Let’s take a look at what Google Home can to do keep your family more organized.
1. Create a Shopping List Together
Shopping lists are a must-have in every home, but it’s a hassle to keep a pile of sticky notes on your fridge for something like this. Thankfully, you have Google Home.
If you realize that you’re out of something while doing your laundry or preparing dinner, you don’t have to wash your hands to write it down on your sticky note. Just say, “OK Google, add [item] to my shopping list.” It will then put your item into an online list that you can access anytime, anywhere.
You can also share this shopping list with your family through the Google Home app on your Android or iOS device. So if they want you to buy something on your next grocery run, they don’t have to give you a separate handwritten list that you can easily misplace.
2. Set Reminders for Specific Family Members
Does someone in your family often forget to take out the trash every night or refill your pet’s food bowl during mealtimes? Help keep them on top of their chores throughout the day by creating a reminder for them on Google Home.
It’s as easy as saying, “OK Google, remind [family member] to [task].” The Assistant will respond with a message to let you know that the reminder has been noted. When it’s time for the alert, your Google Home will let out a chime and an announcement that there’s a reminder for that person.
As an alternative, you can also set up a Family Bell, which is a recurring reminder that can be customized. But instead of just saying that there’s a reminder for a specific person, Family Bell will announce the entire customized message.
3. Add Events to a Calendar Seamlessly
Having a paper planner for the whole family can get a little crazy, especially if you want to keep track of a handful of your and your kids’ events. Fortunately, Google Home is here to help you out.
Simply say, “Hey Google, add to calendar.” Google Assistant will then ask you the details about the event, such as the title, date, and time.
This feature is especially convenient when you’re washing the dishes and your kid comes up to you to tell you about a PTA meeting you have to attend. Rather than having to clean up and get your phone out, you can simply ask Google Home to mark it on your calendar.
4. Ask Google Home to Remember Something
When you’re in a household with kids, misplacing things is an inevitable part of your day. After all, it’s hard to remember where you put your stuff when you already have a lot on your mind.
Enter Google Home. It can handle all the remembering for you, so you don’t need to keep a sticky note on your desk.
Just say, “Hey Google, remember that I placed my daughter’s USB flash drive on the kitchen counter.” When you wish to recall that information at a later date, you can ask your device and it will respond with the location you asked it to remember.
This feature is also pretty handy when you want to remember your new neighbor’s name or the apartment unit that your kid’s friend lives in.
5. Set Timers for Kids’ Activities
Whether for cooking or laundry, Google Home’s timers have become a very useful feature at home. It’s incredibly easy to create and you don’t have to worry about burning your dinner when you wind up leaving the kitchen to tend to other chores.
It’s also very helpful for practicing the Pomodoro Technique with your kids. Say, for instance, you’re helping them with homework, and you give them a five-minute break for every 25 minutes that they’re studying. You can simply create a timer to set off after 25 minutes and a second timer to set off after 30 minutes.
It’s quite handy for setting limits with your kids, too. If you want them to only have an hour with the iPad or in front of the TV, you can use timers to handle this for you.
6. Ask About Today’s Weather
It’s hard to figure out what clothes to put your kids in for the day when you live in an area with dramatic weather changes. But don’t let unpredictable weather get you down.
Google Home has made it easy for you to check what the day will be like before sending your kids to school. You don’t have to look for your TV remote to watch the depressing news. All you need to do is ask, “Hey Google, what’s the weather?” It will then tell you whether it’s going to be a snowy or a cloudy day.
7. Broadcast Messages to Anyone in the Home
Trying to call everyone together but don’t have the energy to go to each person’s room one by one? Google Assistant’s Broadcast feature can help get the message to your family and more.
Broadcast functions in the same way as a modern intercom, allowing you to communicate with the whole family from anywhere in the house. You can send a message to your kid’s room to tell them that they have a guest or inform the entire house that dinner is ready.
The nice thing about this feature is that it is a two-way communication channel. This means your family members can easily respond to your message through Broadcast, too. They can simply say, “Hey Google, send a reply” as soon as the Google Assistant finished reciting the original announcement. It will then ask them what their reply is before broadcasting it to the other device.
8. Ask About Agenda for Today
Unsure what to expect from your day? Google Home can check your calendar and give you a rundown of how your schedule will go.
Just say commands like, “Tell me what time my next event is,” or “What is my agenda for today?” This helps you keep track of your schedule, so you know when to get ready for your activities.
A More Organized Family With Google Home
You and your entire household can greatly benefit from having a Google Home-enabled device at home, whether it’s a speaker or display. From reminding your kids to do their homework to creating a shared shopping list, Google Home has an array of features designed to help keep your home life organized and stress-free.
So if you want to bring some order to your family’s day-to-day routine, take advantage of these useful tricks.
