If you are anything like me, saying that you are busy is an understatement.  Anything that can make my life easier I’m willing to investigate and give it a try.

I’m a techie so I especially like apps and gadgets.

In this post, I’m going to tell you some of the super awesome ways Alexa can make life easier.

What is Alexa?

Some of you might be wondering… who the heck is Alexa? Alexa is Amazon’s virtual personal assistant

Utilizing the Alexa speaker you can speak controls and Alexa carries out the requested action.  Amazon has a variety of Alexa enabled devices.

These include the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Echo Dot.  The only difference between these two devices is the speaker system attached.

The Alexa voice control features are the same for both.

Echo Dot (3nd Generation)

Alexa echo works using the sound of your voice.  You simply say the trigger word “Alexa” and then speak a command asking a question or telling Alexa what you want her to do.  Here are a few examples:

Spoken Command:  “Alexa, what time is it?”

Alexa’s Response:  “It’s 5:10 PM”

Spoken Command:  “Alexa, what is the weather tomorrow?
Alexa’s Response:  “Tomorrow in Duluth you will see intermittent clouds with a high of 44 and a low of 25”

Spoken Command:  “Alexa, play Jazz music”

Alexa’s Response:  “Here’s a station of Jazz music, All Jazz, from Amazon music” {Jazz music starts to play}

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Benefits of the Amazon Alexa

Listen to Your Favorite Music

Amazon Alexa makes it easy to listen to your favorite music.  The days of putting together different playlists are in the past.

Amazon allows you to listen to the genre of music you are in the mood for just by asking.  I use to spend hours organizing my music by genre or mood.

Now, I simply ask Alexa to play what I want to hear.  I love hearing songs from years ago that I’ve forgotten about.

Don’t you just love when music brings back good memories?

Just Say:

“Alexa, play 90’s R&B on Pandora.”

Control Your Lights & Appliances

With the addition of a few extra gadgets, Alexa can make life easier by controlling your lights and other appliances.

Amazon Alexa allows you to turn on your lights, fans, coffee maker or any appliance just by using your voice.  This becomes super useful when your hands are full.

Once set up, you can also control items directly from your smartphone.  This makes it easy to turn off the lights in the kitchen from your bedroom.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten to turn off the lights in my office and I was able to turn them off without leaving my warm bed.

Just Say:

“Alexa, turn off my office lamp.”

Hands-Free Music & Phone Calls in the Car

Another one of the ways Alexa can make life easier is by allowing you to listen to music and make hands-free calls in your car.  This can be done by using your phone Wifi and an Amazon Echo Dot.

The set up is just the same as it would be in your house.  By setting up Alexa in your car you can make calls safely just by using your voice.

You also have the same music that we discussed earlier right in your car.

Just Say:

“Alex, call Mom.”

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Get the Spelling of Words

Alexa is a great speller.  If you have school-age kids or you are challenged when it comes to spelling, this is a great feature.

You can ask the spelling of any word and Alexa will spell it for you.  My daughter is 10 and she constantly asks me how to spell different words.

She can now ask Alexa, which gives her the spelling of the work slow enough for her to write it down.  She can also ask Alexa to spell the word again as many times as she likes and Alexa doesn’t get annoyed.

Just Say:

“Alexa, spell discombobulated.”

Set Wake Up Reminders

Another one of the ways Alexa can make life easier is wake up or general reminders.  Alexa allows me to easily set reminders for my daughter to wake up in the morning or take her shower at night.

No need to fumble with your smartphone or an alarm clock.  Just ask Alexa to set a reminder and you’re all set.

Alexa can remind you to take the dog out, take something out of the oven, or leave for work.  Alexa will remind you with a spoken reminder and she will send a reminder to your smartphone via the Alex app.

Just Say:

“Alexa set a reminder to take the cookies out of the oven in 11 minutes.”

Alexa Drop In – House-wide Intercom System

What is Alexa drop in?

Alexa drop in is an optional feature that allows you to talk hands-free between 2 echo devices. With this feature, you can use your echo speakers as an house-wide intercom system.

With the purchase of multiple Amazon Echo devices, you can get the functionality of an expensive intercom system.

These amazon devices allow you to be in one room and have a two-way conversation with someone in another room of your house.  You can easily speak to someone on the top level or your house while you are in the basement.

The Alexa drop in feature is one of my favorite ways to use Alexa.

Just Say:

“Alexa, drop in on the Kitchen”

Here is a great post that shows you how to set up an intercom system using your Amazon Echo.

Assist with Homework & Trivia

Alexa is super smart.  Anything you would normally google you can ask Alexa.  Your kids will have a personal tutor to ask all of those historical questions that you have long forgotten.  Alexa is also great with trivia questions or general questions that just come up in conversations.

Just Say:

“Alexa, who signed the Declaration of Independence?”

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Create Shopping Lists

One of the convenient ways Alexa can make your life easier is by creating shopping lists.  You can use Alexa to create your grocery shopping list or to do list.

Once Alexa creates the list you can tell her to add items as you think of them.  If you have Alexa in your kitchen, you and your family can simply tell Alexa to add items to the grocery list when it’s needed.

When it’s time to go to the store you have a complete list of items that need to be purchased.  If you shop on Amazon, Alexa can quickly purchase those items for you.

Just Say:

“Alexa, add milk to the grocery list.”

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Echo Devices

I hope you found this list interesting.  Adding a little technology to your life can help you get through the super busy times.  Alexa can make your life a little easier by adding some fun and automation to common tasks.

Leave a comment and let us know how Alexa helps you out.

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