30 days of minimalism

Check out the step-by-step guide below to get started.

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at-home | ▲▲ difficulty | ⏳ 30 days

Step-by-step guide

OK, let’s get started.

Step 1: Write down your values

First, you need to figure out what your values and goals are. Like most of our cozos, a clear life vision will help you stay committed. This step will help you make important decisions related to the challenge (eg. deciding what to get rid of, what to keep, what to sell, and what to donate). For example, if you value art, you may decide to hold onto your 3 most valuable paintings. If you have a goal of saving money for a trip, you may decide to sell the remainder of your paintings. The possibilities here are endless. Write down at least 5 goals and values and then place them in a dedicated area where you’ll see them every day. 

Step 2: Choose a project

There are many ways to practice minimalism. It’s usually better to start small. Then, you can expand into other areas of your life and/or home. For this cozo, choose a “project.” Your project might be a room that’s in serious need of decluttering. It may be your wardrobe or closet. It may just be a bookshelf overflowing with unread books. Pick a room or project where you’re confident you’ll be able to remove at least 30 individual items. You can make your whole home the project if you’re already pretty minimalistic when it comes to possessions. 

Step 3: Dedicate a storage space

This one’s easy. Just get a box or container to place all your items in so you can keep them in one place for easy access later.If the items are too big to put in a box, try keeping them all in the same room.

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Step 4: Minimize one possession per day

Every single day, for a total of 30 days, place one item in the box that does not bring you joy, serve a critical function, or help you achieve your values. 

Tip: Practice gratefulness. 

Do you often feel guilty when you get rid of things? One of the biggest challenges related to minimalism is guilt. One way to combat guilt is to verbally express your gratitude to an item before removing it. It may sound silly, but say “thank you for serving your purpose” out loud while placing each item in your box (we got this idea from the Netflix documentary “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”.) While you should be challenging yourself here, don’t feel obligated to get rid of anything with sentimental value right now. 

Tip: Make it more challenging.

If one possession per day sounds too easy to you, you can increase the triangle difficulty by getting rid of the same number of possessions as the day. For example, remove one possession on the first day, two possessions on the second day, 3 possessions on the third day, and so on and so forth. This alteration will mean you’ll be 465 possessions lighter after 30 days. If you’re worried you don’t have enough stuff for this version of the challenge, just remember: the average American home has 300,000 individual items in it! 

Step 6: Get rid of the “stuff”

This one may sound simple...but it’s far from easy. Here’s where you’ll test your cozo muscles. At the end of the 30 days, decide whether to sell or donate your box of possessions. Then do it immediately! Get the stuff out of your house, your life, and your headspace. You can also practice gratefulness here by “thanking” everything in the box before giving it away. If you’re struggling with indecision here, just donate it. Someone in need will get the stuff for a fraction of the cost and you’ll be able to cut ties more quickly.

Step 5: Evaluate and try again 

Take some time to reflect on your experience with minimalism. How did you feel throughout the 30 day minimalism challenge? How do you feel afterwards? What did you find easy or challenging? Did you notice any positive effects, thoughts, or emotions? If you did, you may want to keep practicing minimalism long-term. Try a new room or project and do the 30 day challenge again! You can learn more about different ways to practice minimalism in the resources below.

 Relevant links: