It’s a safe assumption that over the past few weeks your life has changed. Whether you find yourself home with your kids all day, working from home full-time, or without a job because your company has temporarily closed, we are all trying to adjust to this new way of life. Even if you are an essential employee who is still going in to work, it is probably not business as usual. If you do find yourself in the new position of working from home, here are a few ways your virtual assistant (Google or Alexa) can help!
Set reminders
What day is it? What time is it? Who knows anymore! Without our usual routines, it is hard to feel any sense of a set schedule. Ask Alexa to set alarms or reminders for various parts of the day. Ask for a reminder every hour so you can get up and stretch. Maybe go outside for a few minutes. Or set a reminder for your 2:00 conference call. Maybe most important of all, set a reminder for when your work day is done so you can close your laptop and unplug for the evening.
Help with homework
Do you suddenly find yourself homeschooling too? If so, you may need to brush up on your math skills. Unfortunately, your Google assistant probably won’t solve your daughter’s geometry homework but it will be able to answer basic questions or pull up helpful videos from YouTube (assuming your assistant has a screen).
Sync your calendar
You will need to sync your work calendar first but then you can ask Alexa or Google “What’s on my schedule today?” You can also add events to your calendar via your virtual assistant, which is much faster than going into the app on your phone or laptop. You can even ask Alexa or Google to join your 10:00 conference call (certain platforms do integrate).
Entertain your kids
Do you have younger children at home? If so, then you know it can be almost impossible to have a few uninterrupted minutes. Do you have an important call to make? Ask your Echo Dot (Kids Edition) to tell you a story and then select any Disney story you want complete with music and sound effects. It should keep your kids entertained long enough to make that call!
The right playlist
What’s one of the best ways to boost your mood and keep your spirits high? Music of course! Ask for an individual song, a genre of music, a local radio station or a playlist. You can have it on in the background on low or crank it up for a lunch-time dance party. Don’t like background music? Alexa and Google also has several ambient sound skills you can enable!
From all of us at In The Lite, we hope that you and your family are staying healthy and well. We know brighter days are ahead! If you have a specific question regarding the capabilities of your Alexa or Google assistants or how to enable any of the skills, please contact smarthome@inthelitellc.com. As always, we hope we’ve made your day brighter!