21 Day Minimalism Challenge (Free Printable Checklist)

If you want to add more to your life by removing clutter, then take this 21 Day Minimalism Challenge. With my free checklist printable, you can track your progress.

21 Day Minimalism Challenge

If you plan to begin decluttering your home or spring cleaning but the thought of finding space is overwhelming, it may be time to begin a minimalism challenge.

What is a Minimalism Challenge?

A Minimalism Challenge is a way to hold yourself accountable with a series of tasks that will help you accomplish small, daily goals. At the close of the challenge, you should find yourself feeling more carefree, comfortable in your home, and free.

If you're interested in a minimalist lifestyle or simply removing clutter from your home (or life), I recommend beginning with a minimalism challenge.

What are the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle?

The purpose of a minimalist lifestyle is to remove anything that may cause stress. Overall, this will make space for the things that are important in life. Minimalism goes beyond the home and applies to your social circle, wardrobe, cellphone, car, office, and basically your mind.

How can minimalism change your life?

Minimalism has been known to increase joy in one's life by decreasing anxiety and stress. Minimalists tend to enjoy the deeper things in life because they are less worried about material objects and finances.

Read more here: about how minimalism affects mental health

21 Days of Minimalism Tasks:

Day 1: Purge your wardrobe. Consider a Capsule Wardrobe.

Many minimalists have a wardrobe that's also very minimal, with clothing that can be mixed and matched easily, also known as a Capsule Wardrobe. This typically means sticking to solids and neutrals but sure makes it easier to find outfits and to pack!

I recently purged my wardrobe and sold all of my clothing on thredUp – which was super easy to do! They send you a prepaid bag and you fill it with unwanted, gently worn clothing. Then, thredUp lists the items, takes photos, and sells them for you. You get a commission and a closet that allows you to breathe again!

Day 2: Clean your handbags.

This is a task I personally dread! I tend to only carry over the essentials when switching out my handbags, leaving a mess in the others.

If you're anything like me, use this time to clean out your handbags and choose 2-3 bags, one small, medium, and large, to keep as part of your minimalist wardrobe.

Additionally, you should only keep essential in the handbag so you don't have the stress of searching in a bottomless pit when you need something.

Day 3: Clean your refrigerator.

Don't just clean your fridge – purge it! Go through the door and remove all the condiments that are expired, duplicates, or just never used. Tackle the freezer, too. Meal plan to get rid of those frozen veggies hidden in the back!

Day 4: Purge your makeup – keeping only the essentials.

As a part of your Minimalism Challenge, I want you to purge your make. Get rid of the lipsticks you never wear. Throw out makeup that's been sitting there long past the expiration date. Choose to keep only a few items that you use regularly.

Day 5: Turn off social media notifications.

As I said before, being a minimalist isn't only about your home. By turning off social media notifications, you're minimizing the time you spend glued to your cellphone. Thus, opening up time for the important things in life.

Day 6: Don't spend money for 5 days.

Going on a no-spend challenge may sound easy but believe me when I say – it isn't. You don't realize the little things you waste money on until you make it a goal to stop spending.

Day 7: Unsubscribe from unwanted email lists.

Minimize those pesky emails! This was part of my Digital Detox Challenge, as well. Unsubscribing from unwanted email lists is a great step to building better online habits. So, the time wasted deleting junk mail can come to an end.

Day 8: Recycle old reading material.

This is a BIG one, especially if you're a book love like I am. When you really think about it – why do we need to keep books we've already read? Why not donate them to someone who could use them? The same goes for outdated magazine and newspapers.

Day 9: Switch to paperless billing.

First of all, it's never fun to get a bill in the mail. For me, paperless billing allows me to view my bills when I want therefor reducing levels of stress.

Day 10: Empty your junk drawer and get rid of it!

A junk drawer is for maximalists. Get rid of all the things you might need later and keep that drawer open for something more useful – like to hide snacks from the kids.

Day 11: Declutter your office space.

Papers, supplies, old notebooks – get rid of all the things you pike up because you're too busy to take care of them. A clean office space is a great way to succeed in business and mental health.

Day 12: Clean side tables & night stands.

Night stands are a place where we throw things we forgot to put away before bed. From tissues to books to an eye mask you never use, this is a great place to clean when you're looking for a simplistic lifestyle.

Day 13: Remove items from kitchen cabinets that you rarely use.

I recently purged my kitchen cabinets and I've never been more satisfied. I threw out things I've held onto for years, but never used, because they were either sentimental or just too cute to get rid of. Finally, I have space in my cabinets. EMPTY SPACE. This is what a minimal lifestyle is all about!

Day 14: Purge your medicine cabinet.

My family is the worst at keeping every medication we've ever purchased for years. The thought of knowing it's there brings comfort but it comes with disappointment when you see an expired bottle of cough syrup.

I recommend purging your medicine cabinet every 6 months. This can be a time to get rid of prescriptions you no longer need, as well as replace medications you use often.

Day 15: Clean out the sock drawer!

I'll be your voice of reason: you will never find that other sock – throw it out. You don't need a single sock. Also, those socks with holes in them – get rid of them, too. Finally, please donate the decorative long socks you got for Christmas that you'll never wear.

Day 16: Organize jewelry.

As a woman, I can attest to the fact that jewelry gets disorganized quickly. I don't know where anything is when I need it. Plus, I don't wear the majority of my fake jewelry.

I recommend donating the jewelry you haven't worn in the past year. Statement jewelry is a great place to begin. If you really want to go the minimalist route – I'd say to keep a few key pieces of jewelry that you can wear daily.

Day 17: Donate 10 household items you don't use.

While 10 items may be excessive for your home, I'd say to try to donate as many household items as you can. This includes vacuums and brooms you may have duplicates of.

This can also be unused candles or decor you'd like like to replace.

Day 18: Clean toy boxes – have kids donate toys.

This is one of my favorite tasks of this Minimalist Challenge. Not only can toys overwhelm parents, they can overwhelm children. This is how I recommend approach this task:

The best way to approach this is to sort through your child's toys when they aren't at home. This way, they can't sweet talk you or guilt trip you along the way.

Then, create 4 piles for the toys: keep, throw away, donate, and child's choice.

• Keep: This is for the toys your child plays with often. This should be toys that are in good shape and worth keeping.
  
• Throw Away: This will be all those small, cheap toys that your child doesn't really care for. These typically come in kid's meals, stockings, Easter baskets, etc.
  
• Donate: Make a pile full of toys that are in good shape and gently used. This should be toys that other children will get more joy out of then your child.
  
• Child's Choice: This pile will be full of maybes. These are the toys you see every once in awhile. Typically you'll find yourself adding sentimental or expensive toys to this pile. Allow your child to choose a handful of these toys to donate. Give them a limit on how many they can keep.

Day 19: Declutter digital files.

I'd like to refer you to my Digital Detox Challenge and my post on how to Declutter Your Phone like Marie Kondo for this task.

Day 20: Get your email inbox to zero.

After you've unsubscribed from those unwanted newsletters, you can then work on getting your email inbox to zero. Add important emails to folders, delete sales emails, and respond to emails you've been procrastinating.

Day 21: Clean your pantry.

Finally, I want you to take on your pantry. I know this isn't an easy task. Throwing food away is basically flushing money down the toilet. The great thing is that you can donate those non-perishables to your local food bank.

This is the time to either meal plan or throw away food that is either expired or thrown in the pantry never to be touched again.

Free Minimalism Checklist Printable

Using this free minimalism checklist, you can keep track of your progress and even print extras for other members of your home.

Download your checklist here: Minimalism Checklist Printable