Learn how to use the built-in assistant named Siri in your iPhone to organize your life and help you feel less scatterbrained with these awesome digital organization tricks.
Have you ever wished you had a personal assistant? You know, someone who follows you around all day and carries a notepad and pen just waiting for you to say “remind me to get my oil changed” or “order my coworker a birthday gift.” Sounds like a luxury we may never have, huh? Well what if I told you that you can have that personal assistant, and she’s been with you all along just waiting for instruction? Yep, I’m talking about Siri. These five ways will help you turn her into your own right-hand woman to get your life more organized and your brain less cluttered.
Siri’s Best Personal Assistant Organization Tricks
1. “Remind Me To ___”
This is my favorite thing Siri does. If I’m in the middle of writing a blog post and a random thought pops in my head about a meal I want to make this weekend, I just say “Siri, remind me to get more honey for Honey Rosemary Chicken.” She replies with “ok, when should I remind you?” I tell her “tomorrow at 3:15” because I know I’ll be out picking up my son from school and I can swing by the farmers market and grab a jar. You can even have her remind you at an actual location if you have your Locations Services turned on.
2. “Add ___ To My Calendar”
If you love the idea of keeping a digital calendar but struggle with the diligence to go in and add events, Siri can do it for you. Just say “Siri, add Brad’s birthday to my calendar on December 31” and she will take care of adding it for you. She’ll even tell you if you have any conflicting appointments for that date and time.
3. “Set A Timer For ___ Minutes”
I use this function every single day. Whether I’m doing a Five Minute Declutter Session, racing against a clock for a quick cleaning session, or cooking dinner, Siri keeps up with my times for me. Say “set a timer for five minutes” before you start a 5 Minute Declutter, or “set an alarm for 4:30pm” to remind you to put away your craft supplies and clean up your space before you have to go cook dinner.
4. “Make A Note…”
If you’re a digital note taker, meaning you keep notes in the Notes App on your iPhone, you can have Siri jot them down completely hands-free. Just say “Siri, make a note.” She’ll ask what you want it to say, then you can speak out your note in it’s entirety. She’ll add it to your Notes App, and you didn’t even have to pick up your phone for it.
5. “Call/Text ___”
I’m sure you already know you can tell Siri to call or text someone on your contact list, and you also already know how handy it is. Especially when your hands are covered in paint and you need to ask your husband to bring home some Goof Off for the big splatter in the floor on his way home. (oops!) But there are a couple of tricks that make Siri calls and text messages easier:
- Update Phonetic Spelling so she understands complicated or unusual name spellings. You can add phonetic spelling pronunciation by clicking Edit in the contact card > scroll down to bottom and click Add Field > choose Phonetic [first/last/company] Name. This tells Siri how to say and understand the name correctly. You can choose Pronunciation Name if you want the pronunciation to show up for you to see, which is helpful if you just met a new person and want to say their name correctly next time they call.
- Give Your Contacts Titles so you can request calls without saying their first and last name. This is a great time saver for the people you call and text often. Instead of saying “Call Don Draper” you can just say “call my boss”. Or “text my daughter”. You can set this up by giving your contact a relationship tag, and you can even create custom tags like “dentist or hair salon”. This is super helpful when an office has a long name or you can’t remember how you worded it in your Contact List.
Prefer Alexa over Siri?
This post goes over how Alexa can make you more organized, just like Siri can.
Want More Ideas To Organize Your Life?
The Life Organization category on the blog has got you covered with all kinds of tips, tutorials, and ideas to get your mind less scattered and your schedule under control. With posts about saving money, helping kids let go of clutter, keeping up with passwords, and setting up a new planner, you’ll feel less stressed in no time.
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