How to Live Alone Without Getting Set in Your Ways

Your place, your space, your rules. When you live alone, it's just that simple. You do what you want, how you want, and there's no need for negotiation. While this may seem perfectly harmless - particularly if you desire for your solo living arrangement to be a long-term or even permanent one - there are some benefits to remaining flexible and open regardless of your circumstances.

Having lived alone for more than 10 years before I got married, I can honestly say that I came pretty close to getting set in my ways. The one thing that kept me from going overboard was the realization that becoming set in my ways at home was likely to filter over into other areas of my life. Among coworkers, friends and family I found it beneficial and often necessary to be flexible and tolerant of how other people did things, and open to sharing.

I never wanted to become one of those people who was a pain to be around because I lost it every time someone moved a throw pillow two inches from its normal resting place on my sofa, or left a magazine out of place on the coffee table. It was important to me that people felt comfortable and at home when visiting me, and that I could visit others in their homes without being judgmental or difficult. These are among the many advantages of maintaining the right attitude when living alone and avoiding becoming too rigid.

Living alone without becoming set in your ways is not always easy, but there are several things that you can do to help the process along:

Periodically change your routine