One of my goals for this year was to simplify my life. It’s the end of January and I’m about to make another major step towards that goal, reducing my living area.

Currently I live in a pretty large two bed, one bath in Victoria Park. It’s a little over 1,000 square feet and was completely renovated before I moved in…jacuzzi, three shower heads, huge open kitchen, tile and wood floors, views of the water and Port Everglades…awesome.

When I moved in, almost two years ago, I was in a very different situation, personally and professionally, and hadn’t really planned on occupying that much space by myself. When my initial lease ran out, I stayed, it was a nice apartment and I was afraid of making big changes in my life.

Fast forward seven months.

One career ended and that has been the perfect catalyst to affect change in other aspects of my life, namely, my living arrangements. As of today, I’m switching from the large bachelor pad to a much smaller garden apartment.

The New Place - Via Google Street View

It’s quaint. It’s only a one bed, one bath apartment. The kitchen is small and the closet space is even smaller. But, it’s in a great location for walking and it has a small patio that backs up to one of the many canals in Fort Lauderdale. And the landlord is an Auburn alum, even better.

I’ve worked it out so that I can move things over at my own pace, this way I can decide what I can live without and what I can’t. Because of the size limitations I’ll probably be selling or giving away quite a lot. I hope Goodwill is ready. The thought of it still freaks me out a bit, but it also makes me extremely happy – getting completely organized, eliminating clutter, and simplifying my life – one square foot at a time.