There are phrases I say so frequently I should probably have them printed on T-shirts.

“Shoes!”

“Brush your teeth!”

“Get your backpack!”

“Screen time is over!”

“It’s time for bed!”

Being the household’s human alarm clock is exhausting.

So Alexa can have some of those jobs.

The Hack

Look at the transitions that happen at roughly the same time every day.

Then set recurring Alexa routines or announcements.

For example:

6:00 AM — Time to wake up

6:45 AM — Start getting ready

7:00 AM — Shoes and backpacks

6:30 PM — Last nighttime snack

7:00 PM — Start bedtime routine

7:30 PM — Brush teeth

You can do the same for screen-time ending, homework time or anything else that predictably turns Mom into a broken record.

Why I Love This One

Alexa doesn’t get tired of saying it.

Alexa doesn’t start sounding irritated on the fourth reminder.

Alexa isn’t trying to cook dinner while reminding someone for the fifth time that it’s time to put on pajamas.

And when the kids complain?

“Sorry. Alexa said so.”

Does Alexa magically make children leap joyfully from the couch and brush their teeth?

Let’s maintain reasonable expectations.

The goal isn’t perfect compliance.

The goal is that Mom doesn’t have to personally initiate every single transition.

That’s one less thing for my brain to track.

And around here, those little things count.