Set the alarm for 1:55 p.m.

Web alarm clock for 1:55 p.m.

You are halfway through a task when the 1:55 pm alarm reminds you to stop and pick up your child after shortened school classes. That leaves enough time to put down what you are doing, collect your keys and school things, and be ready to leave by 2:00 pm. Treat the alarm as the point when you switch tasks, rather than a reminder you can postpone while finishing one more thing.

Your child’s pickup can be missed if the alarm is too quiet beneath an electric fan, television, traffic, or conversation. Set the volume before returning to your task, then play a brief test signal from the place where you will actually be working. Keep the phone or computer nearby instead of muffled inside a bag. Because this browser alarm will not sound after the page is closed or the device goes to sleep, use a separate phone alarm as backup for the school pickup if you may step away.

Before settling back into your midday task, check how the light falls across your screen and doorway. Philippine afternoon sun can create glare near a window, making an on-screen alert easier to overlook. Shift the screen or partly close a curtain beforehand, while leaving enough daylight around you to notice that it is nearly 2:00 pm and time to head out.