Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with reminder

Wrist watch with voice memo capability!

WhereAmI — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 06:12:07 -0800

Can anyone recommend a good wrist watch with voice memo recording capability? I had a great watch the I bought at the Sharper Image (maybe Brookstone?) years back, but it has disappeared into my junk drawer and I'm looking for a similar replacement :)

I'm looking for a freeware, Thunderbirdesque reminder prog

Solomon — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 04:48:57 -0800

Please help me find a small (in size and resource usage), freeware reminder programme. I'm looking for a programme that will remind me to do things, that has the following features:

1] A customisable alarm and visual reminder similar to Thunderbird's new message popup. Unlike Thunderbird, I'd like this message to stay until I deal with it.
2] Can set reminders on a calendar like view, also being able to choose the time of the reminders appearance.
3] A snooze feature for the reminders. If the reminder appears, and I don't deal with it, it will flash the window/sound the alarm every n minutes until I deal with it.
4] Being able to tick a box that says "dealt with" to the programme would be nice.
5] Suitable for a very old laptop (128mb RAM, 800mhz CPU) running Win2k AND for a 1 year old PC running XP.
6] Preferably an HTML interface on the reminder, so if I included an http:// link in the reminder text, I could click on the link and be taken to the relevant site.
7] It being something I could stick on a thumb drive (by design or serendipity) would be extremely helpful.

I specifically don't want something I have to be connected to the internet to use. I also don't want it to be

Personal recommendations are very welcome.

Tactile reminder device

jinatrix — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:41:45 -0800

What sorts of vibrating reminder devices are out there? The goal: I am looking for a small (pager-sized or smaller) wearable vibrating device that can be programmed to vibrate at certain intervals to serve as a tactile reminder system.

The requirements are: 1. it must be wearable, preferably on the ankle (out of sight), 2. it must be able to reliably go off at any programmed interval for a set number of recurrences or until manually stopped, 3. it should be relatively inaudible and not sound like a chainsaw.

Even better if it has some or all of these features: variable vibration strength, multiple vibration patterns (e.g. pulse length, number of pulses), countdown timer, daily alarm.

I am aware of a few products such as the epill reminder and invisible clock but am looking for alternate options to see what's out there. Also, I am open to suggestions involving a DIY approach, if anyone knows how to cobble something like this together using easily obtained components.

Best way to send reminder email to others in future.

amalgamator — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:39:56 -0800

What is the easiest and free way to send reminder emails to others on scheduled dates in the future so they remember to do something they agreed to? Everyday two people from my class are scheduled to clean the lab...however people have been forgetting recently.

I was thinking that it may be helpful for them to receive a reminder email the day it was their turn, however the thought of me doing this every single day is depressing.

I have a couple ideas ( www.futureme.org, www.timecave.com, use gcal and invite people) None of these seem like the best way. For example Timecave.com only allows one recipient per message, thus doubling the time it takes to do this.

Any ideas?

iPod Touch medication reminder app?

nuala — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:52:00 -0800

Is there an application for the iPod Touch/iPhone that will remind me to take my medication via badge or alarm and note when I have? I'm on several medications to treat fibromyalgia and now I'm also battling a case of walking pneumonia, which means I have several more pills to add to the daily queue. Unfortunately fibro fog often makes it impossible for me to remember if I've taken my meds or not. To mitigate my shortcomings I've been using an app on my Touch called Todo and checking off when I've taken the meds plus setting an alarm in my calendar to remind me it's time for my next dose. It's unwieldy and a total pain. Is there an app that I could log my medications, the time I need to take them and when I have done so? It doesn't need to be free. A feature of the Todo app is that when there are outstanding tasks to be performed, a badge pops up on the icon to remind you. I would be happy with that or an email reminder in lieu of an actual alarm. Even a web app would work if it sent emails.

In short is there a way to:

1. Notify me to take my meds (via email, iPod calendar-type alarm or app badge)
2. Log when I say I've done so, that way I don't take something twice.
3. Keep track of exactly what I'm on (preferably with dosage amounts)
4. Located all in one place, so I don't have to run a gauntlet setting it up and maintaining it?

And W. Edwards Deming gazed upon the notification sytem and wept

Kid Charlemagne — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:09:18 -0800

I've had great success using the "Do not deliver before:" option in Microsoft Outlook to automate a rotating task reminder for my group at work. Now I need to take this to the next level. In the coming year one of our support groups is changing how they do business, and it's sounding like they're going to implement their "new and improved" system in the worst way imaginable. (Think getting mailed a 500 page text document, weekly, where once a quarter a few lines apply to you and you'll have what I'm expecting.) I'd like to set something up for my group that would send out individual reminders when they're actually needed, but don't really want to manually set up a slew of individual e-mails where I have to edit the dates on each an every one.

Is there a simple way I can set up a table in excel or notepad or the like with fields like and then have Outlook grind on this and automatically generate the e-mails I need to send and just have them live in my outbox?

I'm pretty much stuck with Outlook 2003 on this.

Alternatives to I Want Sandy

dyslexictraveler — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:20:28 -0800

mourning-the-about-to-be-lost-productivity-filter: What alternatives to I Want Sandy can you recommend as far as email reminder services go? Now that the folks behind I Want Sandy have announced that they are shutting her down in two weeks on December 8 (just two weeks!!), I'm about to be stuck in a lurch without a trusted email reminder service.

What alternative services can you recommend that will let me add reminders from within my email software (i.e., gmail calendar reminders don't count, because I can't create those by sending a message, or more importantly forwarding a message from within Mail.app)?

Both free and paid services are fine as long as they are reliable & flexible, and at least somewhat likely not to disappear in the near future.

Facebook: the new cure for forgetfulness

Solomon — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:05:21 -0800

How can I use Facebook/Bebo/Myspace to remind myself to do various tasks, via my mobile phone? My mobile phone provider is giving me free WAP access to Myspace, Bebo and Facebook, but charging me for the rest of the WAP internet. I used to use Gmail's mobile interface to email myself reminders ("take the chicken out of the freezer", etc) as I went about my day, but it's now costing me money to use that service.

So, I'm looking for a way to set up an account with one of the above websites that will allow me to either a] email myself reminders, or b] subscribe to an RSS feed of stuff I've posted during the day, that my feed reader will pick up for me automatically.

In an ideal world, I'll be able to turn my computer on when I get in from work, and have an automatic visual reminder appear that tells me to get the chicken and stick it in the fridge. I used to get this using Gmail and Thunderbird, but it now costs me extra to do that. The fact that this is automatic is very important (my feed reader and Thunderbird are always running), because if I have to visit a website, I'll forget.

I get the feeling that this (or something like this) has already been done, but I can't find it when I Google.

In summation: I post a message to Facebook/Myspace/Bebo. I get home, and get reminded of that message automatically. How?

Help me to not be reminded, please

thaworldhaswarpedme — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:07:30 -0800

For windows xp , I have an annoying reminder about a web page being unable to display but no exit box to click onto. I also cannot right click it in the open tabs bar at the bottom to close it manually. It just reads "Reminder Tuesday Sept. 30th 2008 1:07:01 A.M." The date changes as the day does and I dunno how to remove it. I can move it off screen but still.... Any ideas?

Don't forget your massage, redux

goshling — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:07:33 -0800

So, I may have found a solution to this issue, but I'd like some input from those of you with greater insight into internet security & privacy issues. I had a few hours to spare on Thursday, due to a no-show appointment and I found myself looking at online scheduling applications. I managed to find one that is both free and works for Australians, so I've been noodling around with it a bit and while it's not perfect, it seems quite usable.

The site is www.clickbook.net

I'm curious as to how they fund this application and make a living.

More important, is it secure? Can I trust the developer to be not evil and to be good enough at securing their data?

Their FAQ contains a lot of silly typos, which makes one wonder about their general sloppiness, and is also a concern as my calendar on their site represents my business.

They are getting a list of my clients names, mobile phone numbers (maybe landlines) and email addresses, no mailing addresses, DOB or credit card info or anything else. How would you feel about this as a client?
Benefit to client: seeing my schedule & booking when it is convenient, reminders via email and/or SMS so they don't miss their appointment and make me sad and I charge them for the time they missed.
Benefit to me: clients can see my schedule online, so can see that I am not answering the phone because I am with a client (my receptionist only works limited hours each day). If I am unable to answer the phone, someone could book themselves into the next available slot. Auto email/SMS reminders a day or so in advance that include a disclaimer that missed appts may be charged a fee, thus making them responsible for not showing up and making me feel unguilty(yes, I just made that up) when I tell them they need to pay me for the missed session.

I want a seamless solution to scheduling & reminders, and I want me & my clients to feel secure that all data is safe & secure

Is www.clickbook.net it, or do I run away?

Bus Time!

jferg — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:04:52 -0800

Why can't I find a simple app to remind me when it's time to catch the bus? I'm looking for a simple Windows reminder app, and can't seem to find one that behaves like I'd like. All I want is something with flexible, recurring schedule (i.e. remind me at 5:10pm every Monday through Friday) that will pop up a small window (something along the lines of the Outlook "New E-Mail" notifier) that (and this is the most important part) does not require me to click on it or acknowledge it in any way. I can find plenty of apps that pop up a reminder that makes me click on it to go away, or apps that play a song, or cause my computer to shutdown, but nothing to pop up a simple "Bus is coming!" that goes away on its own and doesn't interfere with whatever I'm working on. Freeware preferred, but I'll pay a small amount if it's the perfect app.

Save me from making 60 calls

mysterious1der — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:18:16 -0800

Asking for a co-worker: Is there a service, web-based or otherwise, that will record a message from me, then call a list of phone numbers I provide and play it back to them? This is not cold calling, in fact it's not telemarketing at all. This is for our church which is hosting a summer camp next week. The recording contains last minute details and other reminders about camp (including the implicit "remember, camp is next week!" message.)

All the recipients will welcome the information and the phone call, so there's nothing even remotely "spammy" about this, it would just save me the actual labor of making 60 calls.

Yes, I've googled, but all the hits are either preventing telemarketing or selling you hardware, which I'm not interested in since this is a one-time deal. Yes, I saw this, but it's also not really applicable. This was promising, but I need voice calls, not faxes.

Help me find an online reminder

leigh1 — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:05:46 -0800

I need an online reminder which will send me an email reminder for one task one 4 different dates: tomorrow, after 7 days, after 15 days and after 30 days. I tried Remember the Milk, but it seems it only works with one date.

Freeware for Alarming Librarians

exceptinsects — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:53:20 -0800

Help my librarians remember to rove! I need a specific sort of break timer and I can't seem to find one anywhere. We are trying to implement the practice of "roving" at my library; that is, when it isn't busy at the reference desk the librarians should go walk around and be available if people have questions out in the stacks.
The problem is that it's hard to get in the habit of doing this, so I thought a little reminder message would help. I want it to just give you a little nudge when things aren't busy, but not to be annoying when you're trying to help someone.

What I want it to do:
--Pop up a message of my choosing at intervals of my choosing. (e.g. "Rove?" every 10 minutes regardless of what else is going on on the computer)
--It should require the person to click the window to close it, but should close without any further waiting.

It must:
--be free
--be web-based (Firefox or IE) or able to be installed on Windows without the intervention of the IT people. (Similar to Firefox).
--be unobtrusive when it isn't alerting you
--not be linked with Outlook since it doesn't work with the profile we use at the desk

I tried Workrave, but I couldn't get it to work like I wanted--it seems like it doesn't pop up consistently--maybe it doesn't count the time when you're not actually typing? Plus, you can't edit the text.

Other previously recommended options mostly seemed to cost money or not do what I wanted--a lot of them seem to want you to take a break for a certain amount of time, but I just want the message and that's it.

how can I email myself in the future?

esolo — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:09:14 -0800

I want to be able to email myself into the future, using Gmail. So for example, 3 months from now, I want to receive an email from myself reminding me to renew the license sticker on my car. How can I do this? If not Gmail, then how?

Email-controlled reminders

caek — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:37:31 -0800

Is there a service that I can control via email rather than the web which I can use to email myself reminders? I'm imaging a service where I send email to some address. The subject of my email is the date/time at which I want to be reminded (bonus points for something that understands natural language for dates like Google Calendar/Outlook) with the reminder itself ("Get milk") in the body of the email.

The server would respond with an error email if the date could not be parsed (or if specifically requested to do so by some property of the email). Otherwise it would just sit tight and then send an email to the address from which I sent my command at the appointed time.

Does such a service exist? If not, does anyone want to take my idea and code it up?!

How to get my phone to remember more of the things I need to know

verisimilitude — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 11:36:24 -0800

When my colleagues phone me, how can I remember all the things that I am supposed to talk to them about? I use a windows mobile pda phone (which I am very happy with) to do a job which requires me to spend much time away from my desk. On a typical day I have several things I need to communicate with various colleagues. The problem is that these 'things' are often minor details that are adjuct to the main topic of the conversation, so I often I find my self racking my brain during the conversation, and only remembering when I have hung up.

What I need is some software that lets me save a few key words to my specific contacts in my phone's address book, so that a memory jog flashes up on screen when I have that right colleague on the line. Ideally I could easily check these key words of the list as I go through the day. Any ideas?

Web-powered reminder service that I can host

sublivious — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:00:09 -0800

Need an easy way to put notes and reminders on my website. Be it a form, or an app that runs on my webserver, or whatever, I'd like to be able to post notes and reminders for myself on my website. Anything as long as it's simple. It should have a bit of security so only specific people can use it. Any ideas?

A polite reminder to a forgetful recommendation-writer?

wreckingball — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 16:08:37 -0800

How might I go about com[posing a polite "reminder" email for a... forgetful recommendation-letter writer? I'm in the process of applying to grad schools, and the deadlines are fast-approaching. About a month ago, I made my requests to three of my undergrad professors, and all three agreed without hesitation. Since then, two of my letter-writers have written their recommendations, let me know that they'd done so, and mailed them off. I've heard nothing from the third.

One of my deadlines was Saturday, and I received an automated email from the school informing me that the letter from this third character had not been received. I'd been meaning to write him a reminder note since at least a couple weeks ago, after not hearing back from him (I acknowledge that I'm partly in a bind of my own making), but I'm incredibly skittish about email (and equally so with phone calls--I'm basically just shy to a pathological degree), and I was doubly concerned about "nagging" him about the status of his letter, when he was, after all, doing me a favor.

Well, in any case, now I know for a fact that he hasn't sent it off, as promised, and one deadline has already passed, potentially jeopardizing my application. I need to get in touch with him pronto to make sure that letters get to the remaining four schools in time.

Any guidance on wording, style, tone, etc. would be much appreciated. As would, to be honest, a sample email, outright. I need something that is both exceedingly polite, deferent, flattering, etc., but also, at this stage in the game, pretty firm. This whole mess is making me incredibly anxious, and without a little guidance, I'm just going to go further into a self-perpetuating spiral of second-guessing, and nothing will ever get done.

For context: this is a professor whose class (a twelve-hour, once-a-week, one-semester painting class) I took in the spring of 2005. We were on good terms, and we always have a friendly conversation if we run into one another. He's pretty busy, and maybe a bit high-strung (that is to say, "touchy"), however, and he's located out of Baltimore, while I'm currently living in Florida.

Thanks, guys.

Looking for a small wearable periodic alarm

qvtqht — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 02:12:39 -0800

I am looking for a small device that I can either wear or carry in my pocket that will beep, ring, and/or vibrate at a pre-set interval. (I'm thinking every 15 minutes.) I am an easily distracted individual, and I think that this would help me focus on what I should be doing at the moment.

Windows RSI reminder program

killa62 — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 03:00:30 -0800

I need a program that reminds me to take breaks I need a windows program that can be set to tell the user to take a break every x minutes and to remind the user to adjust their posture in front of their computer.
I would prefer if the program pops up a little dialog that disappears in like 10 seconds and that while it is on the screen, I can click through it.
Any other program that serves the general purpose works too.

Calendar program with automatic reminders?

MrZero — Mon, 12 Dec 2005 08:25:12 -0800

Is there a calendar program that will automatically remind me to do things on a certain date every month? Like, you know, pay my (ahem) credit card bills... Both my girlfriend and I are huge procrastinators, and we have lots of trouble keeping up on paying bills and things like that. We have signed up for autopayment on everything that will allow it, except for our credit cards and a few other low-tech services. We also use online bill paying, and we have an email account that exists solely to collect our bill reminders. The problem is that it all just isn't enough.

We need a program, that runs on my computer, that will just keep popping up ALL DAY LONG until I mark the task completed.

I've checked out the other calendar questions, but none of them seem to address this feature specifically.

I'm running Windows 98SE, and I need a program that is free. Any suggestions?

Online Calendars

grumblebee — Sun, 05 Dec 2004 10:41:48 -0800

As a follow-up to this question, I'm looking for an online application that will let me set up a calendar and will email me daily reminders of the day's events. I need to do this online, because I move around a lot and am constantly using different PCs (so an Outlook/Eudora/Etc. solution won't work). I would like to be able to get a reminder the night before and one the morning-of. Google suggests there are several such services. Are there any really good ones? Bonus: Has anyone invented one that will phone you or leave your a text message?