A space $X$ has the disjoint (discrete) shrinking property if for any family $U_n:n\in \omega$ of non-empty open subsets of $X$ there exists a disjoint (discrete) family $V_n:n\in \omega$ of non-empty open sets such that $V_n\subset U_n$ for every $n\in \omega$. We present a topological equivalent of the disjoint shrinking property in general spaces and apply it to characterize the disjoint shrinking property in topological groups and locally convex spaces.