August Decluttering (Weekly Themes and Challenges to Keep Things Fun)

Our August decluttering calendar keeps things fun and interesting with a different theme for every week.

Week one sets you a 3-item-a-day challenge. Week two: the zone sweep. Week three keeps things interesting with category decluttering, and the final week focuses on getting your house ready for fall.

As with all of our decluttering ideas, the goal is to not declutter in one go. It’s simply about doing a little bit every day, and decluttering your home one step at a time.

Find the calendar at the foot of the article, and best of luck with your August decluttering!

August Decluttering Calendar

Week 1: The 3-Item-a-Day Challenge

• Find 3 items to toss.
• Find 3 items to recycle.
• Find 3 items to donate.
• Find 3 items to relocate to where they belong.
• Find 3 expired items to toss.
• Find 3 broken items to fix or toss.
• Find 3 items you haven’t used in 3 years and toss/donate if you don’t need them.
• Find 3 digital files or photos to delete.

Week 2: The Zone Sweep

• Set a 15-min timer and declutter under the kitchen sink.
• Declutter your wallet and purse/bag today.
• Focus on the linen closet.
• Declutter the nightstands.
• Declutter the coffee table and TV stand.
• Focus on the laundry area/room.
• Set a 30-min timer and declutter the pantry.

Week 3: The Category Challenge

August 16: Declutter your shoes for 15 minutes.

Sort the shoes into five piles: 1) shoes you wear regularly (keep them in an easily accessible spot like the entryway), 2) special occasion shoes (keep them in a closet), 3) off-season shoes (store them), 4) worn out or damaged shoes (toss them), 5) shoes you haven’t worn in a year and don’t plan to (donate them).

August 17: Declutter office or school supplies.

Check all the pens and toss the ones that don’t write anymore. Consolidate any half-used supplies. Sort any loose papers into 1) keep and organize 2) shred and 3) recycle. Organize important documents and loose papers you’re keeping in binders with sheet protectors. Donate office or school supplies you no longer need.

August 18: Declutter craft and hobby supplies.

If you have many craft and hobby supplies, pick one category at a time (e.g., paint, scrapbooking supplies, yarn). Toss anything broken or unusable. Donate extra items you don’t plan on using. Organize everything in labeled boxes so you know where everything is.

August 19: Declutter sports and outdoor gear.

Toss broken items that can’t be repaired. Donate any items you no longer need. Store any seasonal gear in labeled boxes/bins to easily find later. An easy decluttering win in this category is gear that you or your kid may have outgrown.

August 20: Focus on accessories today.

If you have lots of accessories, declutter one category at a time and set a timer for how much time you want to allocate today. Look for any accessories (e.g., jewelry, scarves, belts, hats, bags). Donate items you no longer want or need. Get organization items for each category (e.g. jewelry box, scarf organizer, hat rack, bag storage organizer) to keep everything neatly arranged and easily accessible.

August 21: Declutter your closet for 30 minutes.

Closet decluttering is a big task, so it’s great if you do just 30 minutes on it from time to time. Before you know it, you’ll be done organizing it. For today’s 30 minutes, just pick one section and sort items in that section into piles: 1) toss, 2) donate, 3) store (off-season items), and 4) keep (arrange neatly and return to the closet).

August 22: Continue decluttering your closet for 30 minutes.

Today, continue the closet decluttering with a different section. If you have lots of items to donate after 2 days of closet decluttering, you could also drop off donations today or just take them to your car or by the entryway to drop them off during the week when you’re running errands.

Week 4+: Getting Ready for Fall

August 23: Declutter coats and jackets.

Sort everything into 1) ones you wear regularly, 2) off-season (pack away), 3) outgrown or haven’t worn in a year or two (donate) or 4) worn out (toss/recycle). Check all the pockets before tossing, recycling, or donating any coats and jackets.

August 24: Declutter the entryway, making room for fall items.

Remove off-season items from the entryway. Sort through them to see what to donate, toss, or pack away until next year. Clean the entryway before bringing in any seasonal essentials.

August 25: Declutter backpacks, packed lunch containers, and other bags.

Empty all bags completely, checking all the pockets in the process. Consider whether to toss/recycle/donate some of them. Match all lunch containers to their lids and toss/recycle extra lids or containers that are missing the lids.

August 26: Set a 15-min timer and declutter the area that bothers you the most.

Pick an area that really annoys you due to the clutter. Set a timer, start 4 piles (toss, recycle, donate, relocate), and quickly add items to the piles. If you have time, you can repeat this today or continue tomorrow.

August 27: Continue working on spaces that bother you for 15 min.

You can continue where you left off yesterday or pick another area today and follow the same process.

August 28: Declutter and tidy the garage/storage area.

Decluttering the garage or a big storage area can be a huge task. So, set a timer for how much time you want to allocate to it today. You can focus on one zone and declutter by sorting items into piles (toss, recycle, donate, relocate). Or you can focus on one task for the whole garage (e.g., go through the entire storage area/garage and pick items to donate).

August 29: Continue tidying the garage/storage area.

Continue where you left off yesterday. A great way to stay motivated is to gamify the process. For example, you could set a timer for 10 minutes and time how many items you can sort in 10 minutes. Next, set another timer for 10 minutes and try to beat your number from the previous session.

Get the Week 4 printable here.

For the last 2 days of August:

• Set a 30-min timer and organize your summer photos.
• Drop off any donations and enjoy a more organized home.