The Chuck*-It Challenge

THE CHALLENGE: Pick 1 thing a day, 5 days a week, to chuck^*. Do this consistently for 52 weeks.

^*Chuck: 1) To gift, thrift, donate, sell, repurpose, recycle or, as a last resort, toss. 2) To clear your house, office or space of things you no longer use, like, need, want or wear.

THE REWARD: Your space will be cleared of, at a minimum, 260 things.

Why do it?

• It’s fun.
• It gets more challenging as time goes by. At the beginning, with so many low-hanging choices everywhere, you’ll have to pace yourself.
• Most people have too much stuff; this helps with that.
• You get to be generous. That cashmere sweater, unused lamp or drill you’re done with? Give it to someone who will adore it.
• It starts turning your mind toward disposing of stuff rather than acquiring it.
• Your kids–or the folks who have to deal with your stuff when you die—will be grateful.

The foundational rule is simple: 1 thing a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

The Challenge is to get rid of 260 things and do it over 12-months. It’s about both things.

Not sure where to start? Look in the back corners of closets, your garage or attic; scrounge through drawers and medicine cabinets; assess kitchen gadgets with a questioning eye; do the same thing with tools, toys and trinkets. You’ll find unused, unloved things tucked everywhere.

Having a tough day picking something? Count a single dried-up pen as your Chuck^*-It Choice. Feeling bountiful? A bag of clothes becomes one item. The key is to make it fun, avoid stress and get in the  habit of getting rid of stuff.

It’s about slowly, consistently, methodically clearing your clutter. It’s about deliberate mindfulness; about small actions, repeated over and over.

Maybe you’ll find 10 things you want to chuck^* in a single day. Go for it. Just know you’ll still have to select something the next day and the day after. Those extra 9-things simply means that, at the end of 12 months, you’ll have gotten rid of more than 260 things. Congratulations!

But because the Challenge is to pick 1 thing a day, 5 days a week, for 52 weeks, those extra things won’t get you there any faster.

If you tend to acquire lots of things, consider the foundational-rule bonus add-on! Whenever something new comes into the house—a gift, a curbside find, something you bought—an equal number of things has to go out. One in? One out. Ten in? Ten out.

Not sure how to execute? Start by dedicating two boxes to the Challenge.

Box 1 is a Chuck^*-It Challenge Inventory Box, where you put things found during daily living you think you’re ready to part with. Add things when you find them. If you doubt a decision, take it out for another day. Find something too big for the box? Write the name and location on a slip of paper, and drop that in the box.

If a day rolls around when you can’t easily find something for the Challenge, pick something from Box 1 and move it to Box 2.

Box 2 holds things intentionally chosen for the daily Chuck^*-It Challenge.

When it’s time to get rid of stuff in Box 2, some things will go to the local thrift store. Others will be offered to friends, given away or recycled. Some, like toxics, will require special disposal. And a few items will end up in the trash, because you probably have at least one broken-down thing hanging around.

Make the Challenge your own. Don’t worry about the details. The basic rule is 1 thing a day, 5 days a week, over 52 weeks. That’s all you really need to remember.

If you start today and follow just that rule, then 12-months from now, your house will be 260 objects lighter.

Photo source: Tama66 on Pixabay

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