence. Making that first decision to let something go makes the next one easier. If you get stuck on a sentimental item, just move on. You can always come back to it later. The goal is to maintain momentum, not achieve perfection on day one.

Find an Accountability Partner

Doing this challenge with someone else can make a world of difference. An accountability partner provides encouragement on tough days and adds a layer of friendly competition. You can share your daily progress through texts or photos. It makes the process more fun and dramatically increases your chances of finishing.

What to Do With Your Decluttered Items

Getting items out of your house quickly is key. Have a plan ready.

• Donate: Local shelters, Goodwill, and schools are great options for items in good condition.
• Sell: Use Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or consignment stores for higher-value items.
• Recycle: Properly recycle paper, electronics, and other materials.
• Trash: Some things just need to be thrown away, and that’s okay.

Don’t let “maybe” piles accumulate. Once you decide to get rid of something, move it out of your home as soon as possible.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

You will likely hit a wall around day 15 or 20, especially if you’re playing the Minimalism Game. The daily count gets high, and decision fatigue is real.

When you feel stuck on sentimental items, try taking a photo of the object to preserve the memory before letting it go. If your family isn’t on board, focus only on your own belongings first. When you run out of obvious things, look in overlooked spaces like your garage, under the sink, or in your digital files. The key is to be persistent and give yourself grace.

After the Challenge: Maintaining Your Minimalist Lifestyle

Finishing the challenge is a huge accomplishment, but the journey doesn’t end on day 30. The real goal is to integrate these practices into your daily life so you can maintain your clutter-free space. This is the point where you truly learn how to become a minimalist.

Adopt a “one-in, one-out” rule: for every new item you bring into your home, one must leave. Practice mindful consumption by asking yourself if you truly need something before you buy it. Continue using the systems you created, like your donation box and paper inbox. Minimalism is an ongoing practice, not a one-time fix.

I hope this guide gives you the confidence to start your own 30 day minimalism challenge. It’s a powerful way to reset your relationship with your belongings and your space. You can find more thoughts on simple and intentional living over at www.notonetype.org.