Happy New Year! 25 Organizing Tips for 2025

Happy New Year! To kick off 2025, I’m sharing 25 quick and easy tips and life hacks to help you create a more organized home or office. Let’s dive in!

1. The Hanger Helper

When hanging clothes in your closet, place the hanger facing backward. After six months, any hanger still facing backward indicates an unworn item. Time to purge it from your wardrobe!

2. Sort Your Music Collection

Alphabetize your CD collection A–Z by the artist’s last name, dividing it into genres like pop/rock, classical, soundtracks, and compilations.

3. Tame Those Cords

To keep cords and cables tidy, bind each one with a rubber band before storing. No more tangled messes!

4. Invest in a Label Maker

A label maker is an essential tool for any organizer. Label boxes, files, and more for easy identification. Want to get fancy? Try a color-coded labeling system.

5. Reduce Paper Clutter

Sort junk mail immediately and recycle it before it even enters your home.

6. Shred and Simplify

Shred all unnecessary paperwork, keeping only financial statements, legal documents, and tax records. Most of the information you might need later is likely available online. I recommend getting a Fujitsu SnapScanner.

7. Declutter Unwanted Items

Don’t hesitate to re-gift or donate items you don’t need, use, or love. Unused gifts weren’t meant to clutter your home—pass them on to someone who will enjoy them.

8. Simplify Sentimental Items

Overrun with sentimental items like multiple sets of Grandma’s china or stacks of your child’s artwork? Save one piece of china, scan the artwork, or frame your favorites. Donate or share the rest with family or charity—it’s the memories that matter, not the quantity.

9. Set Priorities

Ask yourself: if you had five minutes to save items from your home, what would you grab? Use this exercise to prioritize and identify what you can live without.

10. Adopt the “Use It or Lose It” Credo

If you haven’t used or even thought about an item in over a year, let it go! Remember: less is more.

11. Declutter by Expiration Date

Check expiration dates on items in your kitchen and bathroom. While some discretion is fine, expired products are a good guide for decluttering.

12. Plan Your Meals

Create a weekly or monthly meal plan to stay organized, streamline grocery shopping, and plan nights for ordering takeout guilt-free.

13. Revamp the Chore Chart

Review your family’s chore chart from last year. Can your kids take on more responsibility? Are there new tasks that need attention?

14. Keep a Donation Box Handy

Designate a spot in your home for a donation box or bag. Once it’s full, drop it off at a charity and replace it with an empty one. Make donating an ongoing habit throughout the year.

15. Start a Tax Folder

Dedicate a folder for tax documents to keep everything organized as tax season approaches. It’s a huge time-saver!

16. Schedule Your Doctor’s Appointments

Take care of your health by scheduling doctor appointments for the year now. Don’t forget to check your prescriptions and schedule refills as needed.

17. Flip Your Files

Each year, go through your files and shred the previous year’s papers, except for essential documents like legal or tax records.

18. Archive Your Emails

If you love a tidy inbox, try this: sort emails by date and move older ones to a folder labeled with the year. This method is helpful if your email server gets too full.

19. Review Your Budget

Start the year by reviewing your budget. Are there new expenses to account for? Did you get a raise? Adjust your budget accordingly.

20. Pre-Buy Greeting Cards

Avoid scrambling for last-minute cards by purchasing all your greeting cards for the year in advance. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries—get them all ready now.

21. Back Up Your Digital Life

Invest in a large-capacity external drive to back up your files. If your computer fails, you’ll have peace of mind and an easier transition to a new device.

22. Organize Health Records

Consolidate essential health information like blood type, prescriptions, allergies, and immunizations into a single document. Hopefully, you’ll never need it—but if you do, it could be lifesaving.

23. Organize Your Subscriptions

Take stock of your digital subscriptions—streaming services, apps, newsletters, and memberships. Cancel any you’re not actively using to save money and reduce clutter.

24. Set Weekly Decluttering Goals

Instead of tackling an overwhelming decluttering project all at once, set a weekly goal. For example, organize one drawer, one closet, or one shelf each week. Small, consistent progress adds up!

25. Create a Home Inventory

Document your home’s contents for insurance purposes. Use your smartphone to take pictures or videos of valuable items and store this inventory in a secure digital folder or app. This is especially helpful in case of emergencies.

Here’s to a happier, healthier, and more organized 2025! Start small, stay consistent, and watch your home and life transform. Which tip will you try first? Let me know in the comments!.