iPhone and iPad: How to Use Shortcuts to Quickly Jot Down Reminders

Unless you can jot down your tasks the second they come to you, you likely won’t want to use the Reminders app on your iPhone or iPad. Thankfully, you can set up a shortcut that allows you to instantly add a task to your Reminders list. You can also add the shortcut you created to the home screen as a widget or a bookmark.

How to Create a List of Reminders

First, you have to decide on the list you want to add your reminder to.
If you want to create a new list, tap the Add List button located at the bottom-right corner of your screen.
Give your new list a name.
Customize the look.
Tap Done.

How to Create Simple Tasks

First, open the Shortcuts app.
Head over to the My Shortcuts tab.
Find the “+” button at the top-right corner of your screen and tap it.
To create a new action, tap the Add Action button once a blank shortcut appears.
Look for the Add New Reminder action and add it.
Next, configure the source of the reminder by tapping the Reminder button.
Find Ask Each Time and choose it as a variable to make sure that the shortcut asks you for a new text-based reminder every time.
You should see be prompted to add the task to a default list called Reminders. To switch to a different list, simply tap the Reminders button before tapping the Next button.
Give your shortcut a name before tapping the Done button.

How to Add the Shortcut to Your Home Screen

Find the three-dot menu button located at the top-right corner of the shortcut and tap it.
Select the Add to Home Screen option before tapping the Add button.
Go to the home screen to find your new shortcuts bookmark.
Trigger the automation by tapping the shortcut icon.
Type in your reminder in the text box that slides down from the top of your screen.
Tap Done from the keyboard or the pop-up message.