Journal

Clear, calm writing about care, connection, wellbeing, and planning ahead. Practical guides, honest reflections, news from the team, and guest articles from experts working in related fields.

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How the service works, the decisions behind it, and the problems it addresses.

43 articles

Guide7 September 2026

Who Has To Be Told When Someone Dies, And In What Order

Tell Us Once handles the government. Banks and insurers have their own processes. The list nobody holds is the people, and that is the one that gets missed.

6 min readRead article

Guide7 September 2026

What A Will Does Not Cover, And Who Ends Up Doing It

A will answers who gets what. It does not answer who is told, and what they hear. That second question has no legal instrument attached, so it defaults to an exhausted person's memory.

6 min readRead article

Guide7 September 2026

Personal Alarms, Telecare And Check-Ins: What Each One Actually Does

Three things described in similar language, solving different problems. An honest comparison, including a plain list of what Y.O.D.O. is not, so nobody buys the wrong one.

6 min readRead article

Guide25 September 2026

Y.O.D.O. vs Final Roadmap: What Each One Is For

Final Roadmap is a US digital estate planner: accounts, assets and instructions for your executor. Y.O.D.O. is a UK service that checks in on you while you are alive and releases sealed messages only after a verified passing. What each one is actually for.

6 min readRead article

Guide25 September 2026

Y.O.D.O. vs MyWishes: What Each One Is For

MyWishes documents your funeral wishes, advance care preferences and goodbye letters. Y.O.D.O. checks in on you while you are alive and releases sealed messages only after a passing is verified. A plain comparison, and why most people want both.

6 min readRead article

Wellbeing25 September 2026

I Finished The Weymouth Ironman 70.3

In June I said I would race the Weymouth Ironman 70.3 to make an idea real on a date in the calendar. On 20 September I did. What the months before it taught me about showing up for people is the whole of what Y.O.D.O. is for.

4 min readRead article

Guest2 October 2026

Give and take, for thousands of years

Professor Athina Vlachantoni of the University of Southampton on what passes between parents and children over a lifetime, and what a group of people born in one week of 1958 shows about what comes back.

7 min readRead article

Guest17 September 2026

The Letters We Leave Behind

Dr. Markella Lamproukou, a counselling psychologist in Greece, on the letters people leave for those they love, and why writing one is as much about living honestly as it is about dying.

6 min readRead article

Guide8 September 2026

A Missed Check-in Is Not A Death

Most services in this category answer one question: has this person stopped replying? Y.O.D.O. is built to answer a different one.

6 min readRead article

Guest4 September 2026

The Sandwich Generation Suffers in Silence

Alexandra Sigala, a systemic psychotherapist in Athens, on the people carrying two households at once, and why so many of them go quiet.

6 min readRead article

Guide26 August 2026

Would You Use A Quiet Signal? An Open Question For Healthcare Professionals

We are building a way for a therapist, psychiatrist or GP to be told, with their client's permission, when Check-Ins go quiet. Before we ship it, we want to hear from the professionals who would live with it.

8 min readRead article

Guest3 July 2026

The Hope Bubble

A guest reflection from Kathy Benich on why the hardest conversations about serious illness so often go unspoken, and why they are easier before a diagnosis than after one.

6 min readRead article

Guide24 June 2026

Solicitors And Notaries: Hearing Of A Passing Sooner, And With Less Strain On The Family

The quiet gap between a death and the moment a client's solicitor or notary is informed, why it persists, and how Y.O.D.O. closes it without putting more on grieving families.

10 min readRead article

Reflection23 June 2026

Far From Home, Still Noticed

What the Greek expat groups showed me about distance, and the people only you would think to tell.

7 min readRead article

Guide22 June 2026

When Someone Can No Longer Tell People Themselves, Who Does?

A gap that funeral directors see more clearly than anyone, the reasons it persists, and a no-cost role that lets your firm help families close it.

9 min readRead article

News16 June 2026

Y.O.D.O. At The University Of Southampton Staff Benefits Fair

Y.O.D.O. attended the University of Southampton Staff Benefits Fair for the first time. Here is what happened when we chose conversation over data capture.

2 min readRead article

Wellbeing8 June 2026

Why I Signed Up For The Weymouth Ironman 70.3

I am racing the Weymouth Ironman 70.3 to put a quiet idea into the world. Live on purpose. Notice the people around you when they go silent. Give your family a simple, structured way to find peace of mind, long before anything is wrong.

6 min readRead article

Guide4 June 2026

Y.O.D.O. vs Apple Digital Legacy And Google Inactive Account Manager

Apple and Google both offer ways to hand over an account after someone dies. They are useful, and they are limited. Here is a plain comparison of what each one actually does, and where Y.O.D.O. fits.

7 min readRead article

Guide2 June 2026

Y.O.D.O. vs A Letter Of Wishes: What Each One Is For

A letter of wishes sits beside your will. A Y.O.D.O. message sits beside both, and reaches a specific person at the right moment. Here is how the two compare, and why most people will want both.

5 min readRead article

Guide12 May 2026

Letter Of Wishes Template UK: What To Include And Where Y.O.D.O. Fits

A letter of wishes sits alongside your will to explain the human detail your will cannot carry. Here is a plain-English template for the UK, and how a modern digital equivalent like Y.O.D.O. complements it.

6 min readRead article

Guide8 May 2026

What To Do When Someone Dies In The UK: A Calm Checklist

A short, practical guide to the first days after a death in the UK, the official services that exist to help, and how a service like Y.O.D.O. lifts some of the personal weight from the family.

7 min readRead article

Guide5 May 2026

How To Check In On An Elderly Parent, Without It Feeling Like Surveillance

A short guide to the everyday rhythms that keep an elderly parent gently noticed, and how Y.O.D.O. makes that noticing structural rather than accidental.

5 min readRead article

Guide1 May 2026

Digital Legacy Planning In The UK: Where To Start

A short, practical map of digital legacy planning in the UK: what your will covers, what it does not, and how to organise the personal handover so the people you love are not left guessing.

6 min readRead article

Guide6 January 2026

How Check-Ins Work in Y.O.D.O.

You choose the rhythm. A simple tap confirms you are present. If you miss one, your Delegates may be contacted. Here is what happens at each step.

4 min readRead article

Guide30 December 2025

Creating Your First Message in Y.O.D.O.

A step-by-step guide to writing, recording, or uploading your first message. Covers format options, choosing Recipients, and what to say when you are not sure where to start.

5 min readRead article

Guide22 December 2025

How to Choose Your Delegates

Who to ask, how many to choose, and why variety matters. A practical guide to selecting the people you trust to be contacted if a check-in is missed.

5 min readRead article

Guide17 December 2025

Getting Started with Y.O.D.O.

Five steps to set up your account: creating an account, choosing your check-in rhythm, inviting Delegates, writing your first message, and what happens next.

5 min readRead article

Family11 December 2025

Y.O.D.O. for Parents and Adult Children

How check-ins work across generations. A parent living independently can be noticed without feeling monitored, and adult children can worry less about the gaps between calls.

4 min readRead article

Wellbeing3 December 2025

Living Alone, Not Unnoticed

For people who live independently and those who care about them. How regular check-ins provide reassurance without changing anyone's routine.

4 min readRead article

Legacy25 November 2025

Why Messages Are Sealed Until They Are Needed

Messages in Y.O.D.O. are not delivered automatically. They remain sealed until a passing has been verified. This article explains why timing is central to how the service works.

3 min readRead article

Connection18 November 2025

Using Y.O.D.O. with Friends, Not Just Family

Delegates do not have to be relatives. Friends who know your routine and notice when something feels off can be part of your circle too.

4 min readRead article

Wellbeing12 November 2025

Reassurance Before Anything Happens

Y.O.D.O. is not a crisis service. It is designed to reduce everyday worry by making sure that if a check-in is missed, the right people are informed.

3 min readRead article

Legacy5 November 2025

Beyond Wills and Passwords

A will handles possessions. A password list handles accounts. Y.O.D.O. handles something different: private words delivered to the right people at the right time.

4 min readRead article

Legacy30 October 2025

The Things We Mean to Say But Do Not

Most regrets are not about what we did, but what we left unsaid. Y.O.D.O. gives people a way to store those words privately and have them delivered only when the time is right.

4 min readRead article

Technology24 October 2025

How Y.O.D.O. Uses Technology Without Losing the Human Element

Check-ins, security, and verification are technical features. But in Y.O.D.O., they serve a specific purpose: making sure Delegates, not just algorithms, are part of every important step.

5 min readRead article

Connection20 October 2025

How Y.O.D.O. Works Across Distance

A missed check-in in London can notify a sibling in Athens. Y.O.D.O. is designed for families and friends who live in different cities or countries and want to stay connected.

4 min readRead article

Wellbeing14 October 2025

Y.O.D.O. Is Not Just About What Happens After

Check-ins are a daily feature, not an end-of-life feature. This article explains how Y.O.D.O. supports everyday connection long before messages are ever delivered.

4 min readRead article

Security9 October 2025

How Y.O.D.O. Protects Your Messages

Messages are protected from the moment you create them. Delegates cannot access them. Delivery requires verification. This article explains the layers of protection and why they exist.

5 min readRead article

Guide6 October 2025

What Delegates Do and Why They Matter

Delegates are trusted contacts who may be notified if a check-in is missed. They do not access your account or messages. This article explains the role, its limits, and how circles work.

5 min readRead article

Legacy2 October 2025

Why Preparing Now Is Not About Expecting the Worst

Writing a message or choosing Delegates is not morbid. It is practical. This article explains what it means to prepare, what Y.O.D.O. stores, and why people find it reassuring.

5 min readRead article

Guide19 September 2025

How Message Delivery Works in Y.O.D.O.

Messages are sealed until a passing is verified by Delegates and supported by documentation. This guide explains the delivery process, what triggers it, and how privacy is maintained.

4 min readRead article

Wellbeing17 September 2025

What Check-Ins Are and Why They Exist

A check-in is a scheduled prompt that confirms you are present. If you respond, nothing happens. If you do not, your Delegates may be contacted. This article explains the thinking behind it.

4 min readRead article

About15 September 2025

What Y.O.D.O. Actually Solves

Y.O.D.O. is often described as a messaging app. It is not. It addresses eight specific problems: from the worry of being unnoticed to the difficulty of having conversations about death.

6 min readRead article