Part of the free course Conscious Coliving in Action: Practical Steps to Getting Started. Prefer it paced? Get it by email — one lesson a day.

Day 4: Roadmap for joining a conscious coliving space

Dear conscious human,

🥳 Congratulations made it this far. The last lessons were pretty introspective, so it’s time to get practical!

In this lesson, we’ll share a roadmap for joining a conscious coliving space. We’re starting with this option, because if you are new to conscious coliving or if you’re not actively doing it right now, this is the easiest way to start.

A lot of work goes into establishing a conscious coliving space, and joining one lets you beat the queue. The downside, of course, is that you don’t get to decide the vision, agreements or intentions. That’s why we focussed the previous lesson on values, needs and preparation, so that you can have clarity as an individual and can find a conscious coliving space that really aligns with you.

The benefits of joining a space

They are readily available. There are hundreds of amazing conscious coliving spaces around the world!
It’s easier to join without experience. Since everything is already established, you just have to focus on aligning with that rather than trying to figure everything out.
There are flexible spaces. You don’t have to go all in on one place for the rest of your life. Try out many different environments and learn what suits you best.
They don’t require big financial investments. You don’t have to think about covering the costs of property, damages, resources, etc. Usually an established conscious coliving space will have a financial model which you just pay into.
You can start immediately.

Remember: start with baby steps 🐾

Just because you’ve made a commitment to this course and you are curious doesn’t mean you should rush into something.

Start with baby steps. Choosing a conscious coliving environment doesn't mean uprooting your whole life. For example, at the Bergerac Hub, we had an individual come to experience conscious coliving with their partner. During this period they realized that their dream of setting up a space together wasn’t what they wanted. In choosing to take baby steps to execute on this dream, they saved themselves a lot of time, energy and money, and were able to re-evaluate and redesign their dream.

Step one: Find conscious coliving places in your area

So we know you would like us to tell you the go-to places or platforms for you to do your search. Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple. Instead, we will highlight some of the best approaches to take.

#1 Word of mouth

By far the best way to start is by seeking recommendations from friends, colleagues and wider community networks like Life Itself. This can offer new finds and insights, especially as coliving becomes more popular, and you can gain the experience of someone who has already potentially had direct experience with the coliving community.

#2 Get specific with your search engine

Take into account what you are searching for and what your priorities are. These will usually fall into one of two sets - location or lifestyle. Once you’ve identified which one to start with, searching for coliving in/for [item] can get you started. You can also be super specific, such as coliving in [location] for [lifestyle] for example, coliving in portugal for a yoga lover, or coliving in Wales for a mountain biker.

To find conscious communities and spaces within this, you’ll need to then look into their approach which includes their philosophy, mission, aim and values around fostering community, sustainability, and shared living spaces. Use your earlier identified values and needs as a starting point.

#3 Utilize roommate matching platforms

Searching on roommate matching platforms can help, as you can add specific preferences into the search. Here are some that come recommended, but as always, do your own research to make sure it feels aligned:

Anyplace
Young Global Living
Moving
Roomsync
Coliving.com
Convivo
FlOasis
Socialbookers
Roomster
SpareRoom
Whoomies

Searching on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok can help you to find potential coliving spaces and to learn more about the coliving communities' values and expression.

Articulating your ideal coliving community through written descriptions and sharing on social media can lead to increased visibility and potential recommendations from inside and outside your networks.

Whatever happens, stay open-minded throughout your search process.

We would also recommend between this step and the next step that you refresh your knowledge and refer back to the red flags we covered in Conscious Coliving 101.

Step two: Visit, enquire and gauge alignment

In this step, we recommend that you take your time and plan to visit multiple conscious coliving places before making a decision.

Take your list of questions you identified earlier with you, and really investigate if the place is a true fit for you. All truly conscious coliving spaces will also be very aware of the problems that can occur if they welcome a misaligned person into the community, so spaces that are also interested in getting to know you and have you visit first show a healthy attitude.

Step three: Meet the other colivers and have a trial period

Before committing to a conscious coliving space, it's crucial to interact with potential colivers to gauge compatibility and shared values. Attend meet-and-greet sessions or community events to engage with prospective housemates. These interactions provide insights into personalities, lifestyles, and common interests.

Trial living in the conscious coliving place for at least a week before agreeing to join

A trial period of living in the conscious coliving space offers firsthand experience and insight into daily routines, dynamics, and the overall atmosphere. Spending at least a year immersed in the community allows for a deeper understanding of how well it aligns with individual preferences and lifestyle choices. It's an opportunity to assess if the community's ethos, communal activities, and shared responsibilities resonate with your personal values. During this period, engaging in communal activities and discussions helps in understanding the collective mindset and ensuring it's a good fit before committing long-term.

Beware the honeymoon period - trial for longer if you can

After the initial trial, extending the stay for a longer period allows for a more comprehensive assessment of conscious coliving. It is easy to have a rose-tinted view after an initial trial where you are still in a 'honeymoon period'. Trialing for longer enables deeper connections with fellow colivers, understanding the nuances of daily interactions, and evaluating the sustainability of the community's dynamics such as providing insights into how the community handles challenges, resolves conflicts, and supports one another.

Step four: Get clear on all agreements, commitments and contracts

Before signing up to join a conscious coliving space, it's imperative to thoroughly comprehend all of the agreements, commitments, contracts, rules and expectations that govern the community and space. Reviewing contracts and guidelines ensures clarity regarding responsibilities, financial obligations, and shared decision-making processes. Understanding and choosing to align with these agreements are crucial to fostering a cohesive and respectful environment. This is why it's essential to confirm that your personal values and lifestyle preferences resonate with the established norms of the community to avoid potential conflicts or misunderstandings.

Are you really willing to pull your weight?

Also known as the free-rider problem, participation and commitment are integral to the success of any conscious coliving space. To avoid becoming a free-rider, it's crucial to assess one's willingness to actively contribute and uphold responsibilities within the community. Consider whether you're genuinely prepared to share tasks, engage in communal activities, and contribute to the collective well-being (as well as continually work on your introspection and self-development as an on-going practice). The free-rider problem emerges when individuals benefit from the community without contributing their fair share. Being mindful of this issue and ensuring a commitment to pulling one's weight is essential for sustaining a healthy and balanced coliving environment.

Take your time

Take time to acknowledge that transitioning into a conscious coliving environment is a big change, one that requires you to proceed thoughtfully and deliberately. Recognise that there will be an adjustment period, and plan for long-term sustainability, rather than rushing into commitments impulsively. It can take time to acclimate to the community’s dynamics and understand your place, but planning for long-term involvement and employing the awarenesses we mentioned earlier on in this course can all help to ensure a smoother transition.

Action time ✍️

If you’re starting to feel like wow, this is hard to even know where to start, great! You are in exactly the right place 😉.

First, take some time to breathe and digest this information. Paying attention to where you might have felt triggered, or the parts that feel a bit sticky or overwhelming gives you a lot of insight and we recommend journaling on these for clarity.

Next, take some time to review and write down your next steps, to help you to start to create your own roadmap. Remember you don’t need to have it all figured out at this point, you just need to know the very next step you’re going to take, so keep it simple.

The action step I’m going to take next is …

And if you’re feeling confident feel free to add a few more steps after this.

See you in the next lesson

Lauren & the Life Itself CoCo 🥥 team

If you have any feedback on the course, we’d love to hear it: [email protected]

P.S. This course is brought to you by Life Itself - https://lifeitself.org

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