Decluttering is a daunting task which is why it can be hard to find the motivation to even start a decluttering project. And even if you’ve somehow kickstarted your decluttering journey, it can be difficult to keep at it.
But no matter how hard decluttering is, there are ways to make it enjoyable!
Decluttering games can be a great way to get into the momentum of clutter-cleaning or to keep yourself going when you feel tired. I’ve curated a list of decluttering games that are not only fun but will also make you want to declutter your home as often as possible.
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You can look through the list of games mentioned and choose the ones that you like:
1. An Item A Day
This is one of the simplest challenges for people with homes that aren’t too cluttered. I used to play this game while living in the dorm during my college days and found it easy to keep up with because it didn’t require much efforts. And you can play it too if your house is fairly clutter-free and doesn’t need a heavy purge.
Every day after lunch, get rid of an item that is adding no value to your life. It can be a piece of clothing, an old kitchen appliance or any unused item in your house. If you think that your house needs to get rid of more than one item a day, choose a bigger number – 2, 5, 8 or 10.
2. The Progression Challenge
This amazing game is for people with a house so full of clutter that a mere thought of decluttering makes them panic in fear. If you’re one of those people, and are looking for a way to jumpstart your decluttering journey, you can do it by making small progresses each day with the help of this progression game.
Here, you begin by deciding the number of days you want to take this challenge for. For instance, you choose number 15 and mark the 15 days on a calendar starting from day 1 to day 15.
The Progression challenge requires you to declutter the number of items equalling to the challenge day. This means that on day 1, you get rid of just one item from your house. On day 2, you make a little more progress by decluttering 2 items gradually increasing the number as you progress to another day. So on day 15, you need to get rid of 15 items.
This challenge can get a little overwhelming as you move ahead on the calendar which is why it is advised to choose a number that seems suitable to you. If you think that your house needs a ruthless purge, don’t be afraid to take a 40-day progression challenge. But if your house is fairly simplified with a little need to declutter, you can do a 7-day progression challenge.
3. 10 Bags In 10 Days
This is another fun game for people who wish to give their over-cluttered houses a new shape. This game requires you to pick a bag and keep decluttering until it’s full, then start with another bag the next day. If 10 bags in 10 days seems too exhausting, you can take this challenge for 4 or 5 or 7 days depending on what your schedule allows.
4. The 3-Box Challenge
It’s a fun game that can be played with the entire family, especially the kids. Each one of you grab 3 boxes labelled as Donate, Trash and To be returned to their homes. Now set a timer of 10 or 15 minutes and as it goes off, run around to grab every item in the house that’s lying out of place. Pick up things lying on the floor, the flat surfaces or any other area of the house and toss them into the boxes. As the timer stops, count the number of items gathered by each player in the respective boxes and see who wins the game. This game is a great way to involve kids in your decluttering projects but don’t forget to reward them for their wins.
5. The 10-10-10 Challenge
This challenge requires you to choose 3 categories of items that cause the most amount of clutter in your house. It can be books, kitchen utensils, clothes, containers, makeup & skincare, sentimental items, physical mail and such. Once you’ve selected the categories, take a tour of the house and grab 10 items that you can get rid of from each category. You can also set a timer to make this task a little interesting and quick. Also, if you feel that you need to declutter a little more than 10 items from each category, make it a 20-20-20 challenge or even more if required.
6. 7 Spaces x 7 Minutes
If you’re a victim of clutter accumulation, this fun challenge is for you wherein you give yourself 7 minutes to remove 7 items from every space in your house. This means that you’ll be decluttering 49 items in just 49 minutes from every possible room in your house. You can choose the 7 spaces depending on how cluttered they are. It can be your bathrooms, kitchen, living room, bedroom, garage, home office, kids’ room or even your car. The best thing about this challenge is that it can be taken every week or every month if you have too much clutter to fight.
7. One In, Two Out
Now this challenge is another version of the ‘One In, One Out’ rule except that here, you have to get rid of two items from your house for every new item you bring in. So, if you have bought yourself a pair of shoes, you must get rid of two old pairs. If you think that your house doesn’t need that quick a purge, you can simply go for the ‘One In, One Out rule’.
Now that you know about the many games that can make the task of decluttering fun, it’s time to commit to your decluttering goals and get them accomplished. Don’t forget to comment below with the experience you had playing these games or write me at hello@theaestheticabode.com. I would love to hear anything from you.