Everyone wants to have hobbies (especially if you are on this site), but not all of us have the space for it. I have books all over my room that currently leave little space for everything thing else. It can be difficult to have hobbies when you are living in a small space. The easel simply does not fit on the floor. The books are overflowing. As much as we might want to work on our hobbies, the amount of space we have limits us. However, there are a few ways to make it easier to accommodate your hobbies.
Organize
The first and most obvious tip would be to organize. In small spaces, you are practically required to continuously organize to even be able to keep most of your things. When it comes to fitting hobbies into your small space, you need a way to keep it all together, but most importantly, you need an easy way to put it away. Some hobbies, of course, require more room than others.
Smaller Items
For smaller items, you need to find a proper home for them. For example, with bullet journaling, depending on how much stationary you have, you might need less space than you would for let’s say reading. Pens are typically smaller than books. However, because of the large number of pens, there are difficulties in store and finding a place to keep them. There are some great organizational tools for bullet journaling on Amazon, such as this bullet journal case that holds your journal as well as your pens and stickers. Another great tool is a pen organizer for your desk, like this one where the pens are laid horizontally so that you can see them. This pen organizer can also be used for other hobbies too. It can accommodate your makeup, or your paintbrushes, and whatever else you can think of. As long as you have a designated place for smaller items, they can be easy enough to organize.
Larger Items
As long as you have tools to help you organize your room, you should free up plenty of room for your hobbies. For larger items, let us say sports equipment, you will likely be a little more pressed for space. I would suggest that you get a chest or a box of some sort for all of your loose items, like baseballs. You can store these in your closet. Next, I would have you hang up the other equipment on the walls or on the door to get the items off the floor. It is as simple as finding the right tools for organizing. Note that if you have space under your bed for storage, use it! There are lots of under-the-bed storage tools that make it easy to use and keep the space clean. Something like this wire underbed cart should work great for hobbies. You might also prefer tiered carts that work great for creativity tools.
It will take time for you to find the right system, but keep trying. Once you find a good way to store your hobbies, you will surely be able to enjoy them more than before.
Downsize
No one wants to hear that they should downsize. Yet, sometimes it needs to be said. If you have multiple versions of the same product, it is wise to start buying only one at a time. For example, if you have three bottles of the same white paint (which does happen), try using up what you have before buying any new paints. It is easier to store one item than it is to store three of its duplicates.
We come to acquire duplicates of the same product if we buy our supplies in packs. If this is the case for you, try buying your items separately. You might have run out of ink in one of your pens, but not the other pens in the pack. You can typically buy each pen separately, especially for fancier pens like the Tombow Dual Brush Pens. (These calligraphy pens are often used for bullet journaling.) They are more expensive to buy individually, but you will be saving yourself space and money compared to having bought the whole pack of pens.
The part of downsizing we all hate is getting rid of our things, but sometimes it is necessary. Having five very similar versions of the same pen is simply not worth it in a small space. I would suggest you keep your favourites out of your duplicate objects and sell the rest. That way you can make some money back. It may not be much money, but it is sometimes better than just getting rid of your things. Selling your supplies will be more advantageous for larger items. If you have multiple easels, for instance, it might be time to realize that one is enough. By selling your other easels, you should get a larger sum of money back.
I am not saying you should get rid of all of your things. We are not minimalists here. However, with your limited space, you will need to make sacrifices to fit all of your hobby items into your home. As much as you do not want to see your things go, you might find that the newfound space is a blessing.
Have Smaller Items
Having smaller items is pretty straightforward. In a small space, you simply cannot fit huge things that will take up all of your space. For example, instead of having a large easel, you might want to consider a smaller tabletop easel or one that collapses. You can still have an easel, but the smaller size will be easier to put away. When it comes to hobbies, there are typically ways to find smaller versions of what you need. You might be into programming. You could use a laptop instead of a desktop. The smaller items can be a little bit of an inconvenience; however, in a small space, you have to take what you can get.
Smaller items can also be applied to the tools you use. Sometimes you have to ask yourself if the larger bottle of paint is worth it if you have no space for it. With space issues, you always have to keep size in mind while buying your supplies. It is far tougher to store larger things than it is to store small items.
In short, to make room for your hobbies in smaller spaces, you need to be organized, have fewer things, and keep smaller supplies. With these tips in mind, you should have your space back in no time.
