Google Assistant’s Family Bell feature is a great way to give yourself a little daily nudge
It’s so easy (too easy!) to let days fly by without ever leaving the house — especially when we’re busy working from home, daylight hours are short and it’s cold outside.
I realized a couple weeks ago ago that I hadn’t left the house in 5 full days! This is not a good thing! Getting outside and stretching your legs makes you feel good, and there’s even some evidence that moderate sunlight exposure can help modulate your immune system and improve health.
I’m now using Google Assistant’s Family Bell feature to schedule a daily announcement that reminds me to get out for a walk. The announcement plays on my Nest smart displays and speakers, and I also get a helpful push notification from the Assistant app.
It’s super easy to set up your own Family Bell to remind you to get out at least once a day (or anything else!):
- Open the Assistant app
- Tap the circle on the upper right with your image or initial
- Scroll down and tap “Family Bell”
- Tap the “+ Add a bell” button
- Write in your announcement; pick the time and days of the week when you’d like to hear it; and select the Nest speaker(s) or display(s) for it to play from
- Tap “Create new bell”
Interested in getting a Nest speaker or smart display? Check out the Nest Hub smart display (my personal favorite) and the Nest mini smart speaker!