SortYourMind

Chores in your calendar

Household chores in your calendar

By Bram, maker of SortYourMind · Updated

Putting household chores in your calendar means you do not keep them on a separate list, but plan them as blocks in the time you really have free, around your appointments. You see in advance what fits and what does not. Start with two or three regular blocks a week, such as a cleaning block and a paperwork block.

List or calendar: the difference

Why a calendar gives more calm than a list
To-do listBlocks in your calendar
What you seeEverything that needs doingWhat fits today
TimeUnknown until it is too lateSet aside in advance
On a full dayThe list growsYou move the block to a free moment
In your headIt stays thereYou can let go: it is written down

Which job fits which block?

Block sizes that work well at home
BlockWhat fitsWhen
15 minutesSink and toilet, bins out, answer one email, send someone a messageAfter dinner, before you leave
30 minutesBathroom, kitchen floor, sort the post, call the insurerOne evening a week
60 minutesVacuum and mop, the month's paperwork, a small DIY jobWeekend or a free afternoon
2 hours or moreSpring clean, tax return, declutter cupboardsOnce a month or once a season

How to start

  1. Look at your weekWhere are your regular free stretches? Often that is two evenings and part of the weekend.
  2. Choose two or three regular blocksFor example Tuesday at 7.30pm a thirty-minute cleaning block, and Saturday at 10am a one-hour block.
  3. Give each block a themeCleaning, paperwork, calls and emails, jobs around the house. Then you know what goes in it.
  4. Leave roomDo not fill every free minute. An empty evening is a plan too.
  5. Move rather than deleteIf a block does not happen, give it a new moment straight away.

Step by step in your own calendar

Time blocking at homeTime blocking for home life: regular blocks for cleaning, paperwork and jobs around your work and family. With rules, a sample day and the usual pitfalls.Plan your household chores in OutlookHow to plan chores and life admin in your Outlook calendar: recurring blocks, busy or free, reminders and categories. Plus how it can happen automatically.Plan your household chores in Google CalendarPlan chores and life admin in Google Calendar with recurring blocks, colours and notifications. And how to connect your calendar safely with the iCal address.Cleaning schedule when you work full timeA cleaning schedule for when you work full time: fifteen minutes on weekdays and one block at the weekend. With a sample week, a smart order and calendar tips.Time blocking with ADHDTime blocking adapted for when your mind wanders or you lose track of time: short blocks, buffers, a starting ritual and a plan B when a block goes wrong.

How SortYourMind does it

SortYourMind finds the time for you

Put in what needs doing, or tell SyMon. SortYourMind reads when you are busy and places SyMslots in your free time: blocks that fit your tasks. Priority 1 first, and always on the day you chose.

  • Outlook connects directly: the app reads your appointments and places SyMslots as busy, without reminders
  • Google Calendar and other calendars through the secret iCal address: the app reads when you are busy
  • Recalculate: when your day changes, the app replans from now
  • Waiting for reply: park whatever depends on someone else

Try it free for 30 days

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Questions

Is this the same as time blocking?

Yes, applied to home. Time blocking means dividing your time into blocks in advance. For the household that means regular blocks for cleaning, paperwork and jobs around the house, around your appointments.

Do I have to put every chore in my calendar separately?

No. Put a block in your calendar and keep the jobs that fit in it on a list. A thirty-minute block can hold three small jobs.