The mental load checklist
Tap everything you carry.
By the Fivey team, a parent-run company · Updated September 2026
0 things in your head
School
The week
Home
Appointments
People
The invisible part
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The full checklist, written out
School
- Gym clothes Monday and Wednesday for one child, Tuesday and Thursday for another — worn to school, not packed
- Backpack out Thursday, back in Tuesday, reading book swapped before it goes
- Two new spelling words a day off the weekly ten, plus the earlier ones to go back over
- Math facts where they actually are this week — the 3s, then starting the 6s
- The parent-teacher sign-up that opens on a Tuesday and is gone by Wednesday
- The date buried in paragraph nine of an email about something else
The week
- Who has drop-off each morning, and who is actually picking up at 3:30
- Swimming Thursday — one pair at 4:30, the other at 4:45, same pool
- Violin, orchestra, the club that doesn't run over vacation
- The Friday early dismissal, the teacher workday, the vacation week nobody else has noticed
- Two things landing on the same hour, and which one gives way
- Telling the sitter, the grandparents and your partner what just moved
Home
- Noticing the fridge before it's empty, not after
- Knowing what's for dinner before 5pm, every day
- Which shoes, coats and gear no longer fit — before the cold arrives
- A present in the house for Saturday's party
- What goes in the washer hot, what hangs to dry, and who else knows that
Appointments
- Camp spots that open in January for a week in July
- Dentist, eye doctor, vaccinations — when each was last done, and for which child
- Passports, insurance and permission forms before they lapse
- The school tour that needs a slot at 9am on a school day
- The reply that never came, chased again
People
- The party invitation that arrived in someone else's inbox, with an address and a theme
- Whose birthday is next and what they're into this year
- Which child had a hard day, and what to ask about at dinner
- One question worth asking about what they're actually studying this semester
The invisible part
- Being the one who notices all of the above without being asked
- Being the one everyone else checks with
- Re-checking the list all day because it lives in your head
- Explaining the task every time you hand it over — so you stop handing it over
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School
- ☐ Gym days for each kid
- ☐ Backpack and library days
- ☐ Spelling words each night
- ☐ Where they are with math facts
- ☐ Parent-teacher sign-up window
- ☐ The date buried in an email
The week
- ☐ Who's on drop-off and pickup
- ☐ Swim times for each kid
- ☐ Clubs that pause for breaks
- ☐ Early dismissals and days off
- ☐ Two things at the same time
- ☐ Telling the sitter what moved
Home
- ☐ Groceries before they run out
- ☐ What's for dinner
- ☐ Shoes and coats outgrown
- ☐ A gift for Saturday's party
- ☐ Laundry only you understand
Appointments
- ☐ Camp sign-ups in January
- ☐ When everyone last saw the dentist
- ☐ Passports before they expire
- ☐ School tour slots
- ☐ The reply that never came
People
- ☐ Party invites in someone else's inbox
- ☐ Birthdays coming up
- ☐ Which kid had a hard day
- ☐ What they're learning this term
The invisible part
- ☐ Noticing without being asked
- ☐ Being the one everyone checks with
- ☐ Re-checking it all in your head
- ☐ Explaining every task you hand over