Find The Balance.
Living stress free in a group household requires a mix of communication, boundaries and good mindset.
Here a just a few tips that may be helpful:
Clear Communication
Talk openly about expectations and individual responsibilities. If someone is slacking, have a talk about it, so everyone is doing their share, especially with house chores.
Have weekly meetings, lunch gatherings to share ideas. This helps with everyone being able to have their input and suggesting ideas so all flows well.
Set Boundaries.
If they don’t clean up after themselves, don’t pick up their slack unless it directly affects you. (It may be expected all the time.)
Set a rule like: Anything left in common areas for 24 hours will be put away in the lost and found bin!
Use Consequences.
Create a simple weekly chore chart that is fair on everyone, and rotate it, so everyone gets to do something different each week. (Refer to your meetings you had.)
If someone is not wanting to fulfill their share of chores, have consequences such as, missing out on group activities, group outings.
Simplify Your Space.
Reduce clutter so cleaning tasks are a breeze. Keeping your home tidy not only makes it easier for cleaning but also feels good because it looks good!
Hire Help or Make It Fun.
If necessary, hire a cleaner and share the costs.
Make cleaning time enjoyable by playing music or have challenge games, like whoever can finish their tasks first gets a bar of chocolate. (Yum)
Have A Positive Mindset.
Accept that not everyone does things exactly the same, or at the same pace. Keep this in mind, as long as the responsibilities get done each week. These matters can be brought up at your meetings, and be fair, listen to each other respectfully.
