How to Make Decluttering Fun: 13 Exciting Ways

While it might seem as though I absolutely love decluttering because, well let’s face it, I’m always talking about decluttering, that couldn’t be further from the truth!

Do you want to know how to make decluttering fun?

Decluttering isn’t always fun. In fact, sometimes it can be downright tedious, hard work and just boring.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

There are actually a lot of ways to make decluttering fun. And I’m not just talking about bribing yourself with chocolate (although, if that’s what works for you, then by all means, go for it!).

No, I’m talking about ways to make the actual decluttering process an enjoyable experience.

So, if you’re feeling stuck in a decluttering rut and need some inspiration on how to make your next declutter session more enjoyable, then read on for 13 ways to make decluttering fun!

You might also like:

• Why Is Decluttering So Hard: 9 Reasons You Can’t Clear The Clutter
• 9 Ways to Find The Motivation to Declutter
• 27 Practical Ways to Declutter Your Mind
• 18 Important Decluttering Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Declutter
• 16 Frequent Causes Of Clutter & What We Can Do About It
• Minimalism For Beginners: 10 Tips To Kickstart Your Minimalist Life

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Here’s how to make decluttering fun:

1. Make a game out of it

The most common game people play when they declutter is setting a timer and making a friendly competition out of who can declutter the most in that time frame. But there are other games you can play too (even if you’re not the most competitive person).

If you’ve got someone helping you, have them hide 5 items in your room. If you can’t identify which items were hidden then these items get decluttered (if you don’t remember them, chances are you don’t love them and won’t miss them).

For kids, you can make a scavenger hunt out of it by giving them a list of things to find and then declutter. Perhaps there’s a treat for each item they donate too.

And then there’s the adult only decluttering game – every time you find a duplicate item, take a sip of wine! Got two pairs of scissors? Chuck one in the donation box and raise your glass. Three empty shampoo bottles? Toss ’em and take three sips!

You may not be the most product by the end of the decluttering session but you’ll definitely be in high spirits!

2. Set a goal

Have you thought about what your decluttering goals are?

If not, then this is a great place to start.

Setting goals will help to give you focus and a sense of purpose while you’re decluttering. But make sure your goals are realistic, otherwise you’ll just end up feeling frustrated.

A good way to set goals is by using the SMART method – that is, making sure your goals are

• specific
• measurable
• achievable
• relevant
• time-based

For example, a specific goal might be to declutter your wardrobe and get rid of any clothes you haven’t worn in the last 6 months. A measurable goal could be to donate 10 items to charity. And a relevant goal would be to focus on decluttering your bedroom rather than your entire house.

Setting goals can amp up your motivation and energy levels, making decluttering a lot easier and a lot more fun!

3. Create a rewards system

After all that decluttering, you deserve to treat yourself! Having something to look forward to can really help to make the decluttering process more bearable.

So, come up with a list of things that you can reward yourself with when you’ve completed different tasks. With a special reward for when the whole house has been decluttered.

But make sure you don’t end up in the same scenario you’re already in – i.e. don’t fill your wardrobe up with clothes as a reward for decluttering your room.

Your decluttering reward should be a clutter-free or consumable reward. My favourite clutter free rewards are experience rewards – a trip to the cinema, a massage at the spa or a dinner out with friends.

Get creative with your rewards system and come up with something unique that works for you.

4. Put on some tunes

I don’t know about you, but I always feel more productive when I have music playing in the background. It just makes the time go by so much faster. And it perks my energy up as I dance and move about the house while decluttering.

If you need some inspiration on what to listen to, there are some great decluttering playlists on Spotify. Just search for ‘declutter’ in the playlist section and you’ll find hours and hours of tunes to keep you going.

Or, if you’re more of a podcast person, I recommend listening to The Declutter Hub or Clutterbug Podcast.

5. Visualise the end result

When you’re in the middle of decluttering, it can be really easy to get overwhelmed and bogged down by all the stuff you’ve got. It’s important to remember what your end goal is and how good it will feel when you reach it.

So, take a step back from the decluttering and visualise what your house will look and feel like once it’s all done.

How will you feel when you wake up in a decluttered bedroom? When you can actually see the floor of your wardrobe? When your home is calm and serene instead of cluttered and chaotic?

Allow yourself to really feel those positive emotions and let them motivate you to keep going until you reach your goal.

If you like to have a physical reminder of your goal, create a vision board or mood board with images that represent your ideal decluttered home. You could even put it up in your decluttering space to keep you inspired and on track.

6. Donate to a worthy cause

To you it may be clutter, but to others it could be a lifesaver.

There are so many charities out there that would love to receive your unwanted items. So, instead of throwing things away, see if you can donate them instead.

Not only will this declutter your home, but it will also help to make a difference in somebody else’s life.

When you have everything sorted through and decluttered, pack it all up and head to your nearest charity shop. Bring the kids, explain to them where the items are going and why and make it a fun family trip (stopping for ice-cream on the way home of course)!

7. Find a decluttering buddy

Everything’s more fun with a friend, right? So, why not rope a friend into decluttering with you?

Ryan Nicodemus of The Minimalists had a ‘packing party‘. As he puts it “everything is more fun when you put ‘party’ at the end of it”. He had his friend over, ordered pizzas and packed up everything he owned.

Now, Ryan wasn’t packing for a house move. He wanted to see over the next 21 days what items he truly needed to unpack to use and what could stay in the boxes.

Have your own take on a ‘packing party’ with friends if you don’t think you want to go as extreme as packing all your belongings. But, the point is, having a friend over will make the time go by quicker and decluttering will be more fun!

8. Take before and after pictures

Having a visual representation of the job you’ve done will give you a massive sense of accomplishment. Not to mention, it can be really satisfying to look back on later and see just how much you’ve achieved.

So, make sure you take some before pictures of the space you’re decluttering. Then once you’re finished, take some after shots to show off your hard work.

You could even start an album or Pinterest board dedicated to your decluttering journey and add to it as you go along. These reminders of what your space used to look like when it was cluttered will help to keep you motivated when you feel like giving up.

9. Have a garage sale

This is a great way to declutter and make some extra cash at the same time. Getting the whole neighbourhood together for a street sale is a great way to meet your neighbours and have some fun.

Plan it out properly though so you don’t end up with more work than you started with. Advertise the sale well in advance, price everything clearly and make sure you have enough change on hand.

Don’t forget to get the kids involved. They’ll be amazed that they can make some extra pocket money from selling their old unused stuff.

You could also have a ‘swap party’. This is where you invite your friends over, they bring some of their unwanted items and then everyone goes home with something new. Just be careful not to end up with more stuff than what you began with!

10. Do a declutter dash

I love this method of decluttering as I don’t like spending a long period of time on the task. So, instead of decluttering for hours on end, give yourself 10 minutes on a timer (or however long you think you can handle) and see how much you can get done in that time.

You’ll be surprised at just how much you can accomplish in short bursts of time. And once the timer goes off, you can walk away and not feel guilty about it.

11. Set yourself a fun challenge

If you’re the competitive type, setting yourself a decluttering challenge can be really satisfying.

It could be something like ‘I’m going to declutter one drawer a day for the next week’ or ‘I’m going to get rid of 10 items from each room in my house’.

If you want to get really serious, check out the 12-12-12 Challenge by Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, where you get rid of 12 items from your home, donate 12 items to a charity and return 12 items to their proper place.

Or give my 30 day decluttering challenge a try and get a free printable to help you declutter something new every day for a month. Sign up below to receive the printable right to your inbox.

12. Make it a family activity

Having a big family means that it’s pretty difficult to keep a clutter-free home all the time. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun decluttering together as a family.

Get the kids involved by setting a goal for the day and seeing who can get rid of the most items. Of course, you’ll need to be careful with this one as you don’t want your kids getting rid of things they actually need or use.

Set an incentive for the family – at the end of the day you all sit down to enjoy a favourite movie or order a really nice desert as a treat.

13. Have a plan for when it’s finished

Do you have a ‘junk room’ where everything gets dumped and forgotten about? Most of us do. Once you’ve decluttered that room, come up with a plan for what to do use it for, such as:

• turn it into a craft room
• make it a sanctuary for relaxing
• use it as a home office
• convert it into a playroom for the kids

Whatever you decide, make sure you have a plan so that the room doesn’t just turn into another dumping ground, but rather a space that you and your family can enjoy.

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For more decluttering tips, check out these articles:

• Life after decluttering: What happens next?
• How To Be Ruthless When Decluttering Clothes
• Overwhelmed by Clutter? Getting to the Root of Your Clutter Problem
• How To Declutter Your House In One Day: Room To Room
• How To Tell If You Have Too Much Stuff: 13 Significant Signs

Are you ready to start decluttering?

When you make decluttering fun, it’s amazing how quickly the task can be completed. And, before you know it, you’ll have a clean and organised home that you can enjoy.

So, now that you know how to make decluttering fun, what are you waiting for? Get started today and see how good it feels!