How early should your reminder go off?

Set the reminder for the moment you can act on it. Something you do on the spot, like taking a tablet that sits next to the kettle, works best on time. Anything that needs getting ready or leaving the house, like a gym session, needs a reminder early enough to cover that preparation.

The idea: remind yourself when you can start

A reminder only helps if you can act on it right away. If it rings too early, you dismiss it, carry on with what you were doing and forget again. If it rings at the planned time for something that takes 20 minutes to get ready for, you are already late.

So the right lead time is roughly how long it takes you to get from what you are usually doing to the start of the task. Ask yourself two questions:

Can I do this in the place where the phone buzzes, within a minute?
If not, how long do I need to stop, get ready or get there?

Example lead times for common tasks

These are starting points, not rules. Adjust them to how long you actually need.

On time: a tablet or supplement kept where you are at that moment, eye drops, a glass of water, a quick log of something you just did. You can act within a minute, so an early reminder only adds a gap where you can forget.
5 minutes before: short tasks that need you to stand up and switch rooms, like flossing before bed or a stretching break at the desk.
10 to 15 minutes before: tasks you need to finish something else for, like packing a lunch before leaving, feeding a pet before a call, or starting dinner prep.
30 minutes before: anything that involves leaving the house or changing: the gym, a run, a class, putting the bins out before the collection truck comes.

If you notice you keep snoozing a reminder in your head and then missing the task, the lead time is usually too long. If you keep rushing, it is too short.

Setting the lead time in EasyRoutine

In EasyRoutine every scheduled time of an activity has its own Notification setting in the Plan tab: Off, On time, or 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes before. A gym session at 18:30 with a 30-minute lead time rings at 18:00, which gives you time to change and leave. The notification names the activity and the routine, and tapping it opens that routine so you can log it when you are done.

Because each time has its own setting, a tablet at 8:00 can ring on time while the evening walk at 19:00 rings 15 minutes early. Reminders are part of Premium together with scheduling; see Reminders for what they need.

EasyRoutine schedule sheet for a gym activity on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 18:30, with the notification set to 30 minutes before — Gym at 18:30 with a reminder 30 minutes earlier

When early is not enough

Two situations need more than a lead time:

The task needs a decision the evening before, like packing the gym bag. Make that its own activity with its own time the evening before, instead of a reminder hours ahead.
The timing differs by day. If you leave earlier on weekdays, give the activity a second time for the weekend with its own reminder. Each activity can have up to four repeating times. Twice a day at different times shows how.

Whatever you pick, try it for a week and look at the week view: planned entries you did not log stay faded, so a row of faded entries at the same time tells you to move the reminder.

EasyRoutine Plan tab with gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 18:30, a daily tablet at 8:00, pack lunch on weekdays at 7:15 and floss every day at 22:00, each with a reminder bell — Each time has its own lead time

Common questions

Can I set a lead time longer than 30 minutes?

The app offers on time and 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes before. For a longer run-up, like an hour before an appointment, create a separate preparation activity at the earlier time with its own reminder.

Can I get two reminders for the same time, one early and one on time?

Each scheduled time has one reminder. To get a second nudge, add a second time to the activity a few minutes later with its own notification.

Does the reminder ring again if I ignore it?

No. Each reminder rings once. The planned entry stays faded in the Week and Day views (a hollow ring in the Month view) until you log it, so you can still see it was missed.

Keep reading

Reminders

How EasyRoutine reminders work and what they need.

Twice a day at different times

Two times, each with its own reminder, for the same activity.

Missing notifications

A checklist for reminders that do not arrive.