Live Life More Efficiently with IFTTT
Edited by Anabasis, Eng
IFTTT stands for "If This, Then That" and it does exactly what the name states. IFTTT is a free service that allows you to integrate dozens of services in absolute harmony. It uses applets to set up recipes for how various services, appliances, gadgets, apps and gizmos interact. For example, you can use it to log how much time you spend at work, at home, or doing almost any other activity. Or perhaps the following: "If I leave the house, turn off the WiFi on my phone."
But these are trivial examples. IFTTT is an incredibly powerful tool. It works with over 360 apps, and numerous other websites, services, appliances, maybe even your car! There are hundreds of applets that can be enabled in an instant, and IFTTT also gives you a great deal of control in making your own applets. This article will include links to 10 top notch applets to streamline various aspects of your life, and will also show you how to make your own.
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- 3Click on an applet, and turn it on to use it.
12 useful applets
- 1Set your work location and your arrival/departure time will be added to a Google Calendar for tracking.Track your work hours in Google Calendar here.
- 2This applet will email you whenever there are new postings on Craigslist and other classified sites based on your search.Get an email whenever a new Craigslist post matches your search here.
- 3This applet will send you an email whenever something related to technology is posted on The New York Times. Great for staying informed on the latest happenings in the digital world.Get an email from the New York Times whenever there's breaking technology news here.
- 4With this applet, you'll always know to bring your umbrella if it's going to be a wet one. Get a text each morning with a weather report from Weather Underground.Send a text with the weather every morning here.
- 5Using your phone's camera, IFTTT will send pictures you take of your receipts to Evernote, so you can keep track of all of your purchases and other financial transactions.Save receipts to Evernote here.
- 6This applet is great for everyday users of social media, and businesses. Share a blog post to your company's Facebook page, or simply share it with your personal friends.Share new WordPress posts to a Facebook Page here.
- 7This applet will log each call you make to Google Sheets. You'll be able to keep track of all of your calls right from a central location. It's a great tool if you make frequent phone calls for work, or in your personal life.Automatically log every call you make on your Android phone to a Google spreadsheet here.
- 8This app is perfect for keeping a close eye on the legal landscape in the United States. Turn this one on, and you'll receive an email whenever a bill is signed into law.Get an email whenever the (U.S.) President signs a bill into law here.
- 9This one is perfect if you use Spotify for your tunes! It will add music that you like on YouTube to a Spotify playlist, provided the song/album is present on Spotify.Add songs from YouTube videos you like to a Spotify playlist here.
- 10If you use Twitter and Facebook, this one is a must have. It will automatically share links you post on your Facebook to your Twitter account.Automatically share new links you post on Facebook here.
- 11Misplaced your phone? With this IFTTT recipe, you can have your Google Home call it for you!Have Google call your phone link here.
- 12Have Amazon Echo call your phone here
Don't have Google Home and you've lost your phone? Well, have Amazon Alexa call it for you.
How to Make Your Own Applets
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- 2Click "New Applet"
- 3Click "+ this" to add a service:
- 4For this example, we'll use the Date and Time service to send us a phone notification that it's time to get ready for work.Select a Service.
- 5Click the service labeled "Date and Time"Enter Date and Time in the search bar and you'll see an image of a clock as the first result.
- 6You can pick any time for the reminder. Here's an image of the daily triggerSelect a trigger.
- 7You have the option to choose any service on IFTTT, but we'll use the Notification service to send us a notification of our choice.Once you've set the time and frequency of the reminder, it's time to tell what IFTTT to do when triggered.
- 8Click the "+ that" to add a second service:
- 9It is represented by an image of a white bell. Click on it to add it to your applet.Search for the "Notifications" service.
- 10Here's an example:Add any notification of your choice.
- 11Click "Create Action" then "Finish" and your new applet is ready to go.
Using AutoVoice with IFTTT
AutoVoice can now be fully integrated with IFTTT. For more information on AutoVoice, look here. The following guide will show you how to use AutoVoice and IFTTT to send a tweet
- 1Download the AutoVoice app here
Conclusion
While this article serves as a basic introduction to using IFTTT to automate and streamline various aspects of your life, with the sheer number of services available, it's up to you to make applets that allow you to solve problems more quickly, or simply automate your life.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
