8. Lighten the Load 

All the space-saving ideas in the world won't change the laws of physics. The simple fact is that stuff takes up space. The most effective way to fit into a small space is to get rid of a whole lot of stuff. And I speak from experience—I moved my family of four from a 3000-square-foot home to one a third that size. 

Having a small space as a home office is one thing. Having it as a weekend cottage in the woods is another. But trying to live full-time in a tiny house (the Tiny Tack House has only 140 square feet!) is a completely different ball game. Most of your stuff has to go. 

If it's just too much to part with your things all at once, you can rent storage units and part with it in stages, which is what I did. My first storage unit was about 600 square feet, then 200, and now only about 100.