Mental Load

Man doing housework, woman relaxing

The Joy Of Not Doing Housework (But Knowing It’s Still Being Done)

About a year ago I bought a robot vacuum. It may just be the single best thing I have ever bought. Because I feel literal joy every time I hear it switch itself on automatically to clean my house, or come home (pre-coronavirus) to find it’s cleaned while I’ve been out. Actual Joy. This struck me as a pretty extreme emotional reaction to a household appliance, so I’ve been thinking… Read More »The Joy Of Not Doing Housework (But Knowing It’s Still Being Done)

Woman with mental load represented by thought bubble showing all the tasks on her mind

What is Mental Load? How it’s different to housework, & how to reduce yours in 3 steps

Mental Load is the work of having to constantly remember, organise, account for, plan and manage your life and the lives of others in your household. It’s sometimes referred to as being the CEO or Manager of the household. It frequently involves delegating tasks to others, or being asked “how can I help” when it comes to household tasks, instead of others taking complete ownership of tasks. And don’t be… Read More »What is Mental Load? How it’s different to housework, & how to reduce yours in 3 steps

Woman with organisational structures & agreements

Resolving Different Housework Standards: And Stop Fighting About It

The Housework Standards Challenge (Part Two) It’s more common than you’d think for two people to fight about whether household tasks have been ‘done’. Or if everyone is doing their fair share of the work. Why is this? Often it’s because we have different understandings of the ‘Definition of done’ for housework tasks. The first post in this three part series examines why standards might differ between household members. If… Read More »Resolving Different Housework Standards: And Stop Fighting About It

Steering wheel showing post-it notes of things to be done

Introducing ThirdShift

Welcome to the ThirdShift Blog! ThirdShift is creating a more equal world by changing the way busy parents work and stay connected. Originally founded to solve the problem of Mental Load – the mental work of managing and organising a household. This is work that’s disproportionately done by women, is mostly invisible, and continues to be a significant barrier to gender equality in the workplace. Mental Load goes hand in… Read More »Introducing ThirdShift