How I got on with the Minimalism Game in February

One of my Ten Things to do in 2020 was to play the minimalism game at some point. I've completed this month long decluttering challenge several times over the past few years and I always find that February is a good month for it. Not only does it give you a start on the spring cleaning, February is also a shorter month so you don't need to find quite as many items to declutter!

To take the challenge, you need to remove the same number of items from your home as the number of that day in the month, one item on the first, two on the second and so on. You need to make a few decisions - will you count shared items towards the total? Does a bag of smaller items count as one item or many? Do you count accessories that go with an item separately?

I'm a very list oriented person, so I kept track of my progress using a card within my personal Trello organisation system, making a note each day of what I'd decluttered. Yes, I'll admit that sometimes I got a day or two ahead of myself, and it took me a couple of days into March until I had found my final items, but I'm still going to count my #minsgame as a success!

Because I'm fairly decluttered already, this challenge is always an opportunity for me to hunt about in the backs of drawers and cupboards. Needing to get to my total also gives me the extra bit of motivation to pass on something that I've been umming and ahhing about.

Mostly things went into charity bags (I filled two big bags), into a pile for a garage sale that we'll hopefully be taking part in this summer (if not they'll be moved on at a later date!), into the recycling or into the bin.

There were some things that were easy for me to get rid of and some which I struggled with at the time, but now that they are gone I know that I made the right decision.

I've definitely noticed a difference in my surroundings, my bookshelves are tidier, my surfaces are clearer, and I've freed up lots of space in cupboards and drawers. The minimalism game isn't something that I can play that often, but I'm definitely going to attempt to give it a go once a year or so!

Photo credit Samantha Gades via Unsplash

Playing the #minsgame again

I first took part in the Minimalism Game back in February 2015 (I wrote about the #minsgame here). If you're not familiar with it, the Minimalism Game was invented by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus - known collectively as The Minimalists - and is a method of decluttering your home. On the first day of the month you get rid of one item, on the second two, and so on until the end of the month. At the end of the month you should have made a huge dent in the number of things in your home - if I've worked it out correctly September should see me remove 465 items.

This decluttering method is very different to the Marie Kondo method, which I've also used before. But my clutter problem really is a continuous one, there's a steady flow of things coming in to the house, and I don't want it to pile up. So I find that taking part in the Minimalism Game fairly regularly (I think I've done it about four times now) is a good way to keep things in check.

I do bend the rules slightly. You are supposed to take part in the game with a friend or two, but after the first time, when I was invited to take part in a group, I've been playing it on my own.

Also, officially you are supposed to have everything from that day leave the house the same day, but that's not practical for me. Most of my items go to the charity shop, and I can't pop there every day with just a few bits and pieces. So I have an area in my wardrobe with different bags - charity shop items, charity bag things (for the scruffier clothing that is collected door to door) and things to pass on to others (after having checked that they actually want them!) There's also a small box for things to sell on eBay, I don't really like doing it but I have made some money that way. When one bag is full I take it where it needs to go.

I also stack things up in advance which I'm sure is frowned upon. But especially as the days go on I can struggle to find the time to declutter that many things at once. I keep a list on my phone so I can keep track, and the end result will be the same!

I find it a really motivating way to declutter. It suits my enjoyment in making lists, ticking things off, and having a goal to work towards. It also forces me to make decisions about things that otherwise I might have overlooked or procrastinated on. For example we have a room at the top of the house that had developed quite a pile behind the door of old boxes and packaging materials, far more than we will ever use, now it's lovely and clear!

I started with the craft cupboard which was very successful - I found over 40 paintbrushes and 15 pipettes, which have now been culled to a more reasonable number! I'm also tackling Mia's bookcase and passing on some of the picture and board books, she's much more interested in books about fairies and puppies now. Next up I'm going to be re-visiting my own bookshelves, and having a go at toiletries.

Have you every played the Minimalism Game? Or have I inspired you to give it a go? I'd love to hear your experiences!