Why You Never Seem To Have Enough Space At Home (And What To Do About It)

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If you feel like you never have enough space at home, you’re not alone. While the average size of a house has grown significantly in recent years, so too has the number of possessions the average person owns. Today, it is significantly more challenging to find space for everything compared to the past. 

The purpose of this post is to explain why you never seem to have enough space, and what you can do about it. We explore all the reasons your belongings seem to always take over your life and eventually get the better of you, and how you can push back. 

The Psychology Of Space

In many cases, your home isn’t cramped at all. Instead, the problem is space psychology. It can seem like there is stuff everywhere and you have no space, even if you have a lot of room. 

What do we mean by this? Visual clutter takes various forms. There’s real clutter when possessions really are blocking you from using your home’s full functionality, and then there is purely psychological clutter, such as a pattern on the wall. 

The way the psychology of space works is strange, but many people discover simply making a few changes can help enormously. Adding more clean lines, changing a few colors, and playing with the lighting can all make a difference. 

Consumerism

Another reason you might think you lack space could come down to good old-fashioned consumerism. Simply buying too much stuff can have a tremendous impact on your perception of space. 

Consumerism impacts our homes in many ways. Over the course of our lifetimes, we accumulate more objects without taking the time to remove something from our homes we no longer need. As such, shelves, cupboards, and cabinets become increasingly stuffed to the brim. 

The trick here is to shop consciously. Only buy things you need and know you are going to use. 

You can also adopt a policy of removing one item from your home for every new thing you add. Running a one-in-one-out scheme will prevent clutter from accumulating at all, even if you love to spend. 

The Impact Of Tech

Technology has also had a significant impact on how we use our homes. Running a household is a fundamentally different operation from what it was years ago before people worked from home. 

Being at home all the time can make clutter more obvious for some people. Home office setups make rooms look more like conventional workplaces, with wires and appliances all over the place. 

One solution is to rent a 10x10 storage unit and remove unnecessary clutter from the house, keeping it out of sight until you need it. You can also try streamlining your workspaces using smart and wireless technology, again reducing visual clutter. 

The Downsizing Effect

Finally, you may imagine you don’t have enough space if you recently downsized from a larger property. Smaller rooms and fewer dedicated storage areas can make you feel like your living arrangements are inadequate. Adding furniture with built-in storage or adding innovative storage solutions to your property can help.