Areas

This article explains what areas are, how they help you stay organised, and how to create a structure that makes sense for your shared life.

Written By Steph & Mari

Last updated 2 months ago

When you open your space, areas are what you see first. They divide your shared life into sections — home, money, career, wellbeing, and so on — so you and your partner can find what you need without scrolling through one long list of everything.

A well-named area tells you immediately what lives inside it.

Good area names

Why they work

Home & Daily Life

You know what kind of roles are inside

Money & Planning

Clearly about finances

Career & Ambition

Goals, work, and growth

The name should feel like a natural category you'd use in everyday conversation. Not a label from a corporate org chart.

How many roles should an area have?

Somewhere between 3 and 5 roles per area is a good range. If an area has 7 or more roles while others have 3, it can feel lopsided — like that part of your life gets way more attention than the rest.

If a domain genuinely needs more than 5 roles, consider splitting it into two areas instead of cramming everything into one.

Keeping areas distinct

Roles in different areas should not overlap in what they do. If your "Home & Daily Life" area and your "Life & Planning" area both have roles about scheduling and coordination, the boundaries between them get fuzzy. That makes it harder to decide where a new role should go.

A good test: if you can describe the difference between two areas in one sentence, they're distinct enough.

How areas relate to categories

When you first set up your space, you pick from categories like "Chores & Home Life" or "Money & Spending." These picks get compiled into areas. The mapping should feel predictable — if you pick something from "Chores," it should end up in an area called something like "Home & Daily Life," not in a completely different place.

If picks from one category end up scattered across multiple areas without a clear reason, that's confusing. Keep the path from pick to area straightforward.

Things to avoid

  • Catch-all areas. An area called "Other" or "Misc" is a sign that you haven't figured out where roles should live. Take the time to organise them properly.

  • Jargon names. "Life Operations" or "Household Management" might sound neat, but they don't feel like real life. Use names you'd say out loud.

  • Overlapping boundaries. If you can't tell which area a new role belongs to, the areas may need to be reorganised.