We all have good intentions when it comes to a new year, but actually putting the practices and processes in place to keep them going can be a bit trickier. So, if like me, you’re looking to be more organised at home in 2025, I’ve added three methods into my daily routine to do exactly that. And I’m sharing how you can implement them yourself to keep clutter at bay and make life a bit easier.
While there are several home organisation tips to help a household run more smoothly, I chose three quick and simple fixes to help keep me on track as the year progresses.
Whether you want to make things a bit more effortless for you and your family or have been meaning to have a clear out, these handy methods will only take a few minutes a day but will save you some serious time and energy in the long run.
1. Use the five-second rule
If you’re looking to kick off the new year with a January declutter, there are a whole host of different decluttering methods, but I’ll be using one, in particular, to start parting with items, and that is the five-second rule.
‘The idea is that you hold an item up and decide within five seconds whether you want to keep it or not. And this makes it a great way to power through one area of your home,’ explains Homehow.co.uk’s Cleaning and Organising Expert, Joyce French.
A few years ago, probably like many of us, I tried out the Konmari technique by Marie Kondo and asked myself whether certain items in my home sparked joy. This did come in handy at the time, with me being able to declutter quite a few items, but there were ones that I was unsure about or stood there holding for quite some time, which ultimately stayed in my home only for me not to pick them up since.
Utilising the five-second rule has allowed me to be more ruthless than before, meaning that I finally parted with items that I had previously been on the fence about. It also allowed me to work through items on my decluttering checklist quickly, with me tossing everything from odd socks and paperwork to expired toiletries and old magazines.
‘If you do find yourself pausing too much, turning it into the three-second rule should encourage you to make more snappy decisions,’ Joyce recommends. Either way, it’s allowed me to start the new year and prepare for a good spring clean with a whole lot less clutter in every single room.
2. Do a digital declutter
Given how much time we spend on our digital devices – from laptops and phones to e-readers, tablets and smart TVs – it’s no surprise that they can start to feel disorganised. While you might not immediately think of them being filled with clutter, like you would a cupboard or a room, we see these screens each and every day, with many of us spending a large chunk of our day or evening in front of them.
Decluttering my phone, laptop and e-reader has made day-to-day life that much easier and streamlined. Instead of having to scroll through pages of apps I rarely use or searching for a document or e-book, I knew exactly which folders things were in, which has cut out a lot of unnecessary time from my daily routine.
I’ve put together a handy checklist of what to do below. But before you get started on your digital declutter, remember to back up any important files just in case.
- Create and name folders to keep everything organised and easy to find (and actually remember to use them)
- If you’re not using specific accounts, files or applications regularly, delete them (you can always re-download them if needs be)
- Unsubscribe from any email lists that are no longer of any interest you or which flood your inbox (this has made such a big difference to the amount of emails I now need to sift through)
- On social media, unfollow any accounts that aren’t relevant anymore, or if you’re following a lot of brands or influencers and want to curb your spending in 2025
- Have a clear out of your downloads folder and remove anything that you no longer need
- Delete any old bookmarks from your web browser (I had hundreds that were no longer relevant)
MyJobQuote.co.uk’s Cleaning and Organising Expert, Sarah Dempsey, recommends that you ‘limit digital distractions by turning off notifications, having a set time each day for checking email unless of course, you rely on them for work’
Another top tip, while you declutter digitally, is to go paperless where you can. Something as simple as ticking a box to digitally receive your bank and energy statements, to unnecessary catalogues, saves unnecessary paper from coming into your home, which will either end up sitting on your side table before being binned or taking up space in your desk drawer.
3. Set up subscriptions
I’ve always preferred to shop in person for my weekly groceries and essentials. But when I sat down and thought about it at the end of 2024, especially after the rather hectic and crazy weeks leading up to Christmas, going to multiple shops at the weekend or doing the odd top-up shop throughout the week was consuming hours of my time that I’d prefer to keep free for more enjoyable activities.
So, one way I’m setting myself up for success in 2025 is by establishing some subscriptions for regular purchases.
If, like me, you hate lugging around particularly big or heavy purchases, such toilet rolls, kitchen rolls or cans, having them delivered via Amazon’s handy Subscribe & Save offering not only saves you from having to get them home with you but also keeps you topped up with essentials, without worrying about them running out and you having to make a mad dash to the shops.
I’ve set up Subscribe & Save for several items, and in addition to the savings compared to buying them full price, it also means I don’t have to go to several different shops to see which is the cheapest for things like cereal and tea bags, which was starting to become rather frustrating towards the end of last year.
HelloFresh and Cherrypick should also made planning and shopping for meals at home so much easier. Providing everything you need for each recipe, again saves me from having to visit several shops and just makes life that bit easier and more organised going forward.
Will you be trying any of these out too?
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