# When do you use an alarm? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 11, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239 "2011-01-11T18:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/21 "2011-01-12T02:38:27Z")
Other. I sometimes, but rarely, need an alarm clock to wake up. I do set the alarm on my BlackBerry for workdays only. I also get “alarm” messages, reminders of meetings and other appointments I set in my Outlook (Gmail) Calendar. I will miss meetings and other events if I don’t get a reminder. Not sure which category that would fit exactly in your survey. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/22 "2011-01-12T15:16:50Z")
As someone with ADHD, alarms and alerts are crucial for me to not forget things! I use a noise alarm only for waking up, but anything that needs doing by a specific time goes into my Outlook calendar with pop-up alerts at 15 and 5 minutes. This includes “Go to Boots to pick up prescriptions at lunch”, “Post card to mother-in-law” and “Annual review meeting with manager”. I also set myself email alerts for things that don’t need done by a specific time other than “in the next few weeks”, and make myself do them as soon as I get the alerts. Otherwise they would fall off my plate and never get done. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/23 "2011-01-12T17:26:45Z")
I tend to be absent minded, I don’t always keep track of time well, and I hate waking up in the morning. An alarm clock has always been essential and cellphones with calendar/planners have been a godsend, I use them all the time. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/24 "2011-01-12T17:44:16Z")
I set one every day that I have to get up in time to do something – which is every working day, plus every non working day where I have some other morning appointment. But in fact I wake up before the alarm goes off at least a third of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/25 "2011-01-12T17:48:04Z")
Are we including Outlook calendar reminders, oven timers and the like? Or just alarm clocks? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/26 "2011-01-12T18:16:38Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Are we including Outlook calendar reminders, oven timers and the like? Or just alarm clocks? When I started the thread, my intent was for alarms on your clock or phone. But since I didn’t specify that and many others have commented about much more beyond that, I’m not going to restrict you! But for voting purposes, try to think along the lines of clock/phone lines. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/27 "2011-01-12T18:34:59Z")
I’m one of the few people that never uses an alarm clock. I get up early even on days off. I’ll set an alarm for the first time in years on Monday since I have a very early flight and I figure I’ll have a few beers on Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/28 "2011-01-13T09:45:21Z")
If I need an alarm to wake me up, either I have a before-sunrise plane to take or I’m sick; I use one M-F to tell me when to leave for work. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/29 "2011-01-13T12:31:59Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > When I started the thread, my intent was for alarms on your clock or phone. But since I didn’t specify that and many others have commented about much more beyond that, I’m not going to restrict you! > > But for voting purposes, try to think along the lines of clock/phone lines. Crud. I used my computer for a medicine alarm. I wrote a script. It actually took some work, since I wanted to have a reminder, an actual alarm, and a scolding if I didn’t listen to the first two. Since the scripts all pause everytime you display a message, I had to figure out how to make it multitask. But, anyways, you probably don’t care about that. My point is that I voted that I use an alarm for appointments everyday for a daily activitiy, but, apparently, you don’t count the alarm if it’s on the computer. And, no, I haven’t used an alarm to wake up in a long time–though I will if I have to be on time, since I don’t trust my body clock. I have to be very, very exact in my scheduling if I want to be on time. ---
**Author:** ![Koldanar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@Koldanar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koldanar)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/30 "2011-01-13T14:47:13Z")
I HAVE to to wake up in the morning, otherwise I might get 10 hours a night some times (especially like now, in the winter). I also occasionally set one to remind me to do something that I would otherwise forget (Pay a bill, call for an appointment, pick up food on the way home) ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239/31 "2011-01-13T15:55:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But, anyways, you probably don’t care about that. My point is that I voted that I use an alarm for appointments everyday for a daily activitiy, but, apparently, you don’t count the alarm if it’s on the computer. Eh. My bad for a poorly crafted poll. Unfortunately, I’ve been wait-listed at **Skald University** for now, but someday, I’ll take the classes I need! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-use-an-alarm/567239.md?page=1)