31 Days to Less Clutter and More Peace
A 31 Day declutter challenge that will help you get rid of both physical and mental clutter.
This decluttering challenge was born ten years ago as I finally tackled the clutter in my home. Since then, I try to take the challenge once a year, and it has made a huge difference in my mental health.
One of my former words of the year was PEACE. I started off strong, as I usually do, but by the time I was in rehearsals for the opera I performed in that year, I lost my focus.
I tried hard to relax that summer and not let myself get over-anxious about things that truly don’t matter in the end. I believe I was mostly successful with this, but the fact is, clutter had really started to take over my life.
While physical clutter (oh man, you should have seen my office!) is a big part of this clutter, it’s also mental and spiritual clutter. Schedule clutter, even.
All of this clutter causes me deep anxiety and makes it really hard to find the peace I so deeply long to have in my life.
The clutter comes from so many different sources:
It’s my messy desk full of the papers that multiply while I’m not looking and which have no other home. It’s my email inbox full of emails that I have not yet dealt with. Or it’s my brain reminding me of all the things I have on my to-do list and not allowing me to sleep.
No matter the source, I waas finished with the clutter.
I wanted it out of my life!
As I thought about how to do this I thought of the old adage
“A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place.”
While I had places for many things, I didn’t have a place for EVERY thing. And the many things that did have places? Well, I’d say a large percentage of them were not often actually in their place.
That all changed with this 31 day declutter challenge.
This declutter challenge will help you focus on the hows and whys of clutter. It will also help you find practical ways to eliminate the worst clutter in your homes and in the rest of your life. Each day features a new post, which is linked up on this page.
I hope you’ll join me on the journey, and that you will not hesitate to add your own thoughts and experiences to the challenge. I am excited (and a little bit scared) to tackle this challenge, but I will not let clutter steal away my peace!
Want to start the 30-day declutter challenge?
Fill out the form at the very end of this post and you will receive an email each day with a new decluttering assignment.
- Day 1: Introduction—you’re here!
- Day 2: Make an Action Plan
- Day 3: Get Rid of It!
- Day 4: A Place for Everything (Why labels are important)
- Day 5: Decluttering the Closet
- Day 6: Decluttering and Organizing Toys
- Day 7: A Place for Electronic Devices
- Day 8: Keep Children’s Clothing Off the Floor
- Day 9: Organizing School Papers
- Day 10: Why Clutter Happens
- Day 11: Take Control of Your Make-up!
- Day 12: Keep Your Email Inbox Clutter-free
- Day 13: Decluttering Books
- Day 14: The Cost of Clutter
- Day 15: Stop Saving Magazines!
- Day 16: Declutter Your Mind
- Day 17: A Clutter-free Entryway
- Day 18: Practical Organization
- Day 19: Everything in its Place
- Day 20: Junk Drawers
- Day 21: How to Declutter Your Schedule
- Day 22: A Bag for Everything
- Day 23: Dealing with Hot Spots
- Day 24: Rules for Mail
- Day 25: Just 15 Minutes a Day
- Day 26: Decluttering Games
- Day 27: Six Reasons to Declutter
- Day 28: Declutter Kitchen Cupboards
- Day 29: Getting the Clutter out of the House
- Day 30: 4 Ways to Stop Bringing in Clutter
- Day 31: An Accounting
Are you ready to declutter your life?
Join the 31 day challenge to get rid of clutter and make room for peace.
Can you move next door to me? 🙂 🙂 🙂 I need back up babysitters anyway, and I'm SURE my little Boonga would love the girls! 🙂
I'm looking forward to reading! I have my very own clutter issues that I need to deal with too.
Looking forward to following this series Lara! No matter how diligent we are, I think things just have a way of cluttering our lives. It's important to pause and figure out the hows and whys and make positive changes. It's going to be a great month!
This is going to be great. I am already decluttering now. Its a must in every home.
Laurie Reeve says: "When we have clutter, it screams at us, distracts us from living the life we were mean't to live." Good point.
Lara, love this topic…October seems to always be my declutter month so your series is perfect timing 😉 Can't wait to come back for more!
I need to declutter as well! Can't really commit to it completely this month, but I will be limping along trying at least!!
Oh man, you'd be the BEST neighbor ever! And I bet it doesn't even snow that much where you live. 🙂
We certainly all do. I am happy you'll be following along!
Thanks, Hilda! That's exactly why I'm doing this. I love decluttering, but it's so important to get to the root of the problem!
It sure is! If you're not right on top of it, it will be right on top of YOU!
I love that quote! Thanks Mom! <3
Something about the fall really makes me want to get rid of it all! I don't know why. 🙂 Thanks for following along!
Moving is the BEST time to declutter. Glad you're here….wish I could come help you pack, and maybe meet those adorable girlies of yours.
Limping along is so much better than not doing anything!
This is excellent! LOVE this post and the entire challenge!