Designate Part of Your Space for Projects

The best thing you can do is actually set aside a space in your apartment for personal projects. Instead of just clearing the floor or trying to find a flat space that'll work for whatever you're doing, find a corner you can shove a small table into, a little organizational unit that can fit under the table (or better yet, if you have wall space, store up, instead of out. Shelving units and pegboard are great for tools!) for your equipment, and call that your "project space." You'll feel better about your ability to get more done if you have a dedicated workbench for your DIY projects, and you won't worry so much about the size if you already have something carved out. Instead, you'll do what you can as long as it fits, and then move on. If you're worried about dirt, dust, and fumes, try to keep your mini workbench somewhere easy to clean. Consider putting down a tarp or floor cover underneath your workbench, or putting it near a window that you can open if you plan to use something that may emit fumes, dust, or other debris. Make it as modular as possible, meaning you can mount and remove tools easily—nothing on your workbench should completely be a single-tasker. That might be difficult when you talk about table saws and jigsaws, but try to give yourself enough storage that you can set things up and break them down if you have to—be reasonable too, you may not be able to have a large standing jig or a CNC router set up in your small apartment. You may, however, be able to carve out room for a 3D printer, for example, and then move it to a storage shelf when it's not in use.