My calendar is set to remind me about appointments, meetings, and other time-specific activities, but I don’t use reminders for anything else.

I check my task app, see what I’ve planned for the day, and do it. If I’m not sure about something, the app is only a click away.

I’ve also turned off most push notifications.

I don’t need or want to be reminded about everything in my life. Too many beeps and buzzes and pop-ups—it’s annoying. And distracting when you’re trying to concentrate.

“I’m in the middle of my skin care routine! Thank you for reminding me to take out the garbage, but go away!”

I also don’t like the idea of depending on reminders.

What if they fail? What if I don’t see the reminder? What if I’ve become immune to those pop-ups and beeps and alarms and ignore the little bastards?

I prefer self-reliance, not app-reliance.

I know, some people depend on reminders to gete them through their day. It’s like they’re back in school, waiting for the bell before they go to their next class.

Some folks are addicted. Their watches and phones are their overseers, constantly telling them what to do, when and where, and if they don’t do it, they nag them until they do.

I don’t want to be nagged, do you?

Here’s the thing.

We generally don’t forget to do things we want to do. We don’t need to be reminded to watch our favorite show, play our favorite game, or do the horizontal hokey-pokey.

It’s the chores, the errands, and the work we don’t want to do we find easy to forget, and for those, reminders might help.

So use reminders if and when they serve you, but not for everything.

When I drive by the grocery store, I don’t need my phone to remind me to get pickles.

It’s on my list, okay? (I just need to remember to check my list.)