The Best NFC Tag Automations For Busy Moms Managing The Mental Load

So much of life involves doing stupid little tasks, lest the stupid little tasks do you. Give the dog their flea meds, or the fleas will come. Remember to buy more toilet paper, or you’ll find yourself in a very vulnerable position. If you’re in the market for all the unhinged automation advice to take these little things off your plate, well, the internet has provided once again. What if you could just tap your phone against a sticker on the side of the Goldfish container in the pantry to automatically put them on your grocery list? That’s the stuff right there, and it’s inexpensive to set up.

Our new bestie Sharon, aka @automaticallyadhd on TikTok, recently shared that she uses these little discs called NFC tags around her house to automate certain tasks that used to throw a hitch in her day. For example, she placed one on her dog’s food container. When she scans it with her phone — just like doing tap-to-pay — it texts her husband “I fed the dog,” so their pup can’t weasel his way into getting two breakfasts.

She also demonstrates in the video how to set up automations using the Shortcuts app for iPhone, which comes downloaded on all phones but is free to add if you don’t have it. For Android users or iPhone users who don’t like Shortcuts, you could try the apps Tasker, Home Assistant, or NFC Tools, which are recommended often on Reddit. It looks fairly easy to set up, but a little hands-on learning will still be necessary. Now… what would you even use your NFC tags for, if you had them?

The Best NFC Tag Automations For Busy Moms

Don’t get overwhelmed, get excited — we’ve pulled some of the best NFC tag automations from all over the internet so you don’t have to. These ideas, pulled from comments on Sharon’s video, Reddit, and other users’ TikToks, are about to save you so much mental effort. Yes, some require that you have Bluetooth-compatible lights or speakers or coffee machines, but some would be helpful even to the most analog households.

• “You can add an automation to subtract the portion of dog food from the total and a second trigger to add dog food to shopping list when 14 portions are left.”
• “One I’ve used is on my washer and dryer. When I tap, it sets a timer on my phone to alert me to come back and take care of my laundry.”
• “My favorite is a tag under the kitchen island. I tap that and all the kids’ devices get banned from Wi-Fi till they do what they are told.”
• “Push it when I take my medicine each day so I know I’ve taken it!!”
• “I put one on anything that needs to be changed. House water filters, HVAC filters, fridge filters, air purifier… When I change the thing, I just scan the tag. Boom. Reset until the next time!”
• “I have an automation that turns off my kids’ light when it’s after bedtime and shuts them off if they turn them back on. I have an NFC sticker on their door I can scan to disable the automation for 15 minutes so the light can stay on to read a story or something.”
• “Stuck to banisters halfway up the stairs, triggers all nighttime automations (lights, security alarm, etc.) when scanned.”
• “ETA to home text from your current location in your car.”
• “I have an NFC tag on my bedside table. Before going to bed, I’ll tap my phone to arm the Ring Alarm and turn off all lights and switches except the AC and fan. Have a similar one in the garage to turn on Ring Alarm before I leave.”
• “Underside of kitchen cabinet, starts playing a specified playlist through the kitchen speaker.”
• “Good Morning Routine: Tap an NFC tag near your bed to turn on bedroom lights, start the coffee maker, and read out the weather forecast.”
• “I have one in the entrance hall. Touching it connects guests to Wi-Fi.”
• “Order your Starbucks when you get in the car so it’s ready by the time you arrive.”
• “I’m using one to track the flea/worm treatment for my cat. When we apply the drops, I tap the tag with my phone, which sets a reminder in my Google Calendar (30 days) so I know when to apply it again. It also increments a counter helper, and if the counter value is higher than 2, it sets another reminder (20 days) to order a new pack from the vets.”

The Best NFC Tags To Try

There are truly countless NFC tags, cards, and stickers to choose from on Amazon. These three have thousands of user reviews and 4.5-star ratings, so they seem to be the most reliable and well-tested ones on the site. Bonus points: They’re all under $10, which is about how much I’d be willing to spend on a new automation experiment.

So, where will you put your first sticker? I’m headed straight for the pantry to pop some stickers on pantry staples and get them automatically added to my grocery list. The good news is you don’t need NFC tags to start using Shortcuts or similar apps. You could start playing with automations now, like “when I reach the office, turn on silent mode.” Happy automating!