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.

Create an account & start free trial

Sign up with your email address. You'll receive a verification link. Click it to activate your account. After verifying, select your role and optionally upload a profile picture.

New users get a 30-day free trial with full access to all features. No credit card required to start.

Add a task

From the Roster Setup page, click Add Task. Enter the property address, select the duty type (Cleaning, Garbage Removal, Vacuuming, or Others), describe what needs to be done, and set the rotation frequency.

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

Add participants

Once a task exists, click Add Participant. Enter the person's name, email, and optionally upload their profile picture. The address and duty type can be selected or pre-filled from the roster group.

Participant data must be accurate to ensure the right participants do get the right notificationsand ensure to remove people who are no longer participants in roster.

Share the roster link

Click the purple link button next to any roster type to copy the shareable URL. Share this link with participants via WhatsApp, email, or any messaging app so they can view the roster schedule anytime.

The public roster view shows participant names and rotation schedule but keeps profile pictures private (only visible to admins).

Let it run automatically

The system automatically rotates turns on schedule. Participants receive email and push notifications when it's their turn. You can manually assign turns anytime or let the automation handle everything.

When your trial ends, rosters freeze completely — no rotations or notifications until you upgrade to a paid plan.

What happens after setup

Participant added

First person gets email + push notification — "You're up first!"

Turn starts

Email and push notification 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 email + push notification with task list and address.

Cycle repeats

Rotation continues until trial/subscription ends or you remove participants.

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 with optional profile pictures
Set rotation frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, custom)
Copy and share roster links with participants
Manually assign turns or let automation handle it
Manage multiple properties from one account
Edit or remove participants as needed

Participant

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

Receive email + push notifications when it's your turn
View the duty roster via shareable link
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 when my free trial ends?

Your rosters freeze completely — no automatic rotations, no email notifications, and no push notifications will be sent. You can still view your rosters, but they won't function until you upgrade to a paid plan (Monthly or Yearly).

Can I add profile pictures for participants?

Yes. When adding or editing participants, you can optionally upload a profile picture. These pictures are visible in the admin dashboard but are kept private on the public roster view (only colored initials are shown publicly).

How do I share a roster with participants?

Click the purple link button next to any roster type in your admin dashboard. This copies a shareable URL to your clipboard that you can paste into WhatsApp, email, or any messaging app. Participants can view the roster without needing an account.

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 both email and push notifications. 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 multiple duty types?

Yes. Cleaning, Garbage Removal, Vacuuming, and Others 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. They can view the roster via the shareable link.

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 email and push notifications.

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.

Can I manually assign someone's turn?

Yes. Click the three-dot menu next to any participant and select "Set as Current Turn". They'll immediately receive email and push notifications, and the automatic rotation will continue from there.

How Yewodan works