Alexa on my Echo dot and phone is my #ActuallyAutistic Carer.I use Alexa to wake me up from my medicated coma in the morning.She switches my bedroom lights on at maximum brightness and plays Beautiful Day by U2 at maximum volume.Sometimes that’s not enough and I unplug her.
Alexa reminds me to do important tasks. Everyday she reminds me at 1pm to eat my lunch and start cooking dinner from 5pm. This is particularly handy when I hyperfocus on something and forget to eat. It obviously isn’t foolproof as I sometimes still ignore the reminder.
I have reminders set to help me manage.Eating regularly and taking my medication consistently ensures I keep routine.Routines are more advanced like my alarm in the morning, that turns the lights on and plays music. I do this to go to Church and to put the rubbish out early.
I also setup ad-hoc reminders during the day. Like when cooking dinner if I need to put food in the oven I’ll ask Alexa to remind me in 20 minutes to take my food out. I can very easily get lost in my phone and burn my food!
Another way I organise myself is I link Alexa to my Google Calendar. As well as logging when my next depot medication is I also log when I do domestic tasks like cleaning at home. I can then ask Alexa to check my calendar to find out when I last cleaned the bathroom.
A useful feature I use with Alexa is managing a shopping list. I use the Alexa app when I’m in the supermarket and it’s unusual for me to tell Alexa verbally what I need added to my shopping list when at home.
I hope you found some of my Alexa #ActuallyAutistic self management tips useful. I’m still new to them but I’m hopeful it will avoid me ending up in a psychiatric hospital again. I just wish sometimes Alexa could do some therapy as well. Maybe that will happen one day.