The Fall Decluttering Challenge: Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Fall Decluttering Challenge!

How did Week 1 go for you? There are about 50 of us doing this challenge, and, so far, the main sentiment has been that of surprise at how much there is to declutter, even for those who are generally conscious of clutter.

I feel the same way. Just last week, I decluttered a total 51 items, all in 15-20 minute daily purges. If you’d like to see my progress, I documented it all on my Instagram.

If you're just finding this or catching up, make sure to check out the Intro & Week 1 post for the challenge setup, helpful questions to ask yourself while decluttering, and printable progress tracker.

Now onto the second and final week of the challenge!

The clothes I decluttered on Day 5 of Week 1 :)

Week 2

Day 6 (Monday): Bathroom Reset

Toss expired products or samples you’ll never use that reside in your bathroom, makeup bag, or vanity.

Aim to declutter: 3-5 items (or more)

Mindset: If it’s expired or half-used and neglected, it’s no longer serving you, it’s just taking up space and energy.

Day 7 (Tuesday): Toys, Hobbies, or Seasonal

If you have kids, focus on decluttering toys that are broken/missing pieces, overstimulating, or never played with. If not, tackle hobby supplies or seasonal items/decor that are broken, outdated, or never used.

Aim to declutter: at least 5 items

Mindset: Having fewer and better things, whether they’re toys, hobbies, or decor, makes it easier to enjoy and use what you do have.

Day 8 (Wednesday): The Costly Item

Choose one expensive thing you regret buying, but have been keeping out of guilt.

Aim to declutter: at least 1 item

Mindset: The money was already spent, and the only thing you have control of now is whether this item continues to cost you time and space. This is great practice for decluttering more of these types of costly items in the future :)

Day 9 (Thursday): ‘Future You’ Items

Practice letting go of things you’re keeping just in case, especially ones that you can replace easily (for example, in 20 minutes and for under $20).

Aim to declutter: 3-5 items (or more)

Mindset: Are these things worth the space they occupy? We often hold on to clutter just in case we’ll need it in some hypothetical future scenario. The problem is, when that scenario plays out, it’s often hard to remember that you already have that item, which leads to having multiples. This cycle continues, leading to a continuous buildup of clutter.

Day 10 (Friday): Digital Declutter

Choose 1-3 of the following:

• Sort through your Screenshots folder

• Delete duplicate phone photos

• Unsubscribe from email lists

• Delete unread emails that you aren’t planning to read

• Sort through your Downloads folder

• Delete phone apps that you don’t use

• Unfollow accounts that don’t inspire you

Aim to declutter: 10-20 items (for example, 1 screenshot or 1 unsubscribed email = 1 item)

Mindset: In today’s increasingly digital world, digital clutter is very real, and it can absolutely overwhelm and negatively impact us just as much as physical clutter.

Weekend:

• Rest & Reflect!

• Catch up on any days you weren’t able to complete during the week

• Take your donations wherever you’ve decided to donate them

• Find a home for items that you came across when decluttering that need one

• List any items you’re selling

Journaling prompt (optional): What did you learn about yourself during this reset? Where do you want to keep going?

Thank you so much for joining me on this mini challenge! I hope that it served you well. I’d love to hear how it went for you in the comments.

A brilliant subscriber suggested that I do a similar challenge, but for personal finances, and I thought that was such a smart idea. Stay tuned for that :)