Top 10 iOS Shortcuts for Daily Productivity You Can Set Up in Minutes

Your smartphone should work for you, not the other way around. With iOS Shortcuts, you can automate routine tasks on your iPhone or iPad to save time and reduce daily friction. The best part? You don’t need any coding experience to create powerful automations.

In this article, I’ll walk you through 10 practical iOS Shortcuts that you can set up in minutes to streamline your daily workflow.

1. Morning Routine Kickstarter

Start your day right with a shortcut that runs automatically when you stop your morning alarm. It can show you today’s weather, calendar events, top news, and play your favorite playlist—all in one go.

When: Alarm is stopped
Do:
1. Get current weather at current location
2. Get calendar events for today
3. Get top news from [your favorite source]
4. Show result as alert with weather and calendar info
5. Play [morning playlist] in Music app

How to create it:

1. Open the Shortcuts app
2. Tap the “+” to create a new shortcut
3. Add actions for Weather, Calendar, News, and Music
4. Tap the Automation tab, create a new Personal Automation
5. Select “Alarm” trigger and “is stopped” condition
6. Select your shortcut as the action

2. Work Mode Activator

When you arrive at work, have your phone automatically switch to your preferred work setup.

When: Arrive at [work location]
Do:
1. Set Do Not Disturb to on (with allowed contacts)
2. Set volume to 50%
3. Turn off cellular data (optional, if you use Wi-Fi)
4. Open your work apps (email, Slack, etc.)

This helps you transition into work mode seamlessly and ensures you’re not disturbed by non-urgent notifications.

3. Meeting Prep Assistant

Create a shortcut that runs 5 minutes before your meetings to help you prepare.

When: Calendar event is about to start
Do:
1. Get details of upcoming event
2. Show alert with meeting title, participants, and notes
3. Open required apps (Zoom, Teams, etc.) based on meeting link
4. Mute phone

Pro tip: Add a condition to only run for events with specific keywords like “Meeting” or “Call” in the title.

4. Document Scanner

Turn your phone into a document scanner with a shortcut that can be triggered from your home screen.

When: Shortcut is run
Do:
1. Take photo or select from library
2. Convert image to PDF
3. Rename file based on current date + optional input
4. Save to Files app and/or share with specific apps

Great for receipts, business cards, and paper documents you need to digitize quickly.

5. Expense Tracker

Track expenses on the go with a simple shortcut that logs spending to a spreadsheet.

When: Shortcut is run
Do:
1. Ask for expense amount
2. Ask for category (from predefined list)
3. Ask for notes (optional)
4. Add row to Numbers/Google Sheets with:
   - Current date and time
   - Amount
   - Category
   - Notes

Connect this to a Numbers spreadsheet or Google Sheet to maintain a real-time expense log.

6. Smart Home Evening Routine

Have your smart home devices respond when you say “Hey Siri, I’m home.”

When: Shortcut is run via Siri
Do:
1. Set HomeKit scene to "Evening"
2. Adjust thermostat to preferred temperature
3. Play relaxing music on HomePod
4. Show home security camera feeds

Works best with HomeKit-compatible devices, but can be adapted for other smart home ecosystems using their respective apps.

7. Battery-Saving Mode

Create a shortcut that extends your battery life when it drops below a certain level.

When: Battery level drops below 30%
Do:
1. Turn on Low Power Mode
2. Decrease screen brightness to 40%
3. Turn off Background App Refresh
4. Show notification with estimated remaining time

Perfect for long days when you forgot your charger.

8. Social Media Detox Timer

Control your social media usage with a timer shortcut.

When: Shortcut is run
Do:
1. Ask which app you're about to use
2. Set timer for 15 minutes
3. Open selected app
4. When timer ends, display alert "Time's up!"

This creates mindfulness around how much time you spend on social apps.

9. Custom Text Message Responder

Create quick reply shortcuts for common text message scenarios.

When: Shortcut is run from Share Sheet in Messages
Do:
1. Show menu with options like "Running late," "In a meeting," etc.
2. Based on selection, send appropriate pre-written response
3. Add custom details like current location or ETA if needed

Add this to your Share Sheet for quick access while messaging.

10. Daily Journaling Prompt

Build a consistent journaling habit with an automated daily prompt.

When: Specific time each day (e.g., 8 PM)
Do:
1. Choose random prompt from list
2. Show notification with the prompt
3. When tapped, open Notes app with date and prompt pre-filled

Sample prompts to include:

• What made you smile today?
• What’s one thing you learned today?
• What are you grateful for right now?

How to Install and Run These Shortcuts

You can create these shortcuts from scratch or install pre-made versions:

1. Open the Shortcuts app on your iPhone or iPad
2. Browse the Gallery for similar shortcuts or create your own
3. For automating based on time, location, or events, use the Automation tab
4. For manual shortcuts, add them to your Home Screen or use Siri to trigger them

Taking Your Shortcuts to the Next Level

Once you’re comfortable with these basic shortcuts, you can:

• Chain multiple shortcuts together for more complex workflows
• Use the If/Otherwise actions to add conditional logic
• Integrate with web APIs using Get Contents of URL
• Create custom shortcut icons for your home screen

Conclusion

iOS Shortcuts bring the power of automation to everyone, not just programmers. These 10 examples are just the beginning—the possibilities are nearly endless for streamlining your digital life.

What tedious tasks would you like to automate with Shortcuts? Share your ideas or custom shortcuts in the comments below!

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Want to explore more automation topics? Check out our guides on Google Apps Script automation and building custom web apps.