21 Minutes Of Garbage Bag Therapy & Why This Technique Works

This may sound strange but often times the best way to start decluttering isn't to dive head first into tackling the junk drawer, the overflowing closet, or the room that's been driving you crazy. It’s to grab a garbage bag.

I call this technique Garbage Bag Therapy.

The concept is incredibly simple: find a minimum of 21 things in your home that you can throw away or recycle in 21 minutes or less. You don't need to start by totally reorganizing a room. You don't need to empty an entire closet. You don't need to make dozens of complicated decisions about what stays and what goes right off the bat.

You simply need to find yourself a garbage bag and start looking for 21 things that are not adding value and are ready to leave your home.

I have witness this simple exercise provide some incredibly powerful results.

Why 21 Items and 21 minutes?

You might be wondering: Why 21? Why not 10? Why not 50? Why this number specifically?

Because 21 is a sweet spot.

Ten items can feel too easy. You might find ten things without even thinking to hard about it, which is great, but it may not spur enough momentum to really shift your mindset.

Fifty items, on the other hand, can feel like a project all on its own. If you're already overwhelmed by clutter, being asked to find 50 things to get rid of might make you want to close the closet door and walk away completely.

Twenty-one is enough to stretch you without overwhelming you.

It pushes you just slightly outside of your comfort zone while still being an achievable goal.

Twenty-one minutes is long enough to make a noticeable difference, but short enough that you can commit the time. It's not an entire afternoon of decluttering. It's not a weekend project. It's simply 21 minutes to focus on finding things that are ready to leave your home.

There’s also an important rule: you don't have to make difficult decisions. We're not starting with sentimental items. We're not questioning whether you might need that sweater someday. We're not debating whether you should keep your grandmother's china.

We're looking for the obvious stuff. The things that have already served their purpose, are broken, expired, empty, outdated, or simply no longer useful.

The goal isn't to completely declutter your home in 21 minutes. The goal is to create momentum. Because sometimes, all it takes is 21 minutes and 21 decisions to get you moving again.

Everyone Has 21 Things

Even if you're thinking, "But my house isn't that cluttered. I don't think I could find 21 things!", I promise you can.

Look around for:

• Expired food from the back of the fridge or pantry

• Empty cleaning product and containers

• Old magazines and newspapers

• Junk mail

• Takeout menus you no longer need

• Dried-up pens and markers

• Broken items you've been meaning to fix

• Empty boxes you've been saving "just in case"

• Expired coupons

• Old receipts

• Worn-out sponges

• Packaging you don't need

• Empty bottles

• Old cosmetic or toiletry containers

• Torn or unusable clothing

• Socks without a mate

• Broken hangers

• Outdated paperwork

• Old manuals for appliances you no longer own

• Duplicate items you don't need

• Cords or chargers you know you no longer use or are broken

This is just to name a few. You may even find that once you reach 21, you want to keep going and that's the magic!

The Goal Isn't Really the Garbage

Although you're physically removing garbage and recycling from your home, that's not really the point of Garbage Bag Therapy.

The real goal is to create momentum. When we feel overwhelmed by clutter, we can get stuck in a cycle of thinking about what needs to be done rather than actually doing it.

"Where do I even start?"

"There's too much."

"I don't know what to keep."

"I give up! I'll just deal with it later."

And the longer we stay in that cycle, the more overwhelming the clutter can feel. Garbage Bag Therapy gives you a very small, very clear assignment:

Find 21 things. Just 21 things. Set a timer and go!

Once those items are out of your home, you have accomplished something tangible. You can see the result. You've made decisions. You've created a little more space. And most importantly, you've reminded yourself: "I can do this!"

Why I Use This Technique With Clients

Garbage Bag Therapy is one of the techniques I often use when starting with a new organizing client who has expressed to me they feel overwhelmed or they don’t know where to start. I challenge them to use this technique on their own 1-2x per month and see where it leads them.

I will also go through this exercise when someone feels stuck while we are working together in a session. Sometimes we're working on a specific area; a closet, basement, kitchen, office, or bedroom; and the client has hit a block and can't seem to make any further decisions.

That's completely normal. Decluttering can be mentally exhausting, especially when you've been living in the clutter for so long. Instead of continuing to stare at the same pile and asking, "Keep or let go?", we step away from the area we're working on. We zoom out. We look at the bigger picture of the home.

What is sitting on the counter that can go?

Is there a broken item that you've been walking around for six months?

What's in the fridge that is expired?

What are you keeping that you already know you don't want?

Suddenly, decisions become much easier. And once we start finding those items that can go, something often shifts. The client starts getting into the rhythm of letting things go. One item becomes five. Five becomes ten. Ten becomes 21. And sometimes 21 becomes 30 or 40.

The purpose isn't to see how much we can throw away. It's to get unstuck.

Start With the Easy Wins

One of the reasons I love this technique is that it doesn't ask you to begin with the hardest part of decluttering. I recommend the opposite.

Start with the easiest decisions you can make. Don't begin with your sentimental belongings, your wedding dress, box of childhood memories you keep in the back of your closet, or your wardrobe.

Start with the things that require almost no emotional energy; an empty bottle, broken pen, expired products, stack of old flyers, or a cardboard box you've been moving around for three years.

These are your easy wins. And easy wins matter. They help build confidence and reduce the feeling that decluttering is one enormous, impossible task.

This Isn't About Being Perfect

I want to reassure you, there is no perfect way to declutter. There is no magical number of possessions you need to own. There is no requirement to have a minimalist home. And there is certainly no prize for having the fewest things.

True organizing is about creating a home that supports the life you're actually living. That often means letting go of some things, finding better systems, and making space for something new.

Ready to Try It?

Here's your challenge: Grab a garbage bag and find 21 things you can throw away or recycle right now.

Set a timer. Walk through your home. Look in the kitchen, bathroom, office, bedroom, basement, garage and entryway.

Don't overthink it. Keep moving. Don't tackle the complicated stuff. Just look for the obvious.

21 items. That's your only goal.

When you're finished, take a moment to notice how you feel. Maybe your home looks a little lighter. Maybe your mind feels a little clearer. Maybe you feel motivated to keep going (if you feel this way, I encourage you to keep going). Or maybe you simply feel proud that you finally started.

That's the real purpose of Garbage Bag Therapy. It's about creating the momentum to make the next decision. So grab a garbage bag and get started!