What's the idea behind this site?

It was originally intended as a way of tracking household chores. It started as a simple PHP application that i made for my own use, and then i realised it could be expanded into a community site. The whole concept of people joining teams and sharing work together came out of that.

What is MyChores useful for?

Any recurring tasks. Although most people use it for household chores, there are several other conceivable uses. For example, a homework planner; a list of friends you wish to keep in touch with; a record of the jobs you do at work on a daily or weekly basis, or customers you should contact regularly.

How much does it cost?

Absolutely nothing! However, if you want to make a small donation i will upgrade you to site supporter status which gives you extra features.

What is OpenID?

OpenID is a method of authenticating yourself across multiple sites. One site provides your identity and checks with you whether to share that identity with other sites. To MyChores it means you can log in without needing to remember an additional username and password.

How do i register using OpenID?

Firstly enter your OpenID url and allow MyChores to share your identity. Then you’ll need to enter a few more details such as a unique username for MyChores to be able to identify you, your name, email address and timezone. After that you just use MyChores in the same way as everybody else, except you’ll use your OpenID to login, not your username.

What if i registered using OpenID but i later want to log in with a password?

When you registered using OpenID MyChores will have made up a random password for you. I assure you, you won’t be able to guess it! You’ll have to go to forgot password, enter your email address and you’ll receive a special link which will enable you to set a new password for yourself.

What's the difference between MyChores and FlyLady?

FlyLady tells you what to do. With MyChores, you tell yourself what to do. MyChores keeps track of it for you. You may choose to start with the standard tasks suggested for you when you sign up, but you’re free to alter them to suit your personal needs.

Do you use MyChores yourself?

Absolutely! I made it for myself, primarily.

I have a problem/suggestion/criticism, what will you do about it?

I’m really keen to receive feedback. MyChores has become what it is today largely thanks to suggestions and contributions from many people. So please, let me know what’s on your mind and i will certainly take your opinions into account.

What does it mean, "Your email will be sent shortly"?

It means within the next few minutes. Whenever you invite someone to join a team, or nudge someone to do a task, it does not send an email right away but puts it on to a queue to be sent by the server. This is to avoid slowing down the site for you.

Why aren't i getting any emails?

Firstly check that your email address has been entered correctly and verified. If you have not yet verified your email address, go to Preferences and click ‘Verify email address’. You’ll then get an email containing a link to verify your address. Just click that link and you’re done. It is possible you may have to add the email address contact AT mychores.co.uk to your email ‘safe senders’ list.

Can i turn off email notifications?

Yes, of course. Go through the Help Centre → Email settings. You can set them to daily, weekly (choose your preferred day of the week) or turn them off altogether. I like daily reminders, but we’re all different. You can also specify whether you want HTML or plain-text emails, and whether to include task descriptions. You can also choose the time you would like to receive your email notification.

Can i turn off advertisements?

Site supporters may turn off advertisements under Preferences (Viewing options).

What is a site supporter?

Anyone who gives something back to the site is called a site supporter. Early Adopters are all site supporters, as is anyone who helps out by testing, suggesting improvements, helping to code improvements, and helping towards financial costs. Site supporters enjoy certain benefits over other users. For more information see site supporters.

Why do tasks disappear after i click them?

To speed things up, the processing of the task after you tick it is done behind the scenes. All you should see is the task fade and disappear off your workload list. It hasn’t actually gone – if you refresh your browser you might see it re-appear further down the list. This ‘behind the scenes’ processing avoids the need for a full refresh with every click.

Tasks do nothing when i tick them - what's wrong?

If nothing happens when you tick off a task, you probably don’t have JavaScript enabled in your browser. You can either turn on JavaScript if your browser supports it (usually in the options somewhere) or you can disable JavaScript in Preferences (Workload preferences).

How do i check what tasks have been done?

Each team has an RSS feed which you can view in your favourite RSS viewer to see the tasks that have been completed in the team. There is a special URL for each team’s RSS feed which can be found on the team page.

How do i let other people know what tasks i've done?

The best way is to sign up for Twitter and enable Twitter Integration to make a Twitter update when you complete your tasks. I may also provide RSS feeds for people (in addition to teams) in the near future.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a site for talking about what you’re currently doing. MyChores has no direct association with Twitter, but uses the Twitter API to enable cross-communication.

What is Twitter Integration?

Twitter Integration now has two parts: receiving daily Twitter direct messages of your tasks, and posting to Twitter when you tick off tasks on MyChores.

How do i receive Twitter direct messages?

Firstly, add the Twitter mychores account to your Twitter friends so that it can send you direct messages. Then go to Twitter Integration settings and enter your Twitter username. Tick ‘Receive Twitter notifications’ and choose the time of day for receiving them. If you have given your mobile number or IM address to Twitter this can send you a text/IM. The message will only tell you tasks due for the current day – it won’t report overdue tasks.

How do i make Twitter updates when i complete tasks?

Go to Twitter Integration settings and enter your Twitter username and password. Tick ‘Make Twitter posts’ and choose a format for your updates. Tick all the lists that you wish to trigger a Twitter update.


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