Online course on Udemy
Reduce Mental Load
Share the work of family life
It's nine p.m. Did anyone reply to Saturday's party invitation? Family life has a list behind the list, and someone is usually carrying it in their head. This course helps you make that work visible and prepare a next step that fits your family.
What mental load is
Four steps you rarely see
In an interview study, sociologist Allison Daminger describes four parts of the cognitive work of running a household. The course uses them in simplified form, with its own examples:
Anticipating
Noticing that something is coming up: the winter coat no longer fits, a check-up is due.
Identifying options
Working out the possibilities: which store, which size, new or secondhand?
Deciding
Making a choice so that things can move forward.
Monitoring
Keeping track of whether it worked and what is still open.
What you take away
Five worksheets you can use today
Brain Dump
Collect what is on your mind without having to solve it right away.
Family Task Map
Note, from your point of view, who plans, who does, and who keeps track.
Handover Sheet
Prepare a handover that includes the thinking, or a simplification if no one can take over.
Conversation Guide
Find your own words for an observation, its impact, your needs, and a specific request, with starters to copy.
30-Day Plan
Plan small steps and a later review. Thirty days is a planning frame, not a promised result.
Who it's for
For both partners, without blame
For working parents of any gender, for the person carrying most of the planning, for the partner who wants to take on more, and for single parents. It isn't about who is at fault. It's about the next workable step.
Works even if you're doing this alone. Every exercise has a solo route. A draft, a simplification, or an open question can be your result.
Course outline
Four parts
- Part 1: Make mental load visibleA Brain Dump, the four invisible steps behind a task, and your Family Task Map.
- Part 2: Hand over responsibilityChoose a suitable task, draft a Handover Sheet, and adjust. Includes a lesson for the partner who wants to take on more.
- Part 3: The family conversationClarify your needs, prepare a specific request, consider objections, and plan an optional weekly check-in.
- Part 4: Bringing it togetherYour 30-Day Plan and where good enough really is enough.
About 1.5 hours of video. Allow around 3 hours in total with the paused exercises. Pen and paper or a notes app are all you need; the worksheets print on US Letter.
Good to know
Limits: This course isn't therapy, couples counseling, medical care, or crisis support, and it promises no particular result. What can change depends on your situation and on anyone else involved. With threats, violence, or abuse, skip the joint exercises; the course points to sources of support.
AI in this course: The course uses an AI-generated narration voice. The welcome and closing clips feature an AI-generated avatar of Arnold Jedich with an AI-generated voice. AI tools also helped draft the text, and the illustration is AI-generated. callidus A&M is responsible for the content.
Watch the free preview lessons and decide whether the approach and the voice suit you. This link goes to Udemy, where Udemy's prices and terms apply.