Stylist and Instagrammer Carly Fuller had been craving a bit of a refresh in her NYC rental kitchen. For years, she had filled a corner nook with IKEA’s open-back VITTSJÖ shelf unit, an under $60 find that housed her various entertaining pieces and barware. This solution worked just fine, but at a certain point, she felt like this area could reflect her evolving aesthetic a little better — and have more of a bespoke, built-in look. “I had the idea of mounting shelves there for the last couple of years,” says Fuller. “I just needed the motivation to finally do it.”

An avid DIYer, Fuller chose to make her own floating shelf setup, which set her back just $45 total. First, she measured the length and depth of the kitchen nook and then went to a lumber store to purchase wood. “I looked for a piece of scrap plywood since I didn’t need much wood at all, and I’d be painting it,” she says. “It didn’t need to be anything special.” An employee at the store made the cuts for her, so she left with her “shelves” in hand

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I have a teeny-tiny studio and I never have enough storage space. So, as you’d imagine, I’m constantly on the hunt for ingenious organizing finds that make my less-than-roomy apartment feel a little less claustrophobic. While I’ve discovered a handful of drill-free finds that added more real estate for my impressive olive oil collection in my kitchen, and even sleek cat accessories that aren’t a total eyesore (yes, even stylish litter!), there are some other spots that still need some work. The biggest stressor for me lately? My bathroom that is barely big enough for me to stand in. And as an avid beauty junkie, I spend a lot of time in there. The problem? There’s absolutely no more space for my ever-growing beauty collection — it’s basically a mini Sephora. And let me tell you, I’m not going to throw out any of my precious products.

So, it was time to get creative.

It’s so easy to procrastinate when your to-do list gets too long. Even if you’re somewhat motivated to tackle one of your tasks, the sinking feeling of overwhelm lingers. The good news is there’s a way to stop this cycle even before it begins: The key is to break all tasks into smaller, approachable bite-sized steps so the anxiety doesn’t prevent you from getting started. 

James Clear of “Atomic Habits” fame calls this philosophy “the 2-minute rule,” which essentially means that if you can complete a task within 120 seconds, you should tackle it now instead of waiting until later. 

I’ve used this philosophy in my professional and personal life, and I’ve also included it in some of my self-care goals. Here’s how I use the two-minute rule in my life.

When I first discovered this rule, I combined all the tasks on my to-lists on one piece of paper to get a visual of everything I had to do. I noticed three

Keeping track of everything that I need to get done on a daily basis has always been a challenge for me — but it’s been even more of a lift these days, now that I am cohabitating with my boyfriend. We have to coordinate a grocery list (a lesson well-learned after accidentally both buying sandwich materials in the same day), divide and conquer chores, and keep each other’s schedule in mind (he is also notorious at forgetting he has plans and getting double-booked). So, we clearly needed a solution, and luckily, I stumbled upon this magnetic white board on Amazon. Our fridge is (thankfully) magnetic, and a rare dead space (aside from wedding invitations, baby announcements, and the odd restaurant postcard) in our tiny, one-bedroom apartment.

But, we didn’t figure out exactly how we were going to use this communal whiteboard overnight. It took about four months of living together to come up with a good system. The landlord’s phone number lives at