Kim Kubsch

iPhones have a built-in assistant named Siri to organize your life and help you feel less frustrated. Here are five ways Siri will help you get your life more organized and your brain less cluttered.

To turn Siri on, go to Settings on your iPhone. Scroll down about 16 lines to “Siri & Search.” Set the toggle switches ON, choose your language, the type of voice, type of response (silent or spoken), and continue down the list of settings.

1. “Remind Me to ___”

This is my favorite thing Siri does. If I’m in the middle of something and the thought pops into 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, “Okay, when should I remind you?” I tell her, “tomorrow at 3:15,” because I know I’ll be going grocery shopping. You can even have her remind you at an actual location if you have your Locations Services turned on.

2. “Set a Timer for ___ Minutes”

This is a daily function. Siri keeps up with times for you. Say, “Set a timer for five minutes,” before you start a task or “Set an alarm for 4:30 p.m.” to remind you to start cooking dinner.

3. “Call/Text ___”

Tell Siri to call or text someone on your contact list. Here are a few ways to 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.

* Give Your Contacts Titles so you can request calls without saying their first and last name. This is a great timesaver for the people you call and text often. Instead of saying, “Call Don Ho,” you can just say, “Call my boss,” or “Text my husband.” You can set this up by giving your contact a relationship tag, which is helpful when you can’t remember how you worded it in your Contact List.

4. “Add ___ to My Calendar”

If you want to keep a digital calendar, just say, “Siri, add Brad’s birthday to my calendar on Dec. 31,” and she will take care of adding it. She will even tell you if you have any conflicting appointments for that date and time.

5. “Make a Note …”

With the iPhone Notes app turned on, Siri will jot notes while you are 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 its entirety.

Siri is free, productive, and doesn’t argue, so try her out!

To propel your downsizing efforts prior to your transition or for ideas of donation venues, contact me for a FREE 30-minute consultation. Contact me at 480-720-8566 or [email protected].

Check back monthly for more ideas about organizing, decluttering, and downsizing! Visit www.JoyfulDownsizing.com to order my book, Getting Your Life Together Organizer, available in printed paperback or downloadable and editable eBook.