This week’s podcast is all about the Apple Watch and how I use it to manage my ADHD brain. I didn’t want an Apple Watch. I don’t want to wear anything that everyone else is wearing. That said, once I did, I realized just how valuable it could be to manage my ADHD brain. I feel more in control, less worried about things falling through the cracks, and more organized than I’ve ever felt. My whole goal has been to build structures around myself to shore up my weaknesses so I can focus on my strengths. I have basically uploaded my working memory to the Apple Watch. When I first got the watch, I was totally overwhelmed. I looked everywhere for videos and blog posts, about how to use the Apple Watch to shore up the ADHD brain. I couldn’t find anything, so I’ve wanted to do this podcast for a while. That said, this is not an in-depth instruction manual on what the Apple Watch can do. This is just me talking to you about the best, simplest ways I have found to set up and use my Apple watch to build that structure around me that best supports my ADHD brain. And this is the structure that has worked best for me: ALARMS, TIMERS & REMINDERS - The number one reason I love the Apple Watch is for alarms. I no longer need to wash the laundry five times because I keep forgetting I’m doing the wash and get totally distracted by my work, my kids, my dog or another Donald Trump tweet ... YOU GET ME? With my Apple Watch, I can actually cook again because I don’t burn things anymore. I’m constantly reminded by Mr. Apple that I’m cooking! It took me awhile to figure this out, but this is what you need to know. Your iPhone, and Apple Watch have alarms, reminders and timers. Your MacBook and iPad only have reminders built in. You only have one timer on your Apple Watch or iPhone. There are no multiple timers. Alarms and reminders have labels so you can remember what you were even working on. Timers do not, so when the timer goes off, if you’re anything like me, you won’t have a clue what you were even timing. Haptic feedback is probably the best feature of the alarm on my Apple Watch. It’s the light tap on the top of your wrist that your watch administers, kind of like you’re own built-in nanny. Both reminders and alarms allow you to use your voice to set up an alert, which I love. I sleep with my watch, set weekly and weekend alarms and use the haptic feedback when the alarms go off every morning as my alarm clock. Alarms don’t delete themselves like reminders, so you’ll have to delete them off your phone every other month or two. Instructions Alarms and timers that you set up on your Apple Watch will not show up anywhere else. Alarms and timers that you set up on your iPhone will show up on your watch. No idea why, I just know that they won’t. If you need multiple countdown timers, is the best I could find, but don’t bother adding the complication to your watch. Just use it on your phone. FIND YOUR PHONE - If you too lose your phone at the store, your office or in the garden under layers of mulch (you’ll have to listen to the podcast ), this is reason alone to invest in the Apple Watch. You can use your watch to ping your phone. Even better, if you’re in the dark and you can’t find your phone, or you just want to know if it’s at the bottom of your bottomless purse, continue to press on the phone icon. The flash will light up and blink. Instructions are FLASHLIGHT - I never used the flashlight on my iPhone. When I needed it, I was usually at a front door trying to hold groceries, a bag, a dog or all three. With your Apple Watch on your
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