11 Alexa Productivity Hacks That'll Keep You On Track All Day

If you want to get into the habit of getting ready more quickly in the morning, you can use Alexa's timers to make sure you're not taking too long to get ready. Simply say something along the lines of "Alexa, set a timer for 20 minutes," and you can make sure you're doing your morning routine in a timely manner. You'll be able to get out the door with just enough time to not worry about being late.

If you live with your family or other people and you all carpool or need to go to the same location, you can use Alexa's announcements to make sure everyone gets ready and leaves the house in time. Just say "Alexa, announce that we're leaving in 10 minutes," and the announcement will play on all of your supported household devices. Everyone will be on the same page, and you don't have to worry about screaming down the hall or checking every room.

Part of planning your day involves knowing what that day already consists of. You can keep up with your calendar without even having to pull out your phone. Just ask your device something like, "Alexa, what's on my calendar today?" or "Alexa, when is my next meeting?" and you'll be able to make sure you're keeping up with your schedule even while you're busy doing other things.

Sometimes planning your day happens after your day has already started. If you have a doctor's appointment to go to or an important phone call to make, you can ask Alexa to set a reminder to make sure you get things done. You can say, "Alexa, remind me to call Cheyenne at 3PM" and Alexa will even send you alert at that time letting you know you have something to do. You can go throughout your day adding reminders without even lifting a finger.

One of the best ways you can plan out your day is by making to-do lists of the tasks you need to accomplish. And with the Alexa, you don't have to bust out a pen and paper or even reach for your Notes app. Say things like, "Alexa, put 'exercise' on my to-do list," and Alexa will put it on a to-do list that you can access either by voice or through the Alexa app. You can even use Alexa's Lists feature to plan out your shopping list for later in the day.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday, you might not get a free second to sit down and check your email before getting into work, especially if you drive or have to do something else on your commute. With Alexa, you can check your email without missing a beat. You can ask, "Alexa, do I have emails from Shantel?" and your device will read your emails out loud and even let you verbally respond to any email.

Alexa can take away the stress of planning what to make for dinner every night. Just enable the "What's for Dinner" skill and say, "Alexa, what should I make for dinner?" and your device will make suggestions on what your meal should be. But not just that, Alexa will also provide recipes for you so that you can get step-by-step vocal instructions on how to prepare your meal. This takes the guesswork out of dinner.

Now Alexa can take all the work out of unwinding for the night. With the device's Routines feature, you can assign a series of actions to a location or time so that you can make sure you do everything you need to at night to have great sleep. Whether your Routine includes playing white noise, turning down the lights, setting a certain temperature, or all three and more, Alexa can do it all.

You can plan for your next day even before today ends. Alexa will set wake-up alarms for you so that you don't have to worry about sleeping in or being late to work in the morning. A command as simple as "Alexa, set an alarm for 7AM" can help you make sure you start your day on the right foot, as long as you enable the Wake Up skill. And if you're like me and need several alarms to wake you up, you can ask Alexa to set as many as you'd like.

Are you one of those people whose showers run way too long? You can use Alexa's Shower Timer skill to help limit how much time you're spending in the tub. Whether you want to give yourself 15 minutes or just 5, the Shower Timer will help you save time (and water), helping you get to your next task even more quickly.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your productivity is get a little excited about starting your day. With Alexa's Daily Motivation skill, you can start your day with an inspiring quote that's sure to set a positive and go-getting mood for the rest of your day. By saying, "Alexa, start my day and motivate me," you'll be able to start your day on the right foot (and with the right words).

Whatever you day might look like, you can use Alexa to plan it a little better and relieve yourself of some stress.