Just about every lawyer I know uses some system to keep track of tasks that need to be done, and often they do so using an iPhone. There are tons of great apps to use for this, from the built-in Reminders and Notes apps to numerous third-party apps. (I use the app Things.) But there are some tasks that we all do with some regularity that don’t need to be done at a specific time or date; nevertheless, it is often nice to know when you did it last. For example, you might not have a strict schedule for tasks like getting a haircut or washing your bed sheets, but it would be nice to have a quick way to see when you last did it, not to mention a way to see how often you usually do that task. When Did I…? is an app designed for this need. It works very well and I think that most anyone would find a good way to use this app on their iPhone.
The main screen of the app lists whatever actions you want to track. Tap the plus sign at the top left to add a new action, give the action a name, and then select an Emoji that you want to associate with the action. Once the action is in your list, all you need to do is tap the action and your iPhone will record that you just did that task. When you come back in the future, you can then easily see at a glance when you last did the actions that you are tracking.
Tap the arrow to the right of each action to see a lot of whenever you did those actions.
If you forgot to log something, or if you are using the app for the first time so there is no history, you can go back and add past events. Just tap the three dots at the top right to do so.
If you recorded an action by mistake, just swipe right to left to delete the action. Or you can tap the three dots at the top right, tap Delete Events, and then you can easily delete multiple events at once.
Those three dots also give you a way to add a specific action to Shortcuts. Tap that button and give Siri a specific phrase — such as “when did I last wash my car” — and then whenever you ask Siri that question, Siri will determine the answer from the When Did I…? app and then will tell you the answer. You can also configure a Shortcut so that when you say a certain phrase to Siri, the When Did I…? app will log that you just conducted one of your activities.
I really like this app because there are so many ways that it can be helpful. When did I last change the batteries in my smoke detector? When I did last replace a light bulb? When did I last have lunch with my college roommate? When did I last get flowers for my wife? When did I last charge the battery of the jump starter that I keep in my trunk? The ways that you can use this app are limited only by your imagination.
I do wish that this app would add one feature. Once you have logged a number of entries for an activity, the app could easily determine the average interval between each time you do the task. It would be nice if the app had a way alert you to this interval on the main page, perhaps by telling you that you normally do this task once every X months/days, or perhaps by suggesting that you are X days away (or past due) from when you would normally do this activity again. Perhaps this will be added in the future.
I like this app, and the more that I use it, the more useful that it becomes. I think this app is well worth the $2.99 price.
Click here to get When Did I…? ($2.99): 