You may have already guessed that I’m a BIG fan of Marie Kondo, and I personally believe in tackling our stuff, storage, and systems in one fell swoop rather than doing a little bit of tidying every week (or heaven forbid every day!) for the rest of our natural lives.
But that level of intensity is not for everyone. Some people find starting small is easier than an overhaul, and they respond better to the Minimalists Game.
In contrast with the Konmari method of one-and-done tidying, the Minimalists Game is more of a slow and steady approach. Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, aka The Minimalists, suggest people commit to a month-long challenge of letting go. The game is to discard or donate 1 item on day 1, 2 items on day 2, 3 items on day 3, all the way up to 30 items on day 30. If you complete the challenge, you’ll have let go of 465 objects that were taking up space in your home and in your life.
You can opt for the Konmari approach, or you can opt for the Minimalists approach, and either way you’d free yourself from a great number of objects. There are many paths up this minimalist mountain.
I’d like to suggest a third. If you are drawn to the inertia-busting intensity of Konmari AND the little-by-little habit building of Minimalists Game, try this: Rather than start with one object on day 1, two objects on Day 2, and so on for 30 days, flip that timeline. Start with 30 objects on day 1, 29 on day 2, 28 on day 3, until your 30th day ends with you choosing 1 object to donate or discard.
Purging your possessions draws on both your gut-level intuition and your rational analysis. Sometimes you pick up one object and your gut shouts “Keep that treasure” or “Toss that junk!” Other times you need to think and reflect on whether or not you actually use it, if you have something else that serves that function better, if you know of a friend who could utilize it much more than you could.
Tackling a tidy with some level of intensity helps tune you in to your gut, and helps you streamline your analysis. If you follow the Konmari method, you’ll hone your discrimination skills with less emotionally charged categories like clothes and books, so you’re best prepared to tackle sentimental items that take up more mental space than physical space.
With the Minimalist Game Remix, you spend Day 1 scouring your home for 30 items to donate or discard, and as such you’ll have 30+ opportunities to practice that discrimination. By the time you get to Day 30, choosing that final object will be considerably easier, even if it’s a sentimental item.
And you'll still end up with 465 less items taking up space in your home. (Or less, if you reach a satisfying click point sooner like some others.)