You will soon be able to message yourself on WhatsApp. Adieu, to-do list.
There are many methods you can use to remind yourself to take action. You could tell Siri or another phone assistant to do something, or you could add anything to a reminder or to-do list app. You could also email yourself, which a surprising amount of people do. It will soon be simple to send messages to yourself using the messaging program WhatsApp, which has some significant benefits over email but also some problems.
“Since email serves as the hub of everything I do, I prefer to use it. I always go there first because I know I will always see my messages there. I often try to fit my needs into the apps I already use. What app can I use to accomplish this, I don’t think.” Nuria Gregori, a seasoned fashion stylist, and self-emailer informed Lifewire via email.
Self Help: When employing a reminder system of any kind, there are two areas of friction. Entry: when you write down the reminder; recall: when you go back and look at the list. The majority of apps attempt to streamline both, but none can change the most crucial aspect: you and your behaviors.
Even if you have the most meticulous reminder system ever, you will still forget everything if you never check the list. However, if you use Siri or a similar tool to set an alert for each task, you will quickly become overrun with notifications and end up ignoring them all.
It all comes down to having a reliable system. One that you can rely on to both keep all of your to-dos safe and be checked by you. And for that reason, email is a terrific tool to communicate with your future self. You intend to check it every day at the very least.
“Sending a message to oneself is not the same as using a to-do list software. A to-do list software is excellent for managing daily activities. Therefore, I won’t stop using a to-do list app, said Sudhir Khatwani, the creator of the financial news website The Money Mongers, in an email to Lifewire.
But I enjoy sending myself texts to keep track of crucial things. I’ve been mailing myself various items to keep them in my inbox, including current invoices, credit card information, vital addresses, and more. With WhatsApp, I can do the same, which will be much more practical for me.
Using email is versatile. Any message, including other emails, can be sent to yourself. But there are drawbacks, with security and privacy ranking as the main ones.
Advantage WhatsAppv: Advantage Email through WhatsApp is entirely unsecure. In the same way that you could read a postcard if you opened a mailbox, anyone who intercepts a message can read it because it is sent in plain text and is not encrypted.
On the other hand, end-to-end encryption is available with WhatsApp, iMessage, and Signal, so no one will ever know that you need to remember to water the plants and email mom on her birthday.
Apps for messaging can also be quicker. When sending an email, you must select the recipient and write the subject line. With a messaging app, you just select yourself from the list of share destinations, share the item, and press send. You’ll then notice it when you launch the app again.
“In comparison to email or to-do list apps, WhatsApp is a lot faster for communicating with oneself. My email and other programs take a little longer to load and update. Over the course of the day, that kind of time is important to me, “Medical expert and CEO of United Medical Education Brian Clark informed Lifewire via email.
Surprisingly many people who responded to my request for feedback on this piece claimed they still prefer a paper to-do list.
“I really like making to-do lists on paper rather than using an app. Writing down my to-do list significantly aids in my memory of them throughout the day “According to an email to Lifewire from Troy Portillo, director of operations at the online education platform Studypool. The act of crossing off a task as it is accomplished is so satisfying to me that I don’t see how an app could possibly recreate that action. I hang my list right next to my computer.
Paper offers benefits, especially if you keep the same desk or carry a notebook with you all the time. However, if we refer back to the first element of our reliable system, we understand that capturing must be simple. There isn’t much that is simpler or more ingrained in habit if your phone is always in your bag or pocket than sending a fast message.
