I’ve heard it said that being an adult is just one neverending to do list — and that just about sums it up. Some of the things on your mental list might even be keeping you up at night because your brain is busy making sure you don’t forget. The best way to prevent that (and get better sleep)? Get those things out of your head and onto paper. You can go the analog route by putting pen to paper, or you can take advantage of the technology that most of us have in our pockets — the iPhone.
A quick note: I imagine that Android users probably have a comparable alternative, but since I use an iPhone that’s what I’ll talk about here.
Here’s how I use my iPhone to keep track of (and even automate!) all the things I have to do.
I honestly can’t believe I went for so many years without taking advantage of the iPhone Reminders app.
At its core, Reminders is a simple app for managing checklists on your iPhone. This app is installed by default on an iPhone, and I just discovered it a few months ago when my other list app discontinued its service.
Reminders saves you the most time when you use it with Siri — the iPhone voice assistant that I have admittedly underutilized for so long. Here’s how you set it up in 5 minutes or less:
1. Get the Reminders app.
Reminders is one of those default iPhone apps that you have the option of deleting, so make sure you have it on your iPhone. The icon looks like this:
If you don’t have it, just download it from the App Store for free.
2. Turn on Siri.
Next, make sure you have Siri turned on so you don’t have to type out your list items. Just go to Settings, then tap Siri & Search. Toggle on the first three options:
- Listen for “Hey Siri”
- Press Side Button for Siri
- Allow Siri When Locked
3. Create your lists.
Now open Reminders and add a couple of lists. You can add lists for literally anything — adulting tasks, groceries, medications, and even TV shows. But for now, just add one for your general to do items (call it “Personal” or “To Do” or whatever you want) and then add another called “Grocery”.
4. Create your to dos.
Now for the magic part — you can tell Siri to add things to your lists for you. This quickly gets things out of your head space and onto your list so you don’t have to keep thinking about them. And since you’re telling Siri to do it, you don’t even have to type anything out.
There are two ways you can summon Siri:
- Press and hold the side button.
- Say “Hey Siri” when you’re close to your phone.
Doing either of these things will activate Siri and they will be waiting for your command.
Once you’ve activated Siri, you can say things like:
- “Remind me tomorrow morning to pick up my prescription.”
- “Remind me every 5 days to change my pillowcase.”
- “Remind me when I get home to change the HVAC filters.”
- “Remind me on the first of every month at 10am to pay my rent.”
- “Remind me on October 10th to mail my absentee ballot.”
- “Remind me when I’m getting in the car to return books to the library.”
Siri will add these items to your default list (the first list you created) and add a due date or even make them recurring.
You can add things to your grocery list by saying “Add bananas to my Grocery list.” If you end up using other lists, just use the same format — “Add [this thing] to my [list name] list”.
5. Get your sh*t done.
Staring at a stupid long list is the easiest way to not get anything done, so you should always add dates to your tasks. When you put a date on a task, and that task is due, Reminders adds it to a special list called “Today”.
The “Today” list will only show you items that are either current or past due so you’re not looking at the other stuff because those things don’t matter today.
6. Sit back and enjoy your extra brain space.
Without your brain trying to keep track of things like “is it time to wash my sheets?” or “I can’t forget to order my absentee ballot”, you’ll have space to think about other stuff — and get a peaceful night’s sleep.
Extra Credit: Never forget another birthday.
Did you know you can add a birthday to someone’s contact record in your iPhone? Just go to your Contacts app, tap the person’s name, and add their birthday. Your iPhone will send you a notification on that day every year so you’ll never again have to send that embarrassing “Happy (Belated) Birthday!” text again.
Did this strategy work for you or do you have other ways of managing your adulting to do list? Let us know in the comments!