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Research Project

I am a graduate student working on a project focused on community innovation. My research sets out to explore ?How does a young homeowner (with children under

5 years) of an independent house manage household tasks?? As a new homeowner and a mom of a thirteen month old, I strive hard to manage my house. There have been days when I forget to switch off the thermostat, fireplace, disarm the security system, check my mailbox for days, put trash bins out for collection, close the garage door, and put laundry into the dryer after the washer cycle. In short, I?ve been in need of a solution that can help me be more organized in running household chores. Have you tried putting any mechanism in place for a smooth and on-time execution of household chores? Or have you come across anybody who has tried to device a mechanism to manage household tasks? Your inputs will help me conclude my research. Thanks!
Reply to
Mehtapragya
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You could ask your therapist why you've posted to a UK group?

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Is this illegal?

Reply to
F Murtz

Mehtapragya a écrit :

I use my Iphone to remind me of time critical things, pinned up paper notes for longer term reminders.

Our green and black bins are emptied Tuesday mornings alternate weeks, which causes me confusion as to which bin needs to be put out from the bin shed. I made a plastic arrow screwed to the shed roof, which can swivel to point to the next bin to go out. I rotate the pointer either when I take a full bin out, or when I bring it back empty. It soon became an involuntary habit.

I rely heavily on involuntary habit, to remind me to do many things. I have a keycode entry system to my garage - if I think about entering the code, I cannot remember it, but leave it to habit and I don't have a problem unlocking. I cannot remember how to operate our complex multi-function microwave oven if I think about it, but I manage fine allowing habit to take over.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Round here, the waste and recycling bins are collected every week, but the garden bins every fortnight. Hardly anybody can remember, so most people put their garden bins out every week.

I suspect that many of the people on this NG are much older than the OP has in mind. :)

Reply to
GB

I have all this (colour coded) in Google Calendar. I can set reminders on soem things but the bins are just 'there' alternate weeks.

Reply to
Bob Eager

On 18 May 2016, Harry Bloomfield grunted:

How do you remember whether you switched the arrow last time though...? Or even to remember to put the bin out at all (which is my personal issue!)

Fot years I have had a web-based calendar (mine's Yahoo) which has two recurring fortnightly appointments, which send a reminder to my Iphone every Tuesday evening; either "Put green bin out" or "Put black bin out". Works like a charm.

Reply to
Lobster

What's wrong with an old fashioned paper calendar? You can buy one for less than a quid and it lasts a whole year. We have one marked up with alternate bin weeks, and constantly add random items.

Mike

Reply to
Muddymike

In message , Muddymike writes

+1!

I really, really could not be arsed to set up some clever electronic 'thing' just to remind me which bin to put out, or when to go to the dentist.

Reply to
News

Doesn't work over the Internet...

Doesn't have multiple overlaid calendars that can be switched on and off...

Doesn't issue reminders for important events...

Those are 3 of the must haves in our house (we have 17 calendars for various classes of things - it's dead handy being able to say switch all off except the car and have a full history in agenda mode.)

Reply to
Tim Watts

Of course not. But it's very unlikely he or she will read any replies.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

That depends on whether you have a job that involves sitting in front of a computer all day :)

BTW - what would you do if your wife worked all day, so did you, you had X kids and then at work, you needed to book something in for you and your wife?

With Google of course, I just check and do it. SWMBO gets notified and job jobbed.

Reply to
Tim Watts

I would think that most here have got themself a wife to do those menial ta sks ;-)

Reply to
whisky-dave

Called a crib list usually ticked off each day, but they can be reused by using water souable marker and non porous surfaces. Of course you need to remember to look and alter as you do stuff. Pilots rely on them a lot.. -)

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

Lobster a écrit :

Easy, I do it by deeply ingrained habit. Pull a bin out of it shelter, flip the arrow over. On the way back with the bin, I double check the arrow points to the next bin in a week.

I haven't found a solution yet for our brown garden bin emptying, which is on a Saturday and every two weeks.

If I empty the kettle, I make sure I leave it off its cordless stand as a reminder to fill it before swithing it back on. Just picking it up and putting it back on the stand, were I to do that, I would notice there is no weight of water in it.

I have always potentially been terribly forgetful, so I go to a great deal of trouble to make myself as foolproof as I possibly can and maybe a bit obsessive about it.

When intending going out I stack things up that I need, by the door so as not to forget anything like my cellphone. The other day I left the freezer on rapid freeze for two days, simply because I forgot to sort out a reminder process. It was -50C when I finally switched in to normal operation.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

On 18 May 2016, Harry Bloomfield grunted:

Easy... A third fortnightly calendar entry "Put brown bin out" :)

Reply to
Lobster

On 18 May 2016, News grunted:

Really don't get that attitude TBH. It took me maybe 2 minutes to set up when I got my first smartphone 6 years ago, and has simply just 'worked' ever since, with no need to write down new 'bin' entries every week ad infinitum and it will continue to do so until I want to change it. I'm not saying paper diaries/calendars don't have their uses, but this specific calendar entry surely isn't one of them.

Reply to
Lobster

But you've got to remember to fill in the calendar. And you might forget one year. ;-)

BTW, a calendar with space for notes usually means smaller print for the date, etc. Which can make it less use as a calendar.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Or just write it on your wall calendar!

Mike

Reply to
Muddymike

I have a linux cron script that does that..

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

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