Establish House Routines Early

Photo courtesy of Flickr user imallergic. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.

Moving into your own place with a few roommates is an exciting situation. This excitement can be explained by one reason: you’re free to do whatever you want. Although your new found liberty is certainly a blessing, it can also become a curse. In all likelihood, your roommates live their home life differently than you. Some might do dishes right after a meal while others may wait until the next day; some grew up in a household where they were expected to clean around the house while others had nannies to clean up there mess. Regardless of your upbringing, when living with roommates you’re forced to adapt to others.

Depending on your character, you may not be the type who speaks up when a roommate is acting in a way that seems inappropriate. Although you could certainly keep your feelings to yourself and avoid confrontation, this can often lead to a passive-agresssion.

Whether you’re best of friends or a hodge-posh of random students united by Craigslist, it’s important to establish house routines early so that everybody is on the same page from the get go. This might involve a house sit-down, one on one discussions, or simply some gentle reminders from time to time. Establishing these routines early is important as change is easiest to implement early before actions become habits and the stresses of school set in.

You can have your freedom and enjoy it too, just by establishing routines for house harmony.