Minimalism checklist

We may say that we'll start cleaning and getting rid of things we don't use, but we often don't get around to doing so. Especially if we try to tackle it all at once.

When we focus on a small group of items each day, slowly but surely, getting rid of things doesn't feel as overwhelming. To help with sorting through items in small groups, starting with clothing, office and media supplies, household items, kitchen items, phone and computer, and other miscellaneous items see our printable PDF checklist. We've also included a blank template to allow for any items that we might've missed. Feel free to also switch around the order of categories or create a different timeline. This PDF is just a rough guideline that can be personalized however works best for us.

While sorting through items, here are 3 other tips that might help make the process a little bit easier.

1. Take it at our own pace

Some items or areas might take longer to tackle, and that's absolutely okay. Whether it be our closet or our inbox, things like these can take a long time! If we can't get things done in a day, it's perfectly okay to do what we can and leave the rest for another day. Once it's done, it'll be easier to maintain. 

2. Keep the items we love

Decluttering our items doesn't mean throwing away or donating all the things we love. These 30 days are meant to serve as a time for us to review our possessions. Determining which items are used often or spark joy, versus the items that are unused or don't spark joy. We keep the former and rid ourselves of the latter. So if we like keeping books, or if we want to hang on to all those paint supplies because they make us happy, then by all means keep them! It's about doing what feels best to us individually. 

3. Make editing a habit

After the 30 days are over, it's easiest if we continue to edit the spaces in our home every so often to keep it decluttered. A few minutes once a week is much less burdensome than a few hours once every few months.

For example, when new groceries come into the home, we generally don't put them in the fridge until the fridge is first scanned. We remove any old, rotting or expired products and give it a quick wipe down, then load it up with all the fresh stuff.

With these 3 tips and the printable PDF, it's time to start decluttering! We hope that these tips and resources were able to help make the process easy and simple. Happy cleaning!