Anyone that lives in NYC will tall you that personal space is almost nonexistent but it’s a tradeoff – you live in a shoebox because you know that you’ll never be home anyway. But, what about the times you ARE home? I mean, there are those times.
Before I moved from Chicago I have a very established home. It was a two bedroom in the heart of Wicker Park with a backyard and a parking space…for three times less then I’m paying now. I had to adjust to life in a studio apartment. It was a surprisingly easy transition for me. Maybe that’s because I live in my dream location and pretty much got rid of everything I owned.

Even though I don’t spend a ton of time inside, when I do, I want it to be my sanctuary from the hustle and bustle in the outside world. I live on a short block between two major avenues, two puppy shops, two popular West Village restaurants, and a few gay bars with karaoke. You can only imagine how crazy it can get!
These are my 3 tips to keeping sane in my NYC studio…

1. Pick up after yourself every.single.day!

In a small space there is (literally) no room to throw your whiz everywhere. That’s why I have made it a habit of picking up after myself every day. I usually do it right after work when I walk in – it’s cathartic in a way. I pick up my used towel, put all my makeup brushes back in their place, and hang up all the clothes I decided not to wear. If there are any dishes, I do those, too. The house is clean (enough) and puts me in relax mode. On the weekends, I de-clutter but also give it a more thorough cleaning because a housekeeper inset in my budget just yet. If that’s you, too try a robotic floor cleaner or … to make it easy on yourself.

2. Get The Two For One Special

When I was going through the hell of looking for places the broker told me something that eased my mind about living in one room. He said that with a one bedroom you definitely get a separation of space but 9 out of 10 times all you can do is fit a bed in there and the wall becomes pointless and you have to work around it. With a studio, you are the architect. You ultimately control how you want your space to be laid out. That statement opened a world of possibilities for me. He was right! Even though my space is limited, I’ve made it more comfortable by choosing items that not only made my abode feel way larger than it is they doubled as something else. The three anchors of  my studio are 1. the bookshelf/room divider, 2. the dresser/tv entertainment center, and 3. the dining table/work desk.

3. Make a standing date to go grocery shopping

It’s a little too easy to spend your entire paycheck on dinners and drinks the weekend after it’s deposited. While it is so.much.fun it is also t-r-o-u-b-l-e! Going to Trader Joe once every two weeks not only keeps me on budget it also keeps me grounded (aka from not becoming a complete alcoholic/obese). Cooking is fun and relaxing for me. It just feels good to cook my own meals and all the money I save goes to a nice, long meal. SCORE!