If there’s one thing that I want to leave in 2024 it’s my clutter and mess. Unlikely I know, but I’m going to at least attempt it. I find it really hard to find the time to declutter and clean all the time and seeing the classic ‘sunday reset’ on Tiktok makes me feel like I’m not doing as much as I should do. In true January style I’m going to try and start the year off right and these are my tips for starting off your decluttered year in style.

Clean Out Your Phone

Seems simple but it’s probably the thing that (if you’re anything like me) is going to take the longest amount of time. This means going through your apps, photos, videos, social media followings, the lot… 2025 is a year for zero ‘no storage’ notifications.

Adopt the ‘One Year Rule’

This is the best time of year to look through your wardrobe and work out which clothes you haven’t worn the past year. None of the ‘oh I probably will wear this eventually’ or ‘I’m waiting for the right occasion’ this is the time to get rid and free up that room for the clothes you’re actually going to wear. You can either sell these clothes on Vinted or get a bag ready to take to the charity shops!

Use the 15-Minute Rule

If you’re anything like me a full house/flat clean is going to become overwhelming pretty quickly, so one way to tackle this is set a 15 minute timer and focus on one area. Often you’ll find that if you’re in the thick of it you’ll want to carry on until it’s done but this is also a good way to really focus on an area for a set time.

‘One In, One Out’ Rule

For every new item you buy, throw something out. It’s pretty simple and after Christmas I imagine you’ll have a lot that needs some place to store those and this is the best way to make sure it doesn’t all get too much. Really look at the things you’ve got and decide if it’s something you actually use. Does it bring joy to your life? If the answers are no then what’s the point in having it?

Get Yourself a Journal

It’s as simple as that, let’s get old school. Buying a planner/journal this year has already MASSIVELY helped me to keep on top of what I’ve got going on. Honestly, I’ve been using The Productivity Method Planner by Grace Beverley and its working a treat for me, but make sure to find something that works for you and what your goals are.

The Five Item Rule

If you just don’t have the time to do everything in one day then this method is for you. Every day find five items that you can either throw away, donate or sell. This is going to help you see a massive difference in less than a month. Eventually, you’ll find that you don’t need to do five a day and you’ve gotten rid of everything you don’t need but will help you to question how important things are to you.

Empty First and Then Organise

This one is specifically for drawers and cupboards, completely empty it out before you put anything back into it. This is going to help you to decide first, what items belong in that space. Second, you’ll probably discover some things that have been hiding at the back for years. Third, you’re going to be able to organise that space to easily find the most important items there.

Declutter Your Mind

Anything that you look back at last year as a regret or something that doesn’t bring you joy, it’s time to say goodbye to. None of the steps before this one are going to  happen if you’re too busy focusing on a million and one other things you need to do or haven’t done yet. Take the time to focus on you and often decluttering your space is the first way to do this. Clear space, clear mind.

Organise As You Go

Start with a focus on one space and then you’ll naturally find you move to somewhere else and keep in that flow you’re already in. This might mean you move from the kitchen to the living room if they’re next to each other or it may mean you discover a new way to organise your cupboards after cleaning your fridge. Do whatever works for YOU.

Celebrate the Small Wins

If you aren’t celebrating the little wins; putting the dishwasher on, getting rid of a few clothes, throwing away old flowers, then you’re going to become demotivated really quickly. Be proud of yourself for starting a task even if you didn’t quite finish it, be proud of getting rid of three things even if you planned to get rid of five. Well done for even reading this blog post and thinking about cleaning that’s a step in the right direction!