Apartment Living Tips: How to Use a Roommate Chore Chart Generator
Guess what! Your home life sharing space with roommates can be so much simpler than you think.
With a proper roommate chore chart generator—there’s an app for that!—you can enjoy less fuss, a cleaner living space and happy flat mates. Here’s all you need to know.
Who is the organizer between you and your roommates? Do any of you even enjoy managing the living environment, from getting bills paid to making sure the bathroom is clean? If you’re the owner, you have no choice—if you want to protect your asset. If you simply want to keep the peace and prevent fights about the kitchen that was left in chaos—again—that’s a 24/7 burden!
Surely there’s a better way to manage chores and responsibilities?
For many roomies a roommate chore chart generator is key to a peaceful existence! But, manage this correctly, or it will simply rob you of more time and energy.
Want to get roommate living right?
Read through our tips on a roommate chore chart generator and other helpful guidelines that will make more of a change than you think!
Why is it Important to Manage Roommate Chores Well?
Talk to business leaders and they’ll tell you the value of streamlining and automating processes. It saves time—even money—and as a whole the business gets more done.
Well, the same values apply to joint living situations, such as dividing up chores among everyone. After all, doing chores and maintenance protects your asset so you don’t have unnecessary repair expenses. And if you manage your roommate chore chart correctly, everyone will be more willing to do their share, so you’re creating a more welcoming living environment for everyone.
Ways to Generate a Roommate Chore Chart
So, here are a few old-school and brand-new ways to effectively manage chores around the house or apartment.
Use a Chore Wheel
Here’s one for those who enjoy a bit of arts and crafts—or simply print it out if you’re pressed for time:
- Make a list of all chores
- List the names of all roommates
- Create a paper wheel—firm cardboard works best—with the same number of sections (think pieces of pie) then your number of chores
- Write a chore in each section
- Make a smaller wheel with sections that will contain roommates’ names. It must have the same number of sections as the chore wheel. Names get added multiple times until all sections are filled.
- Attach the two wheels by making holes in the centers and secure it with a pin.
- To generate a roommate chore chart, spin the name wheel and where it lands, each person is responsible for the tasks written in the sections that line up with their names.
You can keep the chore list this way, or adjust the wheel by one section each week or month.
Create a Spreadsheet
If you enjoy working on spreadsheets you may want to create one with columns representing roommates and rows for chores. Share it with all the roommates on the cloud so you can collaborate on the document.
Options to use this as a chore chart generator:
- Ask everyone to pick a few chores and divide remaining ones among the team.
- Randomly allocate names to chores and regularly—monthly or weekly—move chores one row down so everyone gets a chance at every chore
A spreadsheet is helpful because you can add helpful information such as due dates and exact expectations. Unfortunately, not all roommates will enjoy or remember checking the chart. You may have to keep reminding them to do their share.
Wall Calendar
A wall calendar is a popular choice for many households, because it’s a visual element. Put it up in the kitchen and everybody is bound to see it, serving as a reminder of what needs to be done.
Have fun making one from cardboard or simply print out a design from your PC. Options for using wall calendars include:
- Show an entire month and write chores with the responsible person for each day or week, depending on how often the chore needs to be done.
- Create a page for each roommate and stick chores—written on cardboard with some sticky tape at the back—on each page. You can easily rotate chores each month or week by moving them from page to page.
- Have sections on the page for weekly and daily chores.
- Use a grid on a white board and whiteboard markers to easily adjust schedules each month, so everyone gets a turn at each task.
You can draw chores from a hat for a start, or allow roommates to pick their chores for the first month. Then rotate them so in due time, everyone gets a chance at each task.
Unfortunately, over time your roommates will get so used to the wall calendar that they won’t even notice it. If you don’t remind them to check their responsibilities, they’re bound to forget.
Go Digital!
Tech innovations are popular for a reason! They make life so much simpler! And an app like Enzo gives you one of the best, simplest roommate chore chart generators you’ll ever come across.
A chore tracker app enables the following, saving you time and making sure chores aren’t only allocated but actually completed:
- All tasks are displayed on an app which gives everyone easy access to their responsibilities. You don’t even have to be home to check the chart!
- Advanced apps like Enzo can help manage recurring tasks, making it effortless to manage the allocation of tasks over coming weeks.
- Each roommate gets reminders about their upcoming chores, so they can plan and set aside time for it. No one has an excuse for not getting it done and other roommates don’t have to play ‘policeman’ all the time.
Why not do apartment cleaning the 21st century way? By making information accessible and automating the process of generating a chore chart, you avoid conflict and save time!
Tips for Creating Chore Charts that Keep Everyone Happy
No matter which chore chart generator process you pick, it’s important to be respectful and ensure clear communication between all parties. Here are guidelines that will get more buy in from all participants.
Discuss Cleaning Standards
Never assume that everyone knows what you mean when you say ‘clean the kitchen’. Even after vetting and finding compatible roommates, there will still be differences of opinion. Some will simply give the counters a quick wipe down, while you may expect deep cleaning with sanitizing solution AND checking for items in the fridge that are past their due date.
There should be an in depth discussion about what everyone expects from each other. For one thing, roommates may not be able to cater for all of a germophobe’s preferences, so some compromises will be need to be made by all parties.
List All Chores
Start off by asking everyone to add chores to the list. An apartment cleaning checklist will be a good start to ensure you don’t miss anything. Remember to list all types of tasks:
- Weekly ones
- Monthly tasks
- Tasks like roof maintenance that occur every few months, and which everyone may work together on
Talk About Everyone’s Needs and Preferences
While there’s no question that roommates must help with the tasks, you may show some leniency in HOW they’re done. Some practical examples:
- Roommates may prefer everyone use biodegradable products and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions.
- If a roommate’s schedule doesn’t allow any free time on specific days of the week, agree that they can do it when they have time, but by a certain date.
Divide Chores Fairly
Prevent any animosity by ensuring the roommate chore chart generator leads to a fair distribution of tasks. Consider the number of chores, but also how much time and effort goes into each one.
Talk About Accountability
Despite the best roommate chore chart generator—with reminders—some of your flatmates will still ‘forget’ to complete their tasks. During your chore discussion, ask everyone how you as a group will handle these situations.
For example, if the Enzo app shows someone has neglected a task too many times, should they pay a penalty fee? Agree on consequences, to avoid conflict down the line. You can even include it in the house rules, which can easily be updated and shared via the app.
Last Tip: Say Thank You
The word ‘chores’ can quickly draw a frown from most people, but it doesn’t have to be. There are ways to make chores fun—try a chore game or two—and some people simply want to be acknowledged and appreciated for doing their share. So, try finding different ways to thank your roommates for helping you keep the space clean and organized. Chances are, you’ll get even more buy in from them.
