I’ll tell you something straight, I’m not a huge fan of challenges of any sort. Not the cinnamon challenge (a choking hazard), not the Ice Bucket Challenge (um, cold!), not a Grow Your Butt in 10 Days challenge (does not work, have tried it), and definitely not minimalism challenges.

My thing with minimalist challenges is that most of them are just a list of how you should clean out your house or get rid of X number of items each day and you’ll be free of consumerism! It doesn’t quite work like that.

You see, a minimalist lifestyle is also about a change of heart and mind. Yes, minimizing your physical items is certainly a big step. But, I think it’s really important that you get your head in the game first.

I couldn’t help myself. That song is just too good.

But, back to the subject at hand. Minimalism.

My big problem with these types of challenges is that they’re just a temporary change, and honestly one you probably won’t even complete. There just isn’t enough in it for me to get rid of 300 things in 30 days (people really do this!).

So, I came up with my own challenge. It’s a 3 stepper. It’s like the two step but without the dancing.

Minimalist Challenge

The PDF to download for all of these challenges in one document will be at the bottom of this post. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to get your email for it 😉

Step 1

The 10 Day Minimalism Challenge

This is your intro. Your Minimalism 101 class. You won’t be getting rid of a darn thing during this step. I want you to get your head space right and do some mental clearing out before moving into the second step.

It might seem a little woo woo at first, but I pinky promise getting some clear mental space will help you in the next step. This is also a step you can come back to whenever your mind is feeling a little over busy, like we’re all wont to get!

Step 2

The 20 Day Minimalism Challenge

Okay, you’ve graduated 101, but you’re not ready for the advanced levels yet. In this step you’re going to clean out all the physical and digital junk you have. I’ve carefully organized this list to go from the easiest to hardest stuff to clean out, cause you gotta build up your minimalist stamina!

Every 5th day activity will be something to inspire you and give you a break from cleaning out stuff. This process can get really overwhelming and you need breaks. You do not have to complete this step in 20 days. If you need a break, take it!

Step 3

The 30 Day Minimalism Challenge

Whoa, there. You made it through Step 1 andddd Step 2! This step will be a combination of organizing what’s left in your life and adding some things back. I know, I know. You’re supposed to be taking stuff away, silly minimalist!

We focus too much on getting down to the bare minimum and then somehow don’t have room for any joy in our lives. Every 6th day of this challenge will be about adding something new into your life, such as a morning ritual or a new skill you’ve wanted to learn.