iPhone trick: How to sort and organize all your reminders

May 26, 2021

By Kim Komando

Technology has given us the tools to be more productive, but it has also added infinite opportunities for distraction. Your smartphone gives you instant access to email, texts, social media, the internet and more. Who could blame you for losing focus?

If you’re running a business, you want to balance productivity and workplace satisfaction. You can’t completely control what your employees are doing, but at the same time, you want things to get done. Tap or click here for tips on boosting workplace productivity.

Lists are a great way to track your tasks, but they can sometimes put you off. As your list grows, your chances of completing it decrease. The goal is to check things off in a timely manner, and a recent iOS update can help.

A helpful reminder

Have you been using the Notes app to create lists? It makes sense, as Apple even provides a Check button to create to-do lists. You can reorder and indent items and move checked-off items to the bottom of the list. Keeping things on a list is a great idea but what about organizing your tech itself? Tap or click here to check out some gadget bags.

While the Notes app is helpful, you may want to try Reminders if you haven’t done so already. This app makes it easier to create and track your lists. You can create subtasks and add attachments and flags. Organize your lists into groups under custom headings such as school, work, shopping and things to do around the house.

To create a Reminder, open the app and tap New Reminder. Enter a title and any notes, and tap List to set a location for the reminder. If you want to create multiple lists, tap Add List in the Reminders home screen and set a name, color and symbol.

Now that you have a list of reminders, the next step is completing them. Would you rather knock things off the list according to when they need to be done, or would you rather tackle items by their importance?

Reorganize

Apple’s iOS 14.5 update launched recently, bringing a host of new features. You can now unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch. App tracking transparency gives you more control of your privacy. Apple Maps can now track road hazards and speed traps.

The update is not without its hiccups. Tap or click here for more information on how it can affect your battery life.

The update also added more functionality to the Reminders app. You can now organize items within a list by date, time, location and priority. Simply open a list, tap the three dots icon and tap Sort. The default setting is Manual, but you can also select from Due Date, Creation Date, Priority and Title.

Once you start completing tasks, you get two new options to re-order the list: Newest First and Oldest First.

You can move an item manually within a list at any time by touching and holding it, then moving it to a new location. If you want to find something quickly, enter a word in the search field above the reminder lists and tap search.