The Minimalist Game – A Fun Twist on Decluttering

In this episode of The Simple Joy Show I dive into The Minimalist Game, an innovative decluttering approach introduced by Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn.

Discover how this month-long challenge can transform the often daunting task of decluttering into an enjoyable, community-driven experience.

I will cover the pros and cons of this method, offering insights into its gradual approach, the motivational aspect of turning tidying into a game, and the potential challenges you might face.

Tune in to find out if The Minimalist Game could be your key to a simpler, more mindful lifestyle. 

Stay tuned for more episodes of my podcast, The Simple Joy Show, where we share tips on living a simpler life every Friday.

USEFUL LINKS:

Join the 30 Day Decluttering Challenge: https://hub.simplejoy.co.uk/challenge

Website: www.simplejoy.co.uk

How to Get Started Decluttering When Overwhelmed PDF: https://hub.simplejoy.co.uk/overwhelmed

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hellosimplejoy

Facebook Group: The Simple Living Society: www.facebook.com/groups/thesimplelivingsociety

Transcript

Hayley Forster [00:00:00]:

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Simple Joy Show. Today, I’m gonna be talking about a unique approach to decluttering, and it’s the minimalist game. It was introduced by Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn, who are also known as The Minimalists. This game has become a favorite for those of you embarking on your decluttering journey. So today, I want to talk about what it is and the pros and cons.

Hayley Forster [00:00:38]:

The Minimalist Game is a method that basically gamifies the decluttering experience. Now I’m a massive fan of gamifying things. I think it can make a somewhat daunting, perhaps boring chore for some, into something that is really quite enjoyable and motivating as well. The minimalist game is a popular decluttering method with lots and lots of people. If you search up the hashtag #minsgame on social media,

Hayley Forster [00:03:21]:

you’re going to see loads of people taking part in this game every single day. What it is, is that beginning on the 1st day of the month, the number of things you declutter corresponds to the day of the month. So you declutter 1 item on the 1st day, 2 items on the 2nd day, 3 on 3rd, and so on. So by the end of a 31 day month, you have removed nearly 500 items from your home if you play all the way through. Now as with anything, there are pros and cons to this method. Some of the pros are that you can build up a real gradual approach with this game. It eases you into the decluttering process.

Hayley Forster [00:04:00]:

It’s really manageable at the start, so day 1, 2, 3. Super easy. You’re only looking for 1, 2, 3 items. So it’s a really, really good method for those of you who might feel a bit overwhelmed at first, and and you’re not entirely sure what to get rid of and the thought of diving into it is a little bit daunting. Switch that to to say, right, you just need to get rid of 1 item today, and that makes it so much easier. It’s also a really fun and engaging method. So you’re turning decluttering into a game, and it adds an element of fun, and it can be really, really motivating, especially if you involve friends or family. So it can be anyone that lives in your house or outside of your home, whoever wants to join you on the journey.

Hayley Forster [00:04:47]:

You all just join in, keep each other updated about what you’ve got rid of, maybe send photos to each other about everything that you’ve managed to declutter that day and push each other along, and that makes it a really fun and engaging experience. And as I mentioned earlier with the hashtag, it’s got a real community aspect to it, so you can share your progress on social media. And it really creates that sense of community and accountability as well, which I know I’m very fond of. I’m one of those people that I need accountability. Otherwise, I will just probably not do it. So by having this social aspect to it, really helps by making the process much more enjoyable and less isolating as well. But for me, the biggest to pros for this method is that by the end of the month, you’ve removed almost 500 items from your home, and that is no small task. And you can play as many months in a row as you like.

Hayley Forster [00:05:44]:

So you can just keep on going through the whole year if you wish. Or you can just commit to 1 month at a time and see how it goes. It starts small and increases over time, and that really allows you to to build up your confidence in your decision making abilities, and that gets increasingly better as you let go of more stuff. And no matter what method you pick, I always recommend to start small and increase over time to really build that decluttering muscle and build your confidence in your abilities. Now let’s just touch on the cons as well. So as I said it’s goes up in increasing difficulty. Now that can be a challenge for some people because the challenge ramps up pretty quickly. And it can be tough to keep up, especially towards the end of the month.

Hayley Forster [00:06:30]:

If you think about it, within the 1st week, you’ve got rid of nearly 30 items, and that’s quite a lot. So once you ease into the 2nd week, it gets even more difficult. And that can be a challenge for many, and it can be really difficult to keep up if you’re not consistent. And as you get towards the end of the month, you’re gonna have to find a really big number of items each day to get rid of. And I don’t know about you, but after a long day of work and chaperoning the kids around everywhere, the last thing that I want to do is to find 25, 26, 27 items to declutter that day, and it becomes much more unappealing as the month goes on. It also might not suit everyone because because if you’re already a fairly minimalist person, finding enough items to get rid of can actually be quite challenging, and the game might not to be as effective for you. So in my early days of where I had a lot of clutter, I probably could’ve done the game quite easily with the correct motivation and mindset behind it.

Hayley Forster [00:07:34]:

However, if I did it now, maybe after the first few days, I’d really struggle with what I’d want to get rid of. And then again, that’s just not gonna motivate me to keep moving forward. I have seen concerns online as well of people who’ve done this before where they’ve perhaps discarded items recklessly just to keep up with the game. Gamifying makes it quite competitive, and you could imagine that if you have a competitive nature, that you might just start getting rid of things that perhaps you don’t necessarily want to get rid of or you should get rid of, and then a week or two down the line, you may have that regret and that guilt of wastefulness as well. So for me, I’ve never personally done this method just because I know fine well that it doesn’t fit with my personality type. As I say, you’re gonna find a method that works for you, and this is one personally that is not for me. The reason being is that I think the 1st week would be great for me, but after that, I would just probably find it much more daunting and much more of a chore to try and find x amount of items to to get rid of, and I wouldn’t particularly find it enjoyable. But if you know that you’re quite competitive and you’d like to get involved with this with your friends and make it a community aspect, then go for it.

Hayley Forster [00:08:54]:

Give it a go. See how much you can do. The minimalist game has got so many benefits to it, but it is important to approach it mindfully. So just remember that the goal isn’t to just eliminate items, but to actually really put some thought behind it and consider what adds value to your life. So don’t just go rushing around your house with a plastic carrier bag trying to get rid of everything that you can see. Actually take time and process what you’re trying to get rid of because it’s about finding balance between being the fun of the game, but also the seriousness of actually making it worth your while and making it sustainable, making your decisions mindful, in thinking about your belongings, which is what’s gonna make your decluttering much more consistent and sustainable longer term. So whether you’re new to decluttering or you’re looking for a new and creative way to boost your decluttering and reduce your possessions, the minimalist game does offer a unique approach. But as I’m gonna keep on saying, like any method, it’s about finding what works best for you in your lifestyle.

Hayley Forster [00:10:04]:

As I mentioned earlier, if you work long hours, a full time job, then perhaps the decluttering game isn’t for you because you’re not gonna have that energy and desire to find 30 items to declutter on the 30th of the month. But if your lifestyle makes it easier and more exciting to try this unique approach, then go for it. So so I’d love to hear if you have tried the minimalist game. What was your experience? Share your stories. Come into my Facebook community, The Simple Living Society, and let me know what you found out. Share pictures if you have them. Anything that you shared in the #minsgame, I would love to see them. So thank you for listening.

Hayley Forster [00:10:45]:

Remember, in the journey towards minimalism, every step, no matter how small, so even on day one where you get rid of one thing, it’s a step towards a simpler, more intentional life.