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Tackle the challenge of finding a home for presents and special Christmas items by operating one simple rule: store ‘like with like’. Keep all decorations in one place – attic, garage, loft – labelled for ease next year.

Organise children’s rooms so similar toys and games are stored together, likewise scarves, jewellery, socks and underwear. Essentially, get into the habit of being organised, it’ll make home life much easier.

These Orthex Smartstore Plastic Storage Boxes from Wayfair, made from recycled plastic, is lightweight, durable and suited for both dry and wet surfaces. It comes with a lid to enable easy stacking.

Speaking of cleaning, keep dirt outside as much as possible. This means placing doormats at entryways and providing a space for shoes. A shoe rack is a great idea, however, a wooden crate or storage bench by the front door or in the hallway might work better if you have small children who ‘forget’ to put their shoes, boots and trainers in order when they come home.

This Brixton Storage Bench from Wayfair provides space for shoes, hidden storage for gloves and scarves, plus an upholstered seat, perfect for a hallway.

Top tip: Allow only two sets of footwear downstairs at a time per person. Encourage the family to take everything else to their own rooms daily.

Don’t allow letters, bills and circulars to accumulate on tables and worktops. Assign one place for all post and treat this as a ‘holding area’ (the Elements Jaula Letter Rack from Dunelm is ideal).

Make it your mission to set aside some time, twice-weekly, to go through the pile, dealing immediately with urgent matters, and filing away the rest. If you get into this habit, you’ll reduce ever having piles of opened and unopened letters.

If paperwork and important documents terrify you, don’t make it too complicated this year. Simply take a pack of card document wallets and mark each one with categories, for example – ‘gas’, ‘electricity’, ‘broadband’, ‘school’. Pop each letter or bill into the relevant file and find an accessible place to keep them all. Better still, opt for paperless billing whenever possible.

Because more of us are working from home, it wouldn’t be too surprising if you’ve also built up a stash of work documents. Keep what you truly need, file alphabetically (we like these Cloud Stackable Intrays from Papier) , and colour code documents if possible.

Instead of a laundry bin in the bathroom, invest in a set of drawstring cotton laundry bags (like this Habitat Jericho Laundry Bag from Argos) to hang on the back of every bedroom door. This avoids dirty clothes piling up on the floor and is also more hygienic, as the bags can be washed too.

It’s easier to clean the bathroom, for instance, if cleaning materials are to hand, so keep a basic kit (use a caddy or bucket, like this Utility Bucket from Garden Trading) in every part of the home: bathroom, kitchen, utility room. This will also save you time and effort and make an ongoing domestic routine much less of an overbearing burden.

For an eco-friendly option, Ocean Saver’s The Everything Bundle provides everything you need to adopt a plastic-free cleaning routine in one go.

Enlist the help of every family member to help your house run smoothly. Hold a family meeting so the kids can agree a range of age-appropriate tasks which can be undertaken at a specific time each week.

Choose a family planner (like this A4 Weekly Planner from Notonthehighstreet.com) and place in a central position for all to see, to ensure everyone sticks to their jobs and duties. It’s perfect for bringing a little bit of organisation to a busy family and home life.