How It Works — Yewodan

Overview

What is Yewodan?

Pronunciation: Yeh-woh-dahn

Origin: A Twi word (spoken in Ghana) meaning "we have a house" — capturing the essence of shared living and collective responsibility.

Yewodan is a duty roster management tool built for landlords, property managers, and house admins who manage shared living spaces.

You define the tasks, add the people, set how often the rotation happens — and Yewodan handles the rest. Automatic turn tracking, email reminders, and a live view of who's up next.

Getting Started

Set up your first roster

Follow these steps to go from zero to a running rotation in under 5 minutes.

1

Create an account

Sign up with your email address. You'll receive a verification link — click it to activate your account. Google sign-in is also supported for a faster start.

After verifying, you'll be asked to select your role. Choose Admin / Property Manager to manage rosters.

2

Add a task

From the Roster Setup page, click Add Task. Enter the property address, select the duty type (Cleaning or Garbage Removal), and describe what needs to be done — e.g. "Sweep and mop the hallway".

Tasks define what needs doing at an address. You must add at least one task before you can add participants.

3

Add participants

Once a task exists, click Add Participant — either from the top-right button (you choose the address) or directly from a roster group (address and duty type are pre-filled). Enter the person's name, email, and set the rotation frequency.

The first person added to a roster automatically becomes the current turn holder and receives a notification email.

4

Set the rotation frequency

Choose how often turns rotate — Daily, Weekly, Every 2 weeks, Monthly, Every 3 months, or a fully custom number of days. All participants in the same roster share the same frequency.

5

Let it run

The system automatically rotates turns on schedule in the background. Reminders are sent on the first day of each person's turn. You don't need to do anything — just check the roster view whenever you want.

What happens after setup

Participant added

First person gets an email — "You're up first!"

Turn starts

Reminder sent on day 1 of their rotation period.

Rotation triggers

After the set number of days, the next person in line becomes current.

Next person notified

They receive an email with the task list and address.

Cycle repeats

Rotation continues indefinitely until you remove a participant or delete the roster.

User Categories

Become the Roster Creator or Participant

At Yewodan, you get to be one or both of the user categories mentioned above. Mind you, there is another category which is not being mentioned where any user can view a duty roster which is perfectly safe feature and no cause for alarm.

Roster Creator

You're the admin. You set everything up and manage the rosters.

Create tasks and define what needs doing
Add participants to rosters
Set rotation frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
View the full 90-day roster timeline
Manage multiple properties from one account
Remove or update participants as needed

Participant

You're on the roster. You check when it's your turn and complete your duties.

Receive email notification when it's your turn
View the duty roster on the public site
See upcoming turns and who's next
Know exactly what tasks need to be done
No account needed — just check the public roster
Complete your duties and move on

FAQ

Common questions

What happens if I remove someone whose turn it is?

The next person in the roster order automatically takes over as the current turn holder and receives an email notification. The rotation continues uninterrupted.

Can I have different rotation frequencies for different people?

No — all participants within the same roster (same address + duty type) share the same rotation frequency. If you need different frequencies, you would need separate rosters.

Can one address have both a cleaning and a garbage roster?

Yes. Cleaning and Garbage Removal are completely independent rosters. They can have different participants, different frequencies, and run on entirely separate schedules at the same address.

Do participants need an account to be on the roster?

No. Participants only need a valid email address. They receive notifications automatically without needing to log in or create an account.

How does the rotation actually trigger?

The system checks daily in the background whether the current turn holder has held their turn for the required number of days. If so, it automatically advances to the next person and sends them a notification.

Can I manage multiple properties?

Yes. Each address is managed independently. You can add as many addresses as you need from the same account, each with their own tasks, participants, and rotation schedules.

What is the "Tasks without participants yet" section?

This card shows tasks that have been created but don't have any participants assigned yet. It acts as a reminder and provides a quick "Add Participant" button to complete the setup. Once participants are added, the task moves into the main roster view.

How Yewodan works