What are essential tasks?

Essential tasks are the basics that maintain a functional, usable home.

Essential tasks are the ones that maintain a basic, functional state of your home. If these don’t get done, things stop working — dishes pile up, trash overflows, floors get gritty.

Think of essential tasks as the baseline. They’re not about perfection or deep cleaning — they’re about keeping your home usable and livable day to day.

Examples of essential tasks:

  • Do dishes
  • Empty trash
  • Sweep or vacuum floors
  • Clean toilet
  • Clean sink (bathroom)
  • Clean tub/shower
  • Do laundry, fold, and put away
  • Tidy up clutter
  • Wipe down dining table

Examples of tasks that are typically not essential:

  • Dust surfaces
  • Clean mirrors
  • Organize closets or drawers
  • Wipe cabinet fronts
  • Clean oven or microwave
  • Vacuum upholstery

To mark a task as essential, open the task editor and toggle the Essential switch.

Note

What counts as essential is up to your household. The examples above are defaults — adjust them to match how your home works.