Last weekend, I finished up a marathon year of decluttering as the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge came to a close. And what a year it was! Today, I’ll wrap things up by looking back on what I learned and accomplished during the year—including my final decluttering tally. Then, I’ll share five easy steps to help you get started with your own decluttering challenge.

About the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge

In this year-long journey, I tackled one task at a time with the goal of cleaning up and organizing my home. Every week, I published a post with my progress, tips, and learnings from the week.

You can get easy access to all the weekly posts on the main Decluttering page.

The final tally from a year of decluttering

Can I get a drum roll please?

Yes, you saw that right! My final decluttering tally for the challenge was 3,379. That included 1,803 physical items and 1,576 digital items.

I didn’t really have a number in mind at the outset, but I can honestly say those numbers exceeded what I might have expected.

My biggest week for physical decluttering was week 32 when I decluttered 166 paper files. For digital decluttering, my biggest single-week total was 1,233 in week 35 when I did a major email cleanup.

At the other end, there were weeks when I didn’t find a lot to declutter. In fact, I had a couple weeks where I got rid of only a single item. In week 4, I found cleaning my kitchen counters to be more of an organizing and relocating exercise. And, in week 47, I learned I wasn’t much of a collector.

What I learned

Overall, I feel great about what I accomplished. In addition to what I decluttered, the challenge gave me an opportunity to rethink my priorities. Here are some of my key learnings:

• Decluttering is a marathon, not a sprint. I have always rejected the notion that decluttering should be a single, big, multi-day event. That method may work for some people, but it’s definitely not for me. I feel I made much better progress taking a slow and steady approach and being thoughtful about what I was doing.
• Once I got started, momentum built quickly. The first couple of weeks were difficult but once I got on a roll, I found I was excited about the next task. I also caught myself decluttering things without even thinking about it.  
• I owned a lot of stuff I had forgotten about. When I started emptying drawers, I discovered things I hadn’t seen in years. Some of those items brought back great memories and were the inspiration for the Clutter Tales series.
• There were some things I probably should have got rid of that I just wasn’t quite ready to say good-bye to—and that’s okay.
• Decluttering doesn’t mean filling the landfill. In the entire year, I filled only two garbage bags. Everything else, I donated, recycled, or gave away on my local Buy Nothing group.
• Above all, the challenge gave me the opportunity to rethink my relationship with stuff. I realized I can live happily with less. These days, I buy very little beyond necessities and I always favour experiences over things.

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Five steps to help you get started on your own challenge

Do you think you’re ready to take on your own year of decluttering challenge? Here are five easy steps to help you get started.

1. Figure out your why

You could just jump in and start, but you’ll be more successful if you first take time to think about what you’re trying to achieve. Why do you want to declutter? What’s your vision for your home and your life? Write all this down and come back to it anytime you’re feeling frustrated.

2. Make a plan

Download my 52-Weeks of Decluttering and Organizing checklist. Cross out any areas that don’t apply to you and add any that are missing.

3. Pick a starting point…and start

This step is the most important of all. First, download my Easy Decluttering Checklist. Then, pick the first area you want to declutter. You might be wondering where to start. That’s a question only you can answer—and honestly there’s no right or wrong answer.

Some decluttering experts will tell you to start with the areas of your home that are most visible. Others will tell you to pick your biggest problem area, so you’ll get an immediate sense of accomplishment.

My advice is to pick an area that will be challenging, but not so difficult you’ll just get frustrated and give up. I decided to start in the kitchen because it’s the most-used room in our house and I knew there was opportunity there.

No matter where you decide to start, just start. And check out all my weekly posts on the main Decluttering page for tips and inspiration.

4. Find a way to hold yourself accountable

When I started the challenge, I committed to writing a weekly blog post to document my progress. That helped me stay accountable. I had weeks I didn’t feel like decluttering, but I knew I had to so something so I could write that post!

You could commit to documenting your progress in a journal, or on your social media channels. Even better, find a friend to do the challenge with you.

5. Celebrate your wins—and forgive your failures

Don’t forget to celebrate your wins—preferably with something other than buying stuff. When you hit certain milestones, treat yourself to a nice dinner out, your favourite bottle of wine, or a spa day.

And, when life gets in the way and things don’t go as well as you’d like, cut yourself some slack. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a week or two. Just carry on when you’re ready. The clutter will still be there.

If you’re ready to take on the challenge, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a comment below, or send me a message any time.

What’s next for me?

So, now that my year of decluttering has ended, does this mean I’m done? Heck no! I still have more decluttering to do. I’ll continue to blog about my progress once a month.

All this decluttering has motivated me to find ways to simplify my life. With that in mind, the theme for my blog—and my life—for 2022 will be simple living. Stay tuned for more information in the new year.

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!

Are you ready to take on the year of decluttering challenge in 2022? Tell me your thoughts below.