One of the best-kept secrets about living alone? You get to be fully, unapologetically yourself. No filtering, no compromising, no wondering if your habits are “normal” or “acceptable.” When you live alone, the only person who has to be okay with how you exist in your space is you.
That means you can embrace your weirdness, your quirks, and the random habits that make you, well… you. And honestly? That’s one of the greatest perks of solo living.
When you share a space with others, you have to be reasonable. You have to consider their preferences, be mindful of what’s “appropriate,” and generally keep the peace. But when you live alone, your home is your kingdom, and you make the rules. Want to eat peanut butter straight from the jar? Go for it. Rearrange your furniture at 2 AM just because you feel like it? No one’s stopping you. Sing at full volume in the shower—or out of it? It’s your concert, and the audience is always approving.
Living alone also means you don’t have to justify your bizarre daily routines to anyone. We all have weird habits—things we do when no one’s watching—but the difference is, when you live alone, no one is watching. You don’t have to explain why you eat meals on the floor instead of at the table, why you talk to yourself while doing chores, or why you always enter your home with a dramatic flourish. Your time is yours, and you can shape it however you want.
Another major perk? Your home reflects you, and only you. If you’ve ever lived with roommates, family, or a partner, you know how much compromise goes into decorating and organising a shared space. But when you live solo, you don’t have to think about whether your love for sci-fi posters clashes with someone else’s “modern minimalist” aesthetic. Your home can be filled with bookshelves instead of a TV, mismatched mugs instead of uniform dish sets, or an oversized bean bag instead of a formal sofa. You don’t have to make your space “guest-friendly” or align it with what someone else thinks looks good—it only has to make you happy.
Living alone also gives you room to experiment, whether that’s in fashion, cooking, or new hobbies. Want to wear a cape around the house just for fun? Go ahead. Feel like straight up Winnie-the-Poohing it around the house, with just a shirt on, and easy breezy down below? All good, my friend. Always wanted to try making homemade sushi but worried it might turn into a disaster? If it flops, there’s no audience for the failure—just you and your next attempt (and an unartistic mess of tasty ingredients that you can still eat and enjoy). Your living room can transform into an art studio, a music space, or whatever creative chaos you feel like embracing.
One of the best, most underrated perks of living alone? No social obligations—unless you actually want them. There’s no pressure to engage in morning small talk before you’ve had coffee, no forced interactions when you just want quiet, and no one questioning your decision to spend an entire weekend completely alone. If you don’t feel like talking, you don’t have to. If you want to cancel plans last minute—who’s going to stop you? Silence can be golden, and the ability to control when and how you interact with the world is a level of freedom few people get to experience.
Ultimately, one of the greatest joys of living alone is the ability to be completely, unapologetically yourself. No censoring, no justifying, no worrying about whether your habits are “acceptable.” The things that might seem weird to others? They make your home feel like yours.
So go ahead—talk to your plants, eat ice cream straight from the tub, and dance around your living room like no one’s watching. Because no one is watching.
That’s the whole point.