College Campus Series:
Living in Tight Spaces & Small Places.

Guest blogger Jeffrey Hatch is a summer fellow with Ketchum, the public relations agency for FedEx Office. Jeffrey has traveled widely and lived in a LOT of small spaces. In fact, before heading to college he traveled throughout South America and Europe, working at an estancia in Argentina for a couple months. Many of the places he stayed during his travels had little to no closet space. Being “borderline O.C.D.” Jeffrey always had to keep his room clean. So we’re sharing some of his best tips and lessons learned for you here!

Geometry doesn’t lie. Being one of the oldest and surest forms of mathematics, you can always be confident with the answer it gives you. From a young age its principles are engrained in us through games like the shape sorter. Square block, square hole. Round ball, round hole.

• Compartmentalize – Look at your closet, shelves or under-the-bed area like a grid, with each square waiting to be filled. The best way to do it is by storing your stuff in similarly shaped containers. You’ll maximize your space while keeping all those unusually-shaped items neatly contained.
• Create and Utilize Empty Space – Whether it is under your bed, on the wall, behind the bureau or even hanging up, fill it up! By placing boxes or containers under, above or behind pieces of furniture, you can utilize, like the Russian dolls, all of that empty space. And if you lift your bed on risers, you’ll get even more space to work with. And don’t forget about the luggage you (or your child) moved to school with – that suitcase is just wasted space in your closet until you start using it as the great storage space it is!
• Create a System and Stick with It – When you’re not working with a lot of space, it’s easy to fall into the trap of sticking things wherever there may be space at that exact moment. But beware! Once you start mixing things like summer and winter clothes, getting it all organized again is more work than keeping it neat in the first place.
• Label It – Really nail your system into place by printing labels for the boxes. Doing this will make identifying their contents much easier, and save you time when hunting for clean sheets or a favorite sweater.

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