ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Chore roster: show the recurring work people have agreed to share
A chore roster is a record of recurring household jobs and the people assigned or agreed to them. In this example, we build it from an explicit household conversation. It is not a ranking of family members or a claim that an equal number of listed jobs means an equal amount of work.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
A checklist might show the steps inside one job. A roster shows how several recurring jobs are shared over time. Before adding names, clarify what each job includes and whether someone has the information and materials to carry it out.
Show the dates an agreement actually covers
In this invented household, people have agreed on two jobs after their Sunday drawing afternoons: return the shared pencils to their cup and place the table covers in an agreed basket. They make a roster for the next three occasions, not an indefinite assignment.
One adult accepts the pencils for the first and third Sundays. A teen offers to do that job on the second Sunday only. Another adult accepts the covers on all three dates. Each dated entry reflects an actual offer; the person drawing the roster does not rotate names automatically to fill a pattern.
When the teen learns they will be away on the second Sunday, they tell the household. That occurrence becomes “replacement not agreed,” while the other dates remain unchanged. Nobody copies the teen's name into a fourth week or silently makes the first adult the substitute. A planned name is also kept separate from a later note that the job was actually done.
Use a roster with a review point
Period or occasions this roster covers:
Job and agreed finish:
Date / person who accepted this occurrence / current plan:
Date / person who accepted this occurrence / current plan:
Completion note, only after the actual job:
Exception or replacement still to discuss:
Who will update the affected entry:
When this roster ends or needs a new agreement:
A change to a row should be discussed with the person affected. Moving a task between names on a board does not show that either person accepted a new arrangement. If a drawing afternoon is canceled, mark that occasion accordingly rather than treating its unused row as a missed chore.
Different contributions can remain different
A child might have a small clearly described job within the household's actual arrangements. An adult may retain work that needs skills, permissions, or equipment the child does not have. A partner can ask whether planning and noticing work have been included, rather than comparing tick marks alone. A grandparent helping occasionally can have a limited row rather than a permanent recurring assignment.
This example does not specify age-based chores, safety instructions, parenting rules, or a method for evaluating fairness. Those decisions require the real people and circumstances involved.
When the roster stops matching life
An illness, travel period, changing schedule, or simply an inaccurate task description may mean the arrangement needs revisiting. Discuss the particular mismatch instead of treating every missed mark as the same event. A roster should describe the work, not decide what a person intended or whether their ADHD explains it.
Related guides
Updates and corrections
Published .
Found a factual error or something unclear? Use the contact route on our Trust page. Read our research method for the evidence approach.