How I Keep My 650-Square-Foot Apartment Organized

In the past decade-plus since I graduated from college, I’ve lived in six different city apartments, most of which have capped out at around 750 square feet, max. I currently live in a 650-square-foot New York City apartment, where I have spent the past three years. So, it’s safe to say that I have picked up quite a few organization hacks throughout my 20s and 30s, and I’m here to share my top five small space organization tips with you, so that you, too, can make the most of your limited square footage.

Frequent Decluttering Sessions Are Necessary

When you live in a small apartment, you’re going to need to purge frequently, whether you want to or not. Working in the lifestyle journalism space, I’m constantly trying out fun new products and going to special brand events, which is something I absolutely love about my job. Like many other people in my field, I also really like to shop! That said, I’ve had to become a bit more ruthless in terms of what I’m bringing through my door and not fall victim to every single freebie or sale item calling my name.

Whenever a closet or cabinet is starting to feel a bit too full, I know that it’s time to declutter. I’ll take everything out, set it out on the floor, and often in the process find that I’ve been holding onto things for months—or even years—and haven’t yet used them (or even remembered they were there). This is a sign that these pieces, which I of course thought were cool at one point, just aren’t that important.

I’m fortunate that my New York City neighborhood offers several different thrift stores within walking distance, which makes it easy for me to declutter my space and then get everything I no longer want out the door in a short time span.

You may also wish to list items on Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, and other resale sites or bring them into consignment stores. Just don’t put off this task for too long—getting items out of your home immediately is the most effective tactic when decluttering, because there’s no room for second-guessing, and let’s be real, who has space to store this stuff while waiting for it to sell online?

Buying in Bulk Isn’t Always Wise

When you’re living in a small space, it simply doesn’t make sense to order that 12-pack of paper towels or 24-pack of toilet paper. After all, where are you going to store these items while you wait to use them? Purchasing a four-pack of toilet paper that you can set out in an aesthetically pleasing holder in your bathroom is a much more practical decision.

Because I live in the city without a car, I’ll often order household items of this nature online, and I’ve still found plenty of economical options that don’t involve me buying a closet full of paper products. Plus, I’ve found that when I have accumulated tons of paper towel rolls at once, I’ll often misplace them throughout my space because I have to store them in a number of different closets and cabinets and end up forgetting what I’ve put where!

Your Medicine Cabinet is Your BFF

If you’re a design lover like me, it may seem tempting to ask your landlord to help you remove and store that lackluster-looking medicine cabinet so that you can hang a chic mirror above your sink instead (trust me, I’ve done this before). However, at the end of the day, a medicine cabinet is just so practical. The setup makes it easy to see exactly which products you have on hand, and you can organize everything by category, height, color, or whatever makes your heart happy!

If your space doesn’t already come equipped with a medicine cabinet, it’s worth ordering one online in order to really make the most of that extra small bathroom. Let the available wall space work for you!

Storage Boxes Are Key… and They Don’t Have to Be Ugly

Even in a small space, you’ll need to make room for important documents and keepsakes. I’ve found that keeping things like birthday cards and letters from loved ones, my (multiple!) passports, my social security card, and the like in one aesthetically pleasing storage box is a great strategy. Mine sits on my bookshelf, where it fits in nicely with my living room decor while keeping everything safe and sound.

I was recently preparing to get a new ID at the DMV, and I knew that all I had to do was open the box and pull out my essentials—no rummaging through drawers or frantic phone calls home required! I purchased my storage box (a burl wood beauty) at one of my favorite flea markets in the city, and at about 7 inches deep by 10 inches wide, it’s an excellent size.

Maximizing Your Closet Doors Is Essential

Put the backs of your closet doors to work! I have a plastic shoe holder that hangs over the door of my living room closet and houses daily sneakers, boots, and the like, and I have an elaborate storage system that lives on the back of my bedroom closet and holds my purses, travel pouches, and much more. Yes, reaching into the closet can sometimes feel a bit cramped as a result, but that’s a small price to pay for all of this extra storage, in my opinion. Best of all, you can easily bring these storage systems with you when you move to a new place down the line. If my bathroom was a bit larger, I’d add something to that door, too!