In December of 2014, my wife and I removed 992 items from our home. It started with a discussion over a fresh cup of french press at a friend’s place.
Before dropping my laptop, notebook and pen on to its surface, the dining room table had been completely clear. So were the countertops—other than the water filter, blender and a few of the other kitchen normalities. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, but it felt different being there. The overwhelming sensory input that comes with the all so common household clutter didn’t happen.
Instead, the view was relaxing.
Noting my admiration, my friend Jeff said, “You should try minsgame”.
Minsgame is short for the ‘Minimalist Game‘, created by The Minimalists, aka Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus.
The idea of the game is to reduce your possessions over the course of a month, starting with one item on the first, two things on the second, and so on until you’re getting rid of 31 things on the last day of the month. Amy and I decided to participate in the game for the month of December, which meant that we’d each be choosing 496 individual items to sell, donate, recycle, or throw away.
Now that we’ve completed the adventure successfully, here are some of our thoughts.
It started out very easy, finding a single item in the house that I didn’t want anymore. An old Halloween costume hat, left unused for several years but somehow still had made its way through several moves. It continued to be fairly easy until December 11th, when I was looking for 11 things.
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In my mind I knew that we each had more than 496 items that we could let go of, but it became hard to identify exactly what the selected items should be that day. I found that I tend to work much better in bursts where I’d identify a large number of items at a time and then take a break for a day or two. Amy on the other hand, was able to put in the consistent effort of finding an appropriate number of items every day during the challenge. Either way, the end result was the same – a total of 992 items left our house by December 31st.
The major benefit to participating in minsgame is that it slowly but surely eases you into the process of finding the things you’re willing to let go of.
It starts very easy and escalates to the point where at the end of the month, you’ve made a major dent in reducing clutter in your home. If you’re someone who likes to work in bursts, I’d highly recommend taking advantage of those moments and getting it done with that energy. Once you’ve identified the need to reduce some clutter, use whatever strategy works for you to accomplish your goals.
We’ve found that the feeling of donating usable, good condition items is far more rewarding than simply having it sitting around unused. It’s also been an incredible change in seeing how freeing it can be to remove the things that get in the way. Reducing the clutter reduces the time needed to maintain and accomplish that which you aim to do.
So what do you think? Is it worth giving minsgame a try? I do.
Adriana I Grieco says
February 10, 2019 at 10:18 pmOur family did this! I highly recommend it! We found that we would (on some days) get rid of more than the daily items…you truly do build momentum and then it makes you far more mindful of what you bring IN to your home!
Nicole Wight says
April 15, 2018 at 4:47 pmAfter trying this do you think starting with one item a day is the best, or would starting with the 30 – while motivation is higher – and working backwards work too? Are kids are now college age and I’m looking forward to letting go of stuff from years of a kidcentric life.
Anthony Ongaro says
April 15, 2018 at 11:13 pmHi Nicole, good question! My wife and I have played it different ways, and it kind of depends on how you’re feeling about the process. If you’re wanting to build up your decision-making/decluttering muscles, it’s best to start with one item a day, two items the next day, etc. If you’re feeling super inspired and want to go at it, I say go for it! There were times when I really wanted to make a big dent, so I got rid of more items than the day of the month and ended up getting rid of more items than the 465 total in a 30-day month.
Labradorite says
June 16, 2016 at 5:27 amWhy don’t we do it again, all together, at a given date? It would be fun to hear from each other’s successes and difficulties and to support each other. If you do it, count me in.
Angela @ Setting My Intention says
October 26, 2015 at 7:08 pmAnthony, I just read that you’re doing this with another blogger (Heather) I’m connected with in November! It was so ironic because I was just proposing doing it together as a family in order to make the decluttering in our house a “family affair” versus a solo mission. Not sure how long they’ll keep up with it, but it’s worth a try! I’ll have to think of a reward at the end of the month for anyone who stays with it. 465 x 5 items out of the house = a happy mama. We’ll be playing along with you!
Theresa says
October 3, 2015 at 3:19 pmTrying it this month! Thanks for the concise definition of what this is so I can direct my friends to your page. I’m enjoying the process so far.
Alana in Canada says
January 31, 2015 at 9:16 pmI did this. I over complicated it, though, and decided to stage and photograph each day’s haul. That was so utterly overwhelming, I wasn’t able to declutter a thing for about 8 months after. Fortunately, though, I am once again clearing out some clutter.
Anthony says
February 1, 2015 at 2:05 amAlana, it really does take a lot out of you, doesn’t it? It’s takes a careful balance between the decluttering and good feeling that comes from it to not get overwhelmed. I wish you all the best in your process.
Del says
January 9, 2015 at 2:05 amThere must have been some collective unconscious happening in the world… In December I did the same, decided to get rid of as much as possible. Didn’t keep track but 500 seems a safe bet. Wish I knew about the game, would of joined you!
Anthony says
January 9, 2015 at 6:11 pmDel, it’s a terrific way to get started – but it sounds like you did just fine without it! We’ll likely play again to really polish off the process.
Mike Beck says
January 3, 2015 at 9:32 pmYou both inspired me tremendously! I’m doing it this month, only not on social media where I’m dedicating effort towards #100FitDays.
I look forward to the challenge and the numbers grow! So tired of STUFF.