We live hectic lives, which makes it nearly impossible to remember the little things we do and experience each day. Daily routines like driving to work and visits to the gym become moments that we quickly forget. So are the songs we hear for the first time or the exciting new devices we find online.
Thanks to smart devices, we can now record these little moments to review later. Best of all, these personal journals are auto-populated with free tools like IFTTT. Here are some of the ways smart devices can help you document and enrich your life.
Before we get started, it's important to summarize what IFTTT, or “If so, the Smartest IFTTT Smart Home Integrations for Your Life IFTTT Smart Home Integrations for Your Life The future of the smart home is now. And thanks to online websites like IFTTT, creating a smart home is easier and more impressive than ever. Read more ” can do. The free service allows everyday users to create chains of statements, called "recipes," that are triggered based on changes in other web services like Gmail, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Available on the web and through apps, IFTTT works with many smart home products, many of which we've already covered on MakeUseOf, including Philips Hue 4 ways Philips Hue can take your lighting to the next level 4 ways Philips Hue can take your lighting to the next level Without Philips Hue, however, the smart home concept may never have taken off. Here are some cool ways to make use of them. Learn more, Logitech Harmony How to set up your new Logitech Harmony How to set up your new Logitech Harmony Logitech Harmony controllers are among the most popular on the market. Unfortunately, they are known to have complicated setups. Read More You've seen the ads starring Alec Baldwin, but you're still not sure what the Amazon Echo does or if you need one in your home. We're about to find out. Read more.
One of the reasons IFTTT is so popular is its simplicity. To develop new recipes, all you need to do is create an If / Then statement via the IFTTT website or app.
The ideal way to add or create an IFTTT recipe is by using the IF app. Most likely, the recipe you are looking for has already been added. To find a recipe, go to the IF app and select the recipe icon at the top right of the screen. Then next to My recipes Select the + button.
The suggested services screen offers popular “channels,” or you can search for others using the search tool. Once you select a channel, choose one of the recipes, then follow the on-screen instructions. You can also create new recipes using the IF app. We have highlighted this step. 4 ways Philips Hue can take your lighting to the next level. 4 ways Philips Hue can take your lighting to the next level. Without Philips Hue, however, the smart home concept may never have gotten off the ground. Here are some cool ways to make use of them. Read more in another post.
Driving plays a central role in most of our lives. With IFTTT, you can keep track of your comings and goings and use this information beneficially.
Many of these recipes work with the $89 auto adapter for cars, which plugs into the standard diagnostic port hidden under the dash on most cars since 1996.
With the IFTTT “Travel Journal” recipe, your Foursquare check-ins are added to a separate notebook so you can see where you've been at a glance. Rather see a daily summary of your driving day? “Every night, send me a review of all my car trips since today.” to be able to help.
Another benefit of tracking your driving is the peace of mind it gives your loved ones.
Map Your Location to Evernote keeps track of where you've been by creating a picture note with a map of your location. The recipe “Sign in when you come in and out of work with Evernote.” lets anyone with access to your Evernote account see when you've gotten to and from work each day.
With “Text my partner when I come home from work,” Your partner always knows that you are safe and on your way home.
“Automated diagnostic data from your car.” alerts you when there's a problem with your vehicle, helping you avoid a disaster on the road.
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With activity trackers, smart watches, and smart scales, you have immediate access to your daily step count, heart rate, and sleep routine. IFTTT can give you an extra boost to stay on track.
These IFTTT recipes work with many smart devices, including Fitbit Alta, Jawbone UP, Withings Wi-Fi Body Composition Scale, Withings Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor, and Philips Hue.
The recipe “Get notified if you haven't reached your daily Fitbit goals” keeps you accountable when you don't meet your daily fitness goals at a certain time of day. Conversely, “Tweet when you reach your daily Fitbit goal” lets others celebrate your recent success.
Perhaps your biggest problem is not going to the gym enough. “Keep track of all your gym visits in a Google spreadsheet” uses your smartphone's GPS to identify each gym visit. Better yet, the recipe not only keeps track of your visits; It also keeps track of how long you've spent at the location.
Does stress affect your sleep? Have you noticed that you are tossing and turning more often at night? Find out how you've been doing each night with these exciting recipes.
“Automatically log your sleep from UP to Evernote” and “Save your Fitbit sleep logs to a Google spreadsheet” Both give you a better idea of how your sleep is doing over time.
The lighting in the room, both at night and in the morning, plays an important role in determining whether your sleep is a success. 6 Smart Gadgets to Help You Sleep Better 6 Smart Gadgets to Help You Sleep Better Not getting a good night's sleep is never a good way to start a day. Fortunately, there are many home gadgets that can help you get a good night's sleep. Read more . “If I go to bed, turn off the lights” and “Time to sleep! Silence the phone” These are two great recipes in this sense..
Life is not a sprint. Knowing the big picture is always important when it comes to your health.
“Automatically record body measurements taken with Withings to a spreadsheet” adds your weight, lean mass, and body fat percentage measurements to a Google Drive spreadsheet. With “Get a weekly summary of the physical activity your Fitbit has tracked,” you can read about your week's physical activity.
Are you worried about your high blood pressure? “Email a Dr. when you take a new blood pressure measurement” will help.
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Listening to music Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Google Play Music:Which is the best? Spotify vs. Apple Music vs. Google Play Music:Which is the best? While there are a plethora of music streaming services out there, there are three main ones that stand out above the rest:Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music. But which one is better? Read More So, buy 5 Helpful Online Money Saving Tips You Should Know 5 Helpful Online Money Saving Tips You Should Know Here are several tips and tricks to help you keep more of your hard-earned money. Read More The following recipes will help in these two points. Some of these recipes require an Alexa-enabled smart gadget 7 Creative Uses for the Amazon Echo and Alexa 7 Creative Uses for the Amazon Echo and Alexa one in your house. We're about to find out. Read more about Amazon like Echo, Tap and Dot.
Did you like a song on YouTube? “Add Youtube music likes to Deezer playlist” and “Add songs you like on YouTube to your music on Spotify” means never forgetting those songs again.
Does Amazon Alexa use Amazon Echo vs. Dot vs. Tap:What are the key differences? Amazon Echo vs. Dot vs. Tap:What are the key differences? A common complaint against the Amazon Echo was that it had too many features and cost too much. Amazon's response to that? Launching two variations with smaller price tags:the Tap and the Echo Dot. Read more ? “Whenever an Alexa song is played (Prime Music), add it to a Spotify playlist” and “Music played on Alexa added to Musixmatch favorites” are also great options.
Finally, “When you like a song on Spotify, tweet it” and “Automatically share tracks you upload to SoundCloud on Facebook” are great ways to share your musical interests.
Product Hunt is one of the fastest growing sites on the web. It's a great place to discover and rate new digital and physical products. With IFTTT recipes, you can now keep track of those products with ease.
“Save upvoted product to Evernote” and “Save upvoted products from Product Hunt to a Google spreadsheet” Each provide easy ways to maintain your lists.
You can share your discoveries with others using the recipes. “Tweet products you vote for on Product Hunt” and “Share products you vote for on Product Hunt.” will work.
Looking for something new? “Get a weekly roundup of the hottest new products on the Product Hunt” and daily roundup of the featured product hunt” Will help you find more products to rate and explore.
Finally, Amazon Alexa doesn't just like listening to music; It's also great for shopping too. Among the recipes worth considering:“Add your Alexa shopping list items to Evernote” and “When I add something to my Amazon Echo shopping list, add it to my iOS Reminders, too.”
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Events big and small often become a blur in our hectic lives. Thanks to smart home devices and IFTTT, those moments are never forgotten. Instead, they are remembered to enrich and enhance our lives.
