Friendships/Relationships/Psychology

9 Small Gestures That Can Make You A Joy To Live With

Living with people is tricky, these things can decrease tension and increase goodwill.

Erin King is the author of How To Be Wise AF: A 30-day journalling adventure to your inner Guru.

The biggest culprit for domestic conflict is housework and some people genuinely don’t understand what it means to be a good housemate.

Whether you’re a roommate or a romantic partner, living with someone else requires a certain amount of consideration in order for it to work.

If you want to be easier to live with, why not try some of these little gestures because when you’re living together, it’s the little things that make the most impact.

1. Tidy the bedroom.

A messy, smelly pile of laundry as the first thing you see in the morning, and the last thing you see at night feels overwhelming. Especially if one person likes to keep things neat.

Show you care enough to keep your mess to yourself and that you don’t expect anyone to pick up after you. It’s probably just as easy to throw clothes into a hamper or basket anyway.

2. Wipe the counter.

If you cut something and leave the crumbs on the counter, you’re leaving them for someone else to clean, that is a fact. The next person to use that area has to wipe it down first.

Wiping up after you make food is not only thoughtful but more sanitary.

3. Clean food out of the sink stopper.

It is gross to go to use the sink and have the stopper be full of the old food. If you are doing dishes, the last thing you do should be to check and clean that little metal filter in the drain.

Cleaning the sink strainer makes the whole kitchen feel cleaner.

4. Clean the bathroom.

The toilet and shower are not self-cleaning. If they’re clean and yet you’ve never cleaned them, you might want to give it a go.

A clean bathroom makes the whole house feel more sanitary, so keeping it clean is important for everyone, including guests. A dirty bathroom makes the house feel filthy and is off-putting and gross.

5. Clear the table.

You’re not living in a restaurant, so you probably don’t have a busser to clear up your dishes.

Cooking is a big job. A home-cooked meal takes mental and physical time to prepare. You might want to offer to clean up after. It’s an excellent way to say thank you.

6. Do some dishes.

Dishes are one of those perpetual jobs. Just when you’ve got them washed and put away, you have to use them again. The loading and unloading of the dishwasher is a continual cycle that can get overwhelming and depressing.

If everyone washes up a few pots in the sink or unloads the dishwasher it keeps the job from getting overwhelming for anyone.

7. Cook a meal.

Even if you’re a terrible cook, there is probably one or two things you do great.

If other people always cook, you might want to try making your signature dish once a week. Cooking is a learned skill like anything else and the more you do it, the better you get.

Or, you could offer to prep for the person who is cooking. You could chop the vegetables and get out the pots.

Any cook will tell you that a meal they didn’t have to make always tastes amazing. Besides, what you lack in skill, you will be making up in generosity, and that goes a long way.

8. Do the grocery shop.

Grocery shopping is another job that takes a significant amount of time and energy, so offer to make a list and get the provisions.

Home-cooked meals take time to prepare, and shopping is at least another hour or more on top of the nightly commitment. Both of those combined can add another whole work day’s worth of hours onto someone’s schedule.

To have one person do it all is like adding an unpaid part-time job into the mix.

9. Wash and fold towels and bedding.

If your cupboards are full of fluffy clean towels and yet you’ve never folded one, that’s a bad sign.

Your home isn’t a hotel. If you have clean sheets and towels and you don’t do them yourself, it’s not the linen elves.

Grabbing an armful of towels to wash or stripping and washing the bed linens is a great way to surprise someone with a little doable luxury, that doesn’t cost a thing.

There will always be one person who does more around the house. The trick is not to let them do it all just because they will.

If you’ve noticed some hard feelings from your roomies (or significant other) and you’re not sure where they’re coming from, build back goodwill by trying some (or all) of these.

Bonus Round: You can also level up your game by changing the toilet paper before there are no squares left to spare.

Thanks so much for reading! 😊

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