10 things I learned from living in a tiny space

This year I live in a closet, almost quite literally. My parents' walk-in closet is bigger than my room. I measured. 

In all honesty though, I was really excited to live in a small space. Each year of college I think I've brought less and less stuff, and this year involved a drastic edit in lifestyle to live in a space that was less than half the size of my smallest room to date. Pairing down is good sometimes, you know?

Anyway. These are the 10 things I learned from this year of patience and love in less than 90 square feet of space.

1 - Pairing down is ultimately liberating not limiting

Going through this summer and thinking seriously about what I really need to survive was really good. Pots and pans? Nah. Forks and spoons? Maybe like 2. One cup. One jacket. One pair of boots. One blanket. You know, just the essentials. I mean, do you really need a straightener and a curling iron? Just go natural. Do I really need a dehumidifier? Open the window. Do I really need all those paint brushes? See what you can make with just one. Challenging, but ultimately, really freeing.

2 - Having less makes you value more

I don't have a guitar in my room. There just isn't the space for it. But I do have a ukulele! And this has been wonderful. I like to sit underneath my lofted bed in my hammock and play my ukulele and pretend I am so very hippie-like, you know? I value my uke, dang it. I love every little thing in my room, because there isn't room (physically or emotionally) for things I don't value or care for.

3 - Keep the floor clean

When the couch and the ottoman and the bed and the hammock and the desk are all taken up by people sitting, the very last resort is the floor. And you want more people to be crammed in your room obviously. And who wants a clump of hair or a leaf or spare crumbs stuck to their behind when they leave your room? Not I, said everybody ever. Make your space inviting and clean, vacuum the floor. On the plus side, it takes about 1.64 minutes, because your room is tiny.

4 - Privacy is overrated

When your room is this small, people are all up in your business. I'm an extrovert, and I love this usually. But when I don't, I can shut my door and still hear everything that's going on around me. It turns out that this season of life means living in community with people and having everyone in close quarters, and what a great season of life it is. 

5 - "Let it be useful, but above all, let it be beautiful" - Natalie Holbrook

This could not be more true. Things in my room have to have a purpose, and even better if they serve a dual purpose. But if their dual purpose is to be useful and ugly, then it must go. Things in my room need to be beautiful, because I see them everyday and I can't avoid them. End of story.

6 - You use what you have, you don't use what you don't have

This is simply the truth. I don't use a crock pot or a desk chair or a hair diffuser or a TV because I don't have one. Makes my life easier. Plus, if you are reeeeeally die-hard in need of these things, odds are you have friends who have them. And when you borrow things from people, you talk to them. And when you talk to them, you become better friends. Life is cool that way. 

7 - Clutter begets clutter: likewise cleanliness begets cleanliness

When I leave my desk surface to it's own defenses, it gathers crap. The more crap there is, the more crap seems to pile up. Doing a simple clean sweep of my desk makes my room feel so much more inviting. The less space there is, the less it takes to make it feel clean. However, beware the alternative: the less space there is, the less it takes to make it feel dirty. 

8 - Opening doors and windows makes extra space

Open doors make happy floors. Open windows make for interesting conversations with passersby. And neither requires someone to actually be in your room, making your space feel that much bigger. I'm telling you, the power of screaming conversations down the hall is gold. 

9 - Ditch the chair, buy a couch. 

Why would I sit at my desk on a chair when I could sit on a couch? Hello. Couch all the way. When I found myself sitting on my couch to eat, do homework, read, watch movies, and literally everything else that requires my bottom to be planted, I realized that I don't need a chair. Bonus: I could store my small fridge in the gaping hole left under my desk! And more people can sit on a comfy couch than a small wooden chair. Friendship. 

10 - The things that make your space feel like home are not really things

I realized that all the comfort and love I felt came from people, and not from being surrounded by a large space full of things. I knew this, but I really know it now. It takes a small space and a minimalistic attitude to bring it out. I love the people I have surrounded myself with in this space, and I wouldn't trade them for the luxury of a larger room. Ever.