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    40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS PRINTABLE

    Decluttering can get overwhelming if you just jump into it! Instead, plan your progress.

    I’ve created this printable to help you plan, keep track of your progress, and stay motivated. 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS is designed so that you have one day off per week, most people take Sundays off but you can pick the day.

    To use this printable:

    • First, plan all the areas you would like to declutter. Don't forget to allow more days for larger projects like a garage or basement.
    • Second, chart your actual progress starting with the day and what you did, how many bags you got, whether you donated, recycled, or discarded the bag.
    • USE PENCIL! I cannot stress this enough. 

    Click here to download the 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS printable:

    click through to download 40 bags in 40 days printable

    For more information about 40 BAGS IN 40 DAYS, please read this post. If you'd like to join our facebook community, click here.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alana

      February 14, 2018 at 11:11 am

      I'm looking through the pages of your site and I'm trying to figure out how this works. It seems like it should be super obvious, but the connection between the 40 bags and how to declutter isn't clicking for me. Is the goal to have 40 bags of unnecessary or unneeded or unwanted stuff and the end of 40 days and filling at least one bag a day?

      Reply
      • Ann Marie Heasley

        February 14, 2018 at 11:18 am

        You are decluttering one area of your life per day, no more than that in order to keep it manageable. You don’t need to have a bag per day, or you may have more each day. It depends on the spot you are working on. I use the term 40 bags in 40 days to convey the scale of suggested decluttering efforts, not just pick up an item and call it a day. You need to do what works for you in your situation, if a sandwich baggie is all you can manage then great! 🙂 The challenge is to totally refresh your home and I want it to help you out in a big way.

        I hope this makes more sense! Feel free to email me, [email protected] if you have any other questions.

    2. Bridget

      November 29, 2017 at 2:46 am

      This is an amazing idea.....especially for Lent which is a time we should reflect...on what he have and how much of it we don't actually need. Am going to deffo do this in 2018 Lent over in the UK.

      Reply
    3. Hope

      May 30, 2017 at 4:02 pm

      I'm IN! Jumping in with both feet actually. Looking forward to LESS.

      Reply
    4. Leanna Hecker Panian

      April 02, 2017 at 11:42 pm

      I'm so glad I came across this, I have lived in the same little house for over 30 years, 3 floors, I started to clean out the hoard...but had to move in with my Mom for the last 4 years and my house was put on hold....now that my Mother has passed, then my 2 sisters unexpectedly, I inherited more stuff that doesn't fit in my house...Now that things have settled down I have started to clean it out, donate, give to people who need or want it...or in the garbage...it's very over whelming...I think with this idea of 40 bags in 40 days I could do that and not seem so fixed on the stuff as a whole. Although sometimes I think it would be easier to move to a bigger house...lol.

      Reply
    5. AYESHUNG TERESA

      March 11, 2017 at 3:23 pm

      Thanks Ann i really want to get this 40bags of dirt out of my live

      Reply
    6. AYESHUNG TERESA

      March 11, 2017 at 3:20 pm

      Thanks i have downloaded it

      Reply
    7. Katarzyna

      March 02, 2017 at 11:07 pm

      I will do the 40 bags in 40 days. For my husband and kids i prepare 3 bins and tolled them to take out every day one thing they don't use, play, wear for a next 40 days

      Reply
    8. Angie Albright

      March 01, 2017 at 4:42 pm

      Hi. I tried to subscribe to the emails, but received the error message "recipient has too many email requests."

      Reply
    9. Jamie

      March 01, 2017 at 1:33 am

      Thank you for creating this awesome idea. Greatly appreciated to give me that extra boast I needed

      Reply
    10. Cindy

      February 20, 2017 at 3:31 pm

      Any suggestions for how to decide where to start? Kitchen, living room, barhrooms, bedrooms? They all need work!

      Reply
      • Ann Marie Heasley

        February 22, 2017 at 6:12 am

        I either start with something really easy or something really bothering me, but not a room that is overwhelming. Something I can get an "easy victory" of sorts, it seems to motivate me personally to keep going. I hear you. It's tough when they all need work! I kinda just pick.:)

      • Ewa

        February 13, 2018 at 10:38 pm

        I started with my desk. Then my closet., dresser, my room overall. Then bathroom. Leaving room , kitchen and basement. Hope this helps. Small things at the beginning, but the ones that you use the most. It’s very rewarding experience.

    11. Sarah

      February 17, 2017 at 11:15 am

      Starting March 1! I'm so excited 🙂

      Reply
    12. Jo

      February 06, 2016 at 1:15 pm

      Great idea! Thanks for sharing. But when i print the sheet all i get is the paper full of the sheet with all the columns and rows but no header and no numbers at the side. Please advise. Thank you

      Reply
      • Ann Marie Heasley

        February 06, 2016 at 1:41 pm

        Oh no! When you print it, is there a setting for you to check "fit to page"? When I check that, it prints out the right way. If it isn't checked, it's totally wonky. Let me know if that helps! You can also email me at: [email protected].

    13. Veekaye

      January 30, 2016 at 1:57 pm

      I am also a bit of a hoarder. My husband once cleared out a lot of my things and threw them away while I was gone. I'm sorry, I should have said EX-husband.

      A think that most people don't understand about hoarding is that we hoard because of lingering pain from past trauma. Throwing away your hoarders things without their consent is abuse. Please don't do it. Please be compassionate and work with them to help them let go. That's the decent thing to do.

      Reply
      • Ann Marie Heasley

        January 30, 2016 at 5:12 pm

        I agree wholeheartedly, Veekaye. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Going through your own items is great, but I do not advocate going through other people's items or getting rid of them.

      • Diana

        February 09, 2016 at 7:22 am

        Veekaye, Thank you for speaking up! When I read that other post I thought the same thing. I am a bit of a hoarder too and would be extremely upset if my husband (or anyone for that matter) got rid of my stuff without my consent. I plan to try for 40 bags. I did it 2 years ago and felt great about it. But if someone did it for me, I think would still be upset.

      • Iuliana

        February 28, 2017 at 7:22 pm

        True

    14. Julie

      January 20, 2016 at 1:22 pm

      I will also be playing along but i work full time so it will be hit and miss.I wish everyone luck. I'm not anticipating an easy job since my husband is a hoarder ( maybe that's harsh) but he keeps sentimental things.

      Reply
      • Penny kafai

        January 21, 2016 at 8:20 am

        So, I have printed the PDF. Now is the next exciting step. My hubby if away for three weeks so intend to clear out his cupboards and dump it before he comes home..... He's a bit of a hoarder!
        Thank you for the kick start!

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        January 21, 2016 at 10:39 am

        You're welcome, Penny! Best of luck, I'm over here rooting for you. 🙂

      • K Yates

        February 15, 2018 at 5:14 am

        I do that same thing. Hubby never notices that his treasures are even gone. Lol

    15. Ann Marie Heasley

      January 05, 2016 at 11:58 am

      I have updated the printable and all issues have been resolved. Thanks for letting me know there was an issue!

      Reply
    16. Kris

      January 05, 2016 at 9:17 am

      Hi,
      Is there a 2016 DeCrapifying Challenge?
      @whbsblog

      Reply
    17. Wendy

      February 23, 2015 at 12:54 am

      I love this idea, and will be playing along, albeit at a slower pace. This printable is being cut off at the top (for me). I'm wondering if it was made for a larger sheet of paper, like A4, or perhaps it's an issue on my end?
      Thanks for the motivation!

      Reply
      • Ann Marie Heasley

        February 23, 2015 at 7:18 am

        Thanks for letting me know! It was being weird when I was converting to a PDF. I'll take a look and see if I can fix it. 🙂

      • MiMi

        March 02, 2015 at 10:24 am

        It cut off when I printed it too. I adjusted the size to 80% and printed the full page.

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        March 05, 2015 at 5:29 pm

        I wonder why it's doing that. :-/ Thanks for the tip!

      • Jennifer

        February 09, 2016 at 10:23 am

        Click the "fit to page" option on your print screen and it will adjust the chart to...fit to page.

      • Ann Marie Heasley

        February 09, 2016 at 11:22 am

        Thank you for replying, Jennifer! Forgot to mention "fit to page" in the post.

      • Barbara Fox

        February 28, 2017 at 2:11 pm

        Yes, I was going to mention that too!

      • Susan

        January 12, 2017 at 6:34 pm

        I printed mine at 80% and everything fit on the page.

      • Katherine

        February 22, 2017 at 9:57 pm

        I just clicked on "fit to page" and it worked fine

      • Maureen

        February 25, 2017 at 9:03 pm

        Yes, 'shrink to fit' or 'fit to page' box should be clicked.

      • Ginger Esplin

        January 30, 2018 at 11:30 am

        I had the same issue, so I clicked the box that said "fit to page" and it worked.

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