Ever tried to barbecue without long utensils? Or drive in a nail without a hammer? Or dig a hole without a shovel? Or flip eggs without a spatula? It’s a pain. Your hand gets burned, the nail doesn’t go in, the hole is shallow, and the eggs get broken.
There is simply nothing like using the right tool.
I’ve created some tools for finding and keeping good housemates.
One is the “Interview Checklist.” This is a multiple choice questionnaire about how you live, asking questions about things like cleanliness, music, and routines. It’s short, 13 items in all, something you can quickly complete. Once done you can have your answers emailed back to you. You then have in front of you in black and white your honest answers about how you live and what’s important to you.
This may not seem like a big deal, after all, you know who you are. But there is something about having it in front of you when considering living with someone else that can keep you honest. It’s a tool to use as you set out on a housemate hunt.
The other tool, or tools, are a set of worksheets. Each worksheet will help you manage an aspect of sharing your house. For instance, there is one for getting clear on what you must have and can’t live with in a housemate. There is one for figuring out how to manage a conflict. There is one for checking references. There is one for interviewing. There is one for managing transitions. All of the worksheets were developed in the course of writing Sharing Housing and full explanations are in the book. The worksheets are downloadable PDFs, free for you to use and share with others.
I’d love to hear how these tools work for you. Like all tools the more you use them, the more skilled you become, the better the tools serves you.
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