Fall Decluttering Challenge: 5 Items a Day for 30 Days
Ready to transform your spaces, one small item at a time? Then this Fall Decluttering Challenge is for you!
If you follow our 52 Weeks to a Simplified and Organized Home Challenge, you know we typically like to ease into the Fall season.
Especially after a busy summer.
As much as I love a fresh calendar, creating a Fall Bucket List and transitioning seasonal items into our closets though, this is also the time of year I look around and start noticing all the little things that have been piling up.
For example, makeup and beauty products that are almost empty or have expired still in my makeup bag.
Trendy clothes I thought were cool in the dressing room but then got them home and realized they had no place in my capsule wardrobe still in my closet with tags on them.
And home décor items I’ve barely used or have outgrown still in my garage.
So, I thought it would be fun to create a 30-day Fall Decluttering Challenge with the help of Copilot for busy individuals who don’t have a lot of time yet still want to make meaningful changes in their spaces without feeling overwhelmed.
Full disclosure, Copilot is an AI tool that has been used to help create and organize portions of this post.
Fall Decluttering Challenge: The Goal
The goal of this Fall Decluttering Challenge is to let go of 5 specific items in a targeted area each day for a total of 150 items by the end of the month.
You can tackle these Challenge tasks after work or whenever you have 15-30 minutes of dedicated time for decluttering.
Fall Decluttering Challenge: 30 Day Schedule
Week One: Entry to Kitchen Spaces
- Day 1: Remove 5 unused or unnecessary items from your entryway (e.g., old shoes, forgotten umbrellas, expired coupons, stray keys, worn out bags).
- Day 2: Select 5 items from your coat closet or outerwear collection to donate, toss, or rehome.
- Day 3: Clear your kitchen countertops by choosing 5 things (e.g., mail, school papers, art projects, small appliances, decor, expired food, etc.) to remove, toss, donate or put away for safe keeping.
- Day 4: Choose the messiest drawer in your kitchen and pick out 5 gadgets, utensils, or odds-and-ends you no longer need or use.
- Day 5: Open your refrigerator and discard or compost 5 expired or unused food items.
- Day 6: Purge your pantry: Find 5 products you no longer use, are expired, or can donate.
- Day 7: Remove 5 nonessential items from your dining table or your dining room (e.g., school papers, stained linens, or random home décor objects from last season that need to be put away)
Week Two: Living and Gathering Spaces
- Day 8: Pick 5 objects in your living room to declutter (e.g., magazines, remotes, old tech, unused decor, or broken items)
- Day 9: Scan your bookshelves and let go of 5 books or magazines you no longer need or love.
- Day 10: From your entertainment center, select 5 DVDs, CDs, video games, board games, or cables to donate or recycle.
- Day 11: Sort through your throw pillow covers, blankets, or cushions. Choose 5 items to donate, toss, or rehome.
- Day 12: Go through your record collection or media files and remove 5 items you no longer listen to or watch.
- Day 13: Tackle your coffee table or side tables and declutter 5 items like coasters, magazines, candles, or remotes.
- Day 14: Curate your decor in the living room and let go of 5 pieces that no longer fit your style or needs.
Week Three: Bedroom and Closet Items
- Day 15: Clean your nightstand by removing 5 things (e.g., books, chargers, cables, nightly routine supplies, or sleep essentials) you no longer need.
- Day 16: From your dresser, sort out 5 pieces of clothing you haven’t worn in the last year.
- Day 17: Check under your bed and get rid of 5 items stored and forgotten.
- Day 18: In your closet, pull out 5 articles of clothing or accessories to donate or toss.
- Day 19: Go through jewelry, belts, scarves, or hats and select 5 unused or unloved pieces to part with.
- Day 20: In your bathroom, remove 5 expired products or anything you don’t use from counters or cabinets.
- Day 21: Tidy your bathroom drawers or shelves, and let go of 5 tools, samples, or rarely used items.
Week Four: Digital Life and On-the-Go
- Day 22: Delete or archive 5 unused apps or files from your phone or computer.
- Day 23: Unsubscribe from or delete 5 unwanted email subscriptions or clear out 5 folders.
- Day 24: Go through your digital photos and delete 5 blurry or duplicate images.
- Day 25: Remove 5 unnecessary pens, papers, or desk accessories from your home office or kitchen desk.
- Day 26: Clean out your purse, backpack, or briefcase and toss 5 receipts, wrappers, pens, old candy, gum, tissues or other random items.
- Day 27: Find 5 things to discard or bring inside (e.g., old parking passes, trash, maps, or supplies) from your car.
- Day 28: Target a “forgotten zone” (like a hallway closet, laundry area, or storage shelf) and pick 5 things to let go.
- Day 29: Gather all donations you’ve collected and select 5 more small items that didn’t fit other categories.
- Day 30: Do one final sweep of your spaces and find 5 things you can release. Then reflect, celebrate and enjoy!
Fall Decluttering Challenge: Keys for Success
- Keep a donation box handy so you’ll have a designed place for items to go as you declutter.
- Snap before-and-after photos to help track your Fall Decluttering Challenge progress or simply cross the days off on your calendar.
- If you miss a day, simply resume. Every 5 item session brings you one step closer to your goal.
- Share your journey with a friend to help you stay motivated.
- Decide how often you’ll drop off your donations.
- Find a fun and festive way to celebrate completing the Fall Decluttering and Challenge!
If you’ve ever tried to stick to a goal, you know it’s not always easy.
By focusing on just 5 items a day though, you’ll avoid burnout while steadily creating a more peaceful and purposeful home.
As always, I’ll be cheering you on.
Other Organization and Decluttering Posts to Explore…
52 Weeks to a Simplified and Organized Home Challenge
The 15 Minute Task We Use to Cut Clutter
Wishing you an uncluttered season full of possibility,
CoCo
I think I’m up for the challenge. I like the way this is broken into small little steps. I am saving this post and doing my best to follow this decluttering challenge.
This is such a great idea, CoCo, and an excellent way to prepare our homes for the holidays! Thanks for this fun challenge!