Back in May i made some big changes to my living setup. At the time i wrote:
So, with that in mind we are changing things up a bit. I’m going back to a bit of “hybrid living”. Where i sleep each night will depend on what support i have in place and what i am doing that week.
I either slept at my flat, or my room at a friends house depending on support. Not an ideal setup, but it worked for the most parts.
The hybrid approach has worked well because it’s so flexible. It gives each part of my life a dedicated space. This article is a quick tour of the four spaces i have been using and why i like them.
My flat is where i sleep most often, but it’s not where i sleep by default. I only sleep at my flat when someone is around. I’ve recently started sharing the flat with a autie friend who’s lodging with me.
As a lodger he’s not part of my support routine. However, if he happens to be here of an evening it defiantly helps. It also helps to cover some of my costs.
Beyond sleeping, i also use the flat for work, building bikes and running through my various routines with support. The flat is slowly becoming more of a home. Bit by bit.
I also rent a room from a friend. They live nearby and they had a spare room. The income for the lodger roughly covers the cost for the extra room.
It’s where i stay when i cant use my flat for whatever reason. It could be a support gap, or just that i need a break from being “independent”. Sort of like a lifeboat. There’s almost always someone else around which is helpful.
We recently set it up as a combo playroom and bedroom with the focus on it being a playroom. I’ve moved all my lego, books and toys across. It’s somewhere where i try to avoid working so that i have a clean separation between work and play.
With the playroom hosting my lego and books, the storage unit has become more of a shed. Full of furniture, computer parts and bike stuff. We added a big rack so i can hang my bikes from the roof. I’ll see if we can thin down a bit over the next few months and move to a smaller unit.
The final place is my office. It’s a short bus ride away. I haven’t been able to use it that much (traveling alone is hard) but it’s still very useful. It’s saving me lots of money compared to going to the cafe everyday.
The people at the office are also lovely. They keep an eye out for me and i help them with nerdy things.
Having four dedicated spaces works pretty well. It’s sort of like having a 3 bedroom house and shed… but much cheaper and more flexible. Moving between the spaces helps me to transition from one activity to another.
Hybrid living has been a bit tricky in places. Where i sleep is dependent on where i can access support. It’s not ideal, but it has been working really well.
