Rapture

Yes, I know.  The world didn't end yesterday.  Which is really fortunate for my parents who were at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.  The "end of the world" was supposed to happen at the exact moment that he started playing Free Bird.  Now that would have been a shame.

But I can't help feeling like I am about to have my own little Rapture.  In the form of a messy apartment.  I sometimes feel like it's a losing battle in this place.  First things first.  This is our apartment:

Yay Morning Joe on in the background!

The kitchen and my "office"

It is about 350 square feet (personal mantra: i live on the beach, i live on the beach).  Even the slightest thing out of place makes it feel cluttered like you wouldn't believe.  I try to clean up as I go, but with two people living (and one of them working) out of this space, it can get overwhelming.

The key, I think, is to utilize any available space as efficiently as possible.  It's like a giant puzzle, which I am not so good at.  Fortunately, B is a whiz with puzzles - just give him a little time to ponder and inevitably he will figure it out.  I'm not a ponderer.  I like to figure things out NOW.  It probably would have been easier to figure this particular puzzle out if we had started with an empty slate, but we didn't.  We started with his stuff and piled mine on top.

So, off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond we go.  We're looking for "things" to help organize our space.  So that when the little stuff piles up, we will have somewhere to put it - besides on the floor.  Or the bed.  Or that kitchen table that was so clean in the pictures?  Can't see the top at the current moment.  Name an item and it's on the table.  I live on the beach.  I live on the beach.

Any tips on organizing a small space?  How do you keep your apartment/home/condo neat without feeling like all you do is clean?