How To Guide: Using Reminders for your iPhone

Efficiency, Technology

I’m the Queen of downloading new apps just to see what they can do, hoping they’ll solve my endless dilemma of keeping organized. Despite the number of apps I download, I always fall back on the simple apps that come with my iPhone because they JUST WORK. That, and they use my favorite virtual assistant ….Siri. She and I aren’t always on the best of terms, let’s just say we misunderstand each other frequently. However, when your hands are full and you’re juggling kids, diapers, homework, library books, dinner menus, grocery runs and a million other things, you take what you can get.

I always fall back on the simple apps that come with my iPhone because they JUST WORK.

Hands down, there is no app I use more on my phone than Reminders. That seems insane, but it’s true. Driving to daycare and realize I need to remember something for work? I get Siri on the line and make a reminder for later that day. Making dinner and realize we just used the last of the apple cider vinegar? (Yes, that’s happened.) Siri to the rescue again. The beauty of it is, once I get Siri on the case…I can forget about it until the reminder pops up again. The danger is, we live in a somewhat rural area so cell/wifi service can be spotty at times. There have been occasions when I try to make a reminder via Siri and it won’t work due to reception issues. My brain is so trained to “forget” the reminder once I’ve spoken the words that sometimes…I cannot for the life of me recall whatever it is I was trying to set a reminder about! Perhaps it’s just my mom brain kicking in…but man, is it ever annoying.

Guide:

Setup

  1. When you first open reminders, you’ll see a list aptly named….”Reminders”. Swipe down until you see the search bar at the top and a plus sign on the right.
  2. Use the plus sign to add new Lists. Some suggestions: Groceries, Home, Work, Clients, Kids, Family, Events, etc. Think simple and you can always add on as you go. Using simple list names makes it easier to interact with Siri.

    3. Tap each list to see the tasks contained within.

  3. Color code. Take a minute to color code your lists or make sure the default colors catch your eye. Tap the edit button and choose your colors.

    4. Choose ones that catch your eye.

  4. Sharing is caring. If you have a spouse, kids or a colleague who should have access to a list, make sure to share so you can both view and add to it. Tap the edit button and “Add person”.

    5. Share your reminder list with a spouse or other person you might collaborate with.

  5. Set your default list. This will be the list you most often use for deadlines (mine is work). You can always edit a reminder once added, but I like to know most of them are going to a list I check often so that I can reassign as necessary. Settings > General > Reminders > Default List

My Most used Siri phrases
Replace the words in brackets and the list names with the ones you created.

  • Add to my Grocery List
  • Remind me to when I get home.
  • Remind me to call back at 7 pm tonight.
  • Add to my Family List.
  • Remind me to every Tuesday at 7:30 pm.
  • When I get to work, remind me to create a todo list.
  • Remind me to every two weeks on Sunday at 9 am.
  • What’s on my Grocery list? (displays the list for you!)
  • What are today’s reminders? (displays anything with today as a due date)
  • Remind me about this. (when using an Apple app you can get a reminder added to your list that bookmarks the app you were viewing and what you were looking at, to be revisited later.)

    • Little known feature! From an Apple app, ask Siri to remind you to “respond to a text, read an article” and much more.