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How does Reminders work?

I still have not figured out the current iteration of Reminders. When I want to create a new reminder, I type "command n." A line at the bottom of Reminders opens, and I type my text. Then I click on the "i in a circle" link to the right. The reminder immediately disappears. I have observed that the reminder relocates itself to the head for the column of reminders. I scroll through all the reminders to find what I was in the process of drafting. At that point, then, I click again on the "i in a circle." The link opens the window in which to set the day and time for the reminder to open.


There's got to be a better way. Many versions ago, I could type the date and time directly into the text of the reminder itself. Reminders took away that function, what, ten years ago?


I cannot believe that Apple would make such an application harder to use rather than easier. What am I missing?

Mac mini, macOS 11.4

Posted on Jul 8, 2021 3:08 PM

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Posted on Jul 8, 2021 3:54 PM

You didn't mention that you have been referring to the Big Sur Reminders User Guide for Mac, so perhaps it will clarify usage for you.

7 replies

Jul 8, 2021 4:00 PM in response to R_55a

R_55a wrote:

There's got to be a better way. Many versions ago, I could type the date and time directly into the text of the reminder itself. Reminders took away that function, what, ten years ago?

It still works for me. As I type the date, a "suggested date" appears and I click on that. There are also little bubbles below where I'm typing for selecting a time and location.

Jul 9, 2021 7:01 AM in response to IdrisSeabright

That's interesting. So far I have been relying on the keyboard for using Reminders. The keyboard always worked in the past. Today, on your recommendation, I picked up my hands and scrolled down in the Reminders window. And there I now see the "add date" and "add time" buttons. Even then, this function is not easy. The Reminders window scrolls back down to hide these two buttons. I have to scroll the window back up a second time.

Jul 22, 2021 4:47 PM in response to VikingOSX

At that webpage I find these instructions:



2. Select the On a Day checkbox, click the date, then either use the calendar to pick a date or type the date in the month, day, and year fields.


3. Select the At a Time checkbox, then type a time in the hour and minute fields.


  If you want this to be an all-day reminder, leave the At a Time checkbox unselected.




That’s not how Reminders works.   First example:  I wanted to create a reminder for two days later to look at something set for the following day.  I typed, “Look at … for tomorrow morning.”   Reminders refused to allow me to use the word “tomorrow” in that sentence.   Reminders insisted on scheduling this reminder for tomorrow rather than two days hence.




I could—and had to—work around this annoyance, but I have a different problem that occurs every time I try to create a new reminder.




I type into the text box what I want to remember.  Then I go down to the “On a Day” checkbox.  I select the desired date and release the cursor.   Immediately Reminders moves the new reminder to its place among the thousands of stored reminders in Reminders. I then have to scroll through these reminders to find the one that I have just now created.  




The reason why I have to scroll through thousands of reminders is that I want to add a time in the “At a Time” checkbox of the new reminder.  




I would prefer to add the time in the “At a Time” checkbox before Reminders moves the reminder to its place in the list of reminders.   I used to be able to do this in the last century.  Surely Apple did not take away this function.  Surely there is still some way of setting both the day and the time for a reminder before finishing the reminder.



Jul 24, 2021 8:22 AM in response to Calvin_BT

That webpages states:



1.    Do any of the following:

·       Add notes: Type a note below the reminder text. Press Option-Return to start a new line in the note.

·       Be reminded on a date and time: Click Add Date, choose a suggested date or click Custom to use the calendar to pick a date. After you enter a date, optionally click Add Time, then choose a suggested time. If you don’t enter a time, the reminder is an all-day reminder.

·       Be reminded when you arrive at or leave a location: Click Add Location, then choose a suggested location or start typing the name of a location and choose from the suggestions.

·       Flag a reminder: Click the Flag button.



As I said above, Reminders does not work that way.   When I click “Add Date,” I set the date.  As soon as I release the cursor, Reminders moves the reminder to its place in the list of thousands of reminders saved in Reminders.  I then have to scroll through these thousands of reminders to find the reminder that I have just created.  Only after I have tediously searched through these reminders can I then add the time to the new reminder.



I would much prefer to set both the date and time for the reminder before saving it.   I could do so in the last century.   I do not know why Apple changed the process to the far more cumbersome present practice.

How does Reminders work?

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