I did it. I successfully completed the Mins Game. In case you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, the Mins Game was developed by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, AKA the dynamic duo known as the Minimalists. (Check out their blog for more info about them or you can check out my first post about starting the Mins Game here.) The premise of the game is this: on day one, you get rid of one thing. Day two, two things. Day three, three things… you get the idea. This continues for 30 days, which ultimately amounts to 465 things that were no longer bringing you joy or adding value to your life.
Now I’m not new to minimizing or anything, so I know what it’s like to get rid of stuff. In fact, in May I played my own little version of the game by getting rid of 500 things that month. So how does playing the Mins Game compare to regular decluttering? Here are some pros and cons:
PROS
1. It’s a great introduction to minimalism: If you’re new to minimalism or you have a tough time getting rid of stuff, then this game is for you. It starts out really slowly, and each day, you feel a sense of accomplishment and pride after getting rid of the allotted number of items. Each day completed is like a little confidence boost and you’ll feel more encouraged to continue the following day.
2. It forces you to purge: When you have to find 17 items one day and 18 items the next, plus you have a social media audience watching you and keeping you accountable, you are probably not going to slack off by missing a couple days. After the Minimalists reposted the Instagram pic from my first day, I gained over 350 followers overnight. There was no way I was letting 350 minimalist strangers down, so I made sure to stick to the game each day and not give up!
3. It makes minimizing a habit: While I was playing the game, I was constantly looking for stuff that I could get rid of. The game was always in the back of my mind and it made me look at my stuff in a new light. I would ask myself if I actually even needed an item, and usually the answer was a big fat NOPE. I searched thoroughly through bins, baskets, closets and drawers. So many times before I had thought, “nah, there’s probably nothing in there that I could get rid of.” Instead I thought, “there’s gotta be something in there!” Usually, I ended up finding more than just one item, and I even ended up getting rid of a lot of the storage units that were holding my junk!
4. It keeps your shopping in check: When you’re getting rid of stuff each and every day, it really makes you re-evaluate the things that you’re bringing into your home. We are constantly bombarded by advertisements (about 5000 each day actually) and certainly have ample opportunity to buy more stuff. But when you’re playing the Mins Game, you’re less tempted to buy more when you are being challenged each day to own less. I don’t really like shopping to begin with, but I began to see products in a new light and upon seeing a gadget or gizmo, I would think things like: “what a silly thing to buy. How infrequently would that get used? Looks like a dust collector. Only a few short months before that will just be junk…”
5. It’s surprisingly fun: Seriously, it is. Not only is it pretty enjoyable to sift through your stuff and see what kind of buried “treasures” you can get rid of, but it was incredibly fun to engage on social media with other people who were also playing the Mins Game and experiencing the exact same emotions as me. I received so many comments and inspiring messages from people all over the world to keep going and not give up. I was an “accountability buddy” to some, and to others I was an encourager and motivator. Even though I’ve never met most of the people who commented on my Instagram and Facebook posts and sent me pictures of their own minimization, I feel like I’ve made many friends in the process of playing the Mins Game.
CONS
1. It’s not instant: If you like the Marie Kondo method of decluttering an entire category quickly and all in one go, then this game may not be for you. The Mins Game is a month-long journey, not a quick sprint done all at once. Like I said earlier, it’s awesome for beginners who are just discovering minimalism and want to challenge themselves each and every day. If you’re an experienced minimalist and purger, then you might find this game to be slow and slightly boring.
2. It takes time and commitment: I probably spent an average of an hour per day finding items, displaying the items in an appealing way, taking pictures of the items, editing the picture, writing a description of the items in the picture, and then actually getting rid of the items by selling, donating, recycling, or throwing them out. Moreover, I had to make sure that I took pictures during the daytime so that I had good lighting. If I was going to be out all day and miss the sunlight, then I had to display things nicely before leaving for the day and then have my husband take pictures for me later on (thanks babe!). Although it’s not necessary to take pictures, I highly recommend it because it keeps you accountable and is a great way to actually see all the stuff you’re getting rid of!
3. 465 items seems like a lot, but… If you have a house full of 300,000 items (the number of things in the average American household), then 465 things is truly just a drop in the bucket (like, 0.00155%). If you have 300,000 items in your home and you played the Mins Game every single month for 5 years, you will have still only gotten rid of 9% of your things–and that’s assuming you’re not buying anything else or bringing anything else in to your house. Yes, that statistic sounds ridiculous, but it’s true and it’s a reality for many, many, many people. As stated previously, the Mins Game is a great introduction to purging, but if you have a large quantity of possessions, then you might consider hiring a professional or using the method that Marie Kondo describes in her #1 New York Times bestselling book,The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.
VERDICT
I loved playing the Mins Game and I would highly recommend it, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your stuff and you just need a place to start. It’s fun and is an awesome introduction to living a more minimal life.
Even if you’re not a beginner purger, the Mins Game would be great when you feel like stuff is starting to pile up again or if you feel like certain items just aren’t adding the same value to your life as they did in the past.
MY MINS GAME RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Take pictures: Not only will taking pictures keep you accountable each and every day, but it’s also fun to be able to look back on the stuff that you’ll be glad you didn’t keep around! In addition, it’s a great way to show other people what the Mins Game is all about!
2. Find someone to keep you accountable: It was great to have my husband or a friend text me reminding me to post my Mins Game picture for the day, especially on those days where it was getting late and I had other things on my mind than posting a picture to Instagram. It is essential to have someone around that can encourage you and make sure that you’re actually finding the items and then doing the followthrough work.
3. Challenge yourself: While playing the Mins Game, I challenged myself in two ways. First, I tried to group like items as one item. For example, on day 8 I got rid of 12 Magic Bullet accessories. Instead of counting each accessory as an item, I counted them all as one because they were bought together. Second, I tried my best to keep “theme days” going for as long as possible. Each day I would have a theme of clothing, books, school supplies, hair products, jewelry, etc. and I would have to make sure that all the items I was getting rid of that day fit in that category. For example, on day 16 I was trying to make sure all the items were from my kitchen. I was stuck at 10 items until I thought, “Hey, I have lots of magnets on my fridge and I definitely don’t need them all.” I was able to keep the theme days going consistently until day 21. I struggled some days, but it really challenged me to get rid of more stuff in each category than I would have if I weren’t doing the theme days.
4. Love the process & don’t be too hard on yourself: I get it. Getting rid of stuff can be hard. Maybe the items are sentimental or you keep thinking that they could come in handy “one day”. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out by the sheer number of things you own. Or maybe you’ve even entertained the thought of just burning down your house so you don’t have to deal with your stuff any longer. I’m here to tell you that minimizing doesn’t have to suck. In fact, it can even be fun and enjoyable. Take before and after pictures of your house. Make purging a game. Love your newfound floor space. If you’re playing the Mins Game, don’t beat yourself up if you only make it to day 14…14 days is still 105 items! Just like anything, practice in purging makes perfect. Don’t give up!
Have you played the Mins Game before? I would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Until next time,
Leave a Reply