52-week decluttering challenge – Free printable

Introducing - 52-Week Decluttering Challenge
52-Week Challenge117 Comments on 52-week decluttering challenge – Free printable

52-week decluttering challenge – Free printable

Is this the year you plan to declutter your life and get organized? Well, you’re in the right place. Today I’m excited to introduce my 52 Week Decluttering Challenge! I hope you’ll join me on this journey to gain control over the chaos and clutter in our lives. Read on to learn more about the challenge. You can also download my free printable decluttering and organizing checklist.

Like many people, I have a long history of accumulating stuff. Let’s start with my backstory and history with clutter.

This post was originally published in January 2023 and updated in December 2023.

My clutter story

My family lives in the house my husband and I bought when we got married in 1994. Over the years, our family of four has accumulated a lot of stuff.

At the beginning of 2020, I decided it was time to gain control over the clutter. I made a list of areas and items in our home I wanted to declutter. The plan was to check one item off the list every week.

The year started out pretty well. Then the pandemic hit. Things got crazy at work, charity shops were no longer taking donations, and my efforts stalled for a few months.

Later in 2020, I got back on track with the 31 Day Declutter Challenge put out by Bonnie at Beautiful Minimal Millennial. I set some goals for the month and really stuck with it. You can read my results and learnings from the challenge in What I learned from the 31 Day Declutter Challenge.

I was happy with what I had accomplished in 2020, but it was still a work in progress. To continue moving forward and hold myself accountable, I decided to create this 52 Week Decluttering and Organizing Challenge for 2021 and share it with you. I hope you’ll join me in the challenge.

How the challenge works

I’ve made a list of 52 weekly challenges. Click the image below to download your copy of 52 Weeks of Decluttering and Organizing. You can do the tasks in any order you want, or you can follow along with each week’s challenge on my blog.

52 Weeks of Decluttering and Organizing

Every week, I’ll announce the challenge for the upcoming week. I’m going to stay ahead of the challenge so I can share my progress and tips in the weekly post. I’ll share my successes and, since decluttering is an ongoing challenge, I’ll also share my failures.

Some of the challenges are bigger than others. Like my approach to eco-friendly living and waste reduction, I believe decluttering and organizing about progress not perfection. If you can only spend half an hour one week, that’s okay. Or, commit to getting rid of one or two items every week. Every item you declutter makes a difference. There’s no rush and no deadline.

Free printable - 52-Week Declutter Challenge

What I’ve learned about decluttering

Over the years, I’ve read a lot of decluttering books. Here are some of my general observations and learnings on decluttering:

  • It’s personal. There is no single method that works for everyone. There’s also no right or wrong way to go about it. It’s about finding what works for you.
  • Our house is not a model home or show home. It’s our home. Real people live here. If you drop by, you’ll see my daughter’s knitting and craft supplies out in the living room. You’ll also see stuff on my kitchen counter.
  • Decluttering is a marathon, not a sprint. I don’t subscribe to the theory that decluttering has to be a one-time, big, multi-day event. I don’t have time for that and I’m pretty sure you don’t either. Instead, it’s about slow, steady progress.
  • Clutter isn’t just what you can physically see. We’ll also tackle digital clutter as part of the challenge.
  • Decluttering isn’t about sending hundreds of bags of garbage to the landfill. You’ll be surprised what people will take off your hands. Check out 5 ways to turn your junk into treasure for ideas on how to repurpose your stuff.
  • There’s no point decluttering if you’re just going to go out and buy more stuff. The real secret to decluttering is learning to live with less. I wrote about this in Mindful shopping tips to save you money.

Next week, we’ll get started with our first weekly challenge. I’ll also share a printable decluttering worksheet to help you decide what to keep and what to get rid of.

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Are you in?

Will you join me in this decluttering challenge and make this the year you take control of the clutter in your life? Drop me a comment below with your thoughts and ideas.

If you have friends or family members who could benefit from a little less clutter in their lives, please share this post and spread the word!

P.S. If now’s not the time for you, no worries. I’ll be here when you’re ready! In the meantime, check out Turn Over a New Leaf with an Organized, Decluttered Home from Porch.com to learn about the benefits of decluttering. It may just be the motivation you need.

Hi there! I’m Michelle and I live in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. I am married with two young adult daughters. I’m a big fan of reducing waste, using less plastic, decluttering and simplifying life as much as possible.

117 thoughts on “52-week decluttering challenge – Free printable

  1. Nothing will be more fruitful in life without planning. You have shared an informative stuff keep going on. I like the way of your posting. Thanks for sharing this beneficial content with us. I like to visit here again for further updates 🙂

  2. Yup! All about a healthy environment, it definitely leads to health keep going on and thanks to you for sharing this helpful stuff with us. I like to visit here again for further new posts.

  3. It’s a very good challenge! I also love decluttering from all the useless things, because it seems that even the house starts to breathe more. I’ve read that energy also flows more freely around the house, which is a very good thing. Then Happy New Year and Happy Decluttering! 🙂

    xx Dasynka
    http://dasynka.com/

  4. Pingback: The 12 best blog posts I read in January - Boomer Eco Crusader
  5. I definitely want to jump on this declutter train. I’m already behind, but like you said it’s a marathon not a sprint. I’ve been wanting to declutter for a long time now, but find it hard to let go of things. I try to move out something every week, but in those really cluttered areas, it doesn’t look like anything has been touched, and that can be frustrating. I’m going to keep at it, but also create some time to work on one area at a time, so I can see progress. Thanks for sharing this! I will check out the list!

    1. Yes! So glad to have you on board. You can follow along with the weekly posts or do the challenge in any order you want. Just do whatever works for you!

  6. I definitely need to declutter, since being under lockdown things are certainly starting to gather! Thanks for sharing this challenge 🙂

    Anika | chaptersofmay.com

    1. Yes, lockdown makes it harder because you spend so much time at home and don’t have the opportunity to get rid of things. I have a small pile accumulating that I will take to the charity shop when it’s safe to do so.

  7. A great idea to start the “cleansing,” process. I did this a year or so ago, moving into a new home. It is relatively easy to maintain the de-cluttering once you have removed the bulk of decades of accumulation. This printable will definitely help those struggling to do that.

    1. Thanks. I think that’s why we’ve accumulated so much clutter. My family lives in the house my husband and I bought when we got married 26 years ago. A move definitely forces you to clear out.

      1. No doubt! I lived in a house for 33 years before I moved to a small place before building a new home. Lots had to go. I really don’t know why I kept so much stuff! It was crazy. I remember reading Marie Kondo’s book at the time.

  8. I love a good declutter – I nearly always find things I’d forgotten I had or that I loved in the past. And it’s a big yes to recycling or charity donations too – landfill is just not a good option!

  9. Krista and I were just planning out some decluttering content for February! Great minds think alike 🙂 I’m looking forward to following along with the challenge! I like how you described it as a marathon not a sprint. It’s so true that things take time–especially if you’re going through sentimental things. It’s not always something to rush through.

    1. I totally agree. I think if I did the Marie Kondo decluttering event, I would regret some of the stuff I got rid of. Doing it a bit of a time gives you a chance to think about what you’re doing. I look forward to read your content. We can learn from each other.

  10. You are totally on the ball with this one! Decluttering takes a while and of course, a lot of things have sentimental value as well so it may take some time before you decide to let it go. I’m decluttering all of January but it’s a bit easier for me since I live pretty minimal anyways. Having a lot of stuff has stressed me out in the past so I prefer to just have less things. I’m 100% sure it’ll change when I have little ones.

    http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com

    1. You’re right, Lynn. Kids come with a lot of clutter. I don’t think I could have decluttered when my kids were small. I was just happy if I could see the floor. Now that mine are older, it’s a good time to take this on.

      1. 27 years!!! That’s nearly as long as I’ve been alive! It’s incredible to hear because I have not lived in one house for longer than 2 years since my 14th birthday

  11. I’m totally up for this. Like you say, it’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate over the years. I always feel amazing when we have a declutter and our space is clean, clear and tidy. I agree with it being a marathon and not a sprint. Doing it bit by bit works best for me and keeps me motivated. If I tried to get it all done in one go I’d get fed up and just give up. Thanks for inspiring me to join the challenge x

    1. Yeah! I’m so excited you’re joining in. I think it will be fun. I’m working week or two ahead to give myself time to write my posts and take pictures, but I’m already feeling a difference.

  12. This is a good way to motivate continued decluttering! I have been doing some decluttering of my own as well because I have accumulated so much clutter through the years, never letting go of any stuff! Goodluck to us!

    Liz
    http://www.piecesofliz.com

    1. Thanks Liz. I have been so amazed by the response to this challenge. It seems to be something everyone can relate to. I am excited for the challenge. I’ve done a lot of decluttering already but there is definitely more to be done.

  13. This is really one of my goals. I guess there is this a point in life where you realize you have got a lot of things that you actually don’t need. This is great! Althought, it is really hard to declutter (letting things go can sometimes be upsetting even though it might not be as useful to us).

  14. Such a great challenge, Michelle! I too am surprised how much ‘stuff’ we human accumulate. An individual item might not seem so ‘bad,’ but when that item is joined by a lot of other things, that’s when the clutter cavalcade seems to happen. I’m going to be sifting through the closets to donate clothes (as a start.) We have drop-off bins here in Chicago so thankfully while COVID is still prevalent it’s easier to de-clutter without the bags of donations becoming clutter! LOL Cher xoxo

  15. Thanks so much for putting this challenge together! 2021 will be the year I finally get rid of everything I don’t need.

    1. Thanks! I’m really excited about the challenge. I think it will be fun and, now that I’ve committed to weekly decluttering blog posts, there’s no going back! 🙂

  16. Fun idea. Good luck with your challenge! I will enjoy reading and following along with you. With 3 little kids I always have stuff coming and going in our home and things get messy so I always love to read decluttering stories to keep me motivated.

    1. Thanks Suzanne. It’s definitely easier now that my kids are older. Although my 17-year old often objects to me getting rid of some things. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard her say “Aww but that’s so cute. You can’t get rid of it.”

I'd love to hear your ideas. Drop me a comment below.

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