The Reminder Trick

Post from March 1, 2016 (↻ June 6, 2021), filed under Everything Else.

This tool is so powerful and at the same time so trivial to make a routine that I ask everyone who regularly employs it to transcend their disappointment—I’m mentioning it for the people I meet who don’t use it.

Use reminders.

Use reminders not just for meetings and events and, though discouraged by some, tasks, but also for important facts and insights and affirmations.

Use reminders to remind yourself of what you have learned.

Use recurring reminders to keep really important lessons in mind.

Use reminders.

Though any web-based calendar should do, and even if Google had put it on life support, I recommend using Google Calendar. Then, I suggest to think about a simple syntax for recurring reminders like, for example, “[monthly] Review personal goals”, alongside a notation for everything optional (parentheses?), as with “[2weekly] (Trust your impulses)”. (You’ll like the allusions.)

I use reminders this way for years and believe they’re way too helpful not to be used extensively. That’s all.

About Me

I’m Jens, and I’m an engineering lead—currently manager for Developer Experience at LivePerson—and author. I’ve worked as a technical lead for Google, I’m close to W3C and WHATWG, and I write and review books for O’Reilly. I love trying things, sometimes including philosophy, art, and adventure. Here on meiert.com I share some of my views and experiences.

If you have a question or suggestion about what I write, please leave a comment (if available) or a message. Thank you!

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