TL;DR
An Android Police features writer replaced habitual morning app-scrolling with Google’s Gemini AI assistant by saving a brief 'morning' instruction that compiles calendar events, important emails, and curated news. The change reduced aimless screen time and early decision fatigue, though Gemini can be verbose, occasionally inaccurate, and works best when your data lives in Google apps.
What happened
The author experimented with replacing an automatic morning scroll through email, social feeds and news apps by opening Google’s Gemini first. She created and saved a short instruction in Gemini — accessible in the mobile app under the profile > Instructions for Gemini > Add, or via the website Settings & help > Instructions for Gemini — that produces a single morning briefing. The prompt pulls important Gmail messages, top Google Calendar meetings, and summaries of world, tech and economic headlines, plus a single feel-good story. In practice, the briefing becomes a low-friction planning space: it offers a quick snapshot of the day, helps prioritize what to tackle first, and serves as a mental inbox for unfinished tasks or ideas. The author reports feeling more oriented and less reactive, while noting the approach has limits, including occasional verbosity, overgeneralization, and a reliance on well-maintained Google data.
Why it matters
- Condenses multiple apps into one morning briefing, cutting down aimless scrolling.
- Reduces early decision-making load by surfacing calendar, email and key headlines in one place.
- Helps preserve a calmer start to the day, which can affect focus and stress levels.
- Limitations (verbosity, accuracy) mean users still need to verify time-sensitive details.
- Works best for people who keep their tasks and notes within Google’s ecosystem.
Key facts
- The author saved a reusable Gemini instruction labeled for morning briefings.
- Setup: in the Gemini app, go to profile > Instructions for Gemini > Add; on the web use Settings & help.
- Sample briefing elements: important Gmail emails, top Google Calendar meetings, world/tech/economy summaries and one feel-good item.
- Common short prompts used: “What does my day look like?” and “Do I have anything time-sensitive today?”
- Gemini is used as a planning space to summarize notes, recall unfinished tasks, and capture loose ideas.
- Reported benefits include less app-hopping, reduced urgency, and feeling oriented after the briefing.
- Drawbacks include occasional verbosity, generic or drifting advice, and moments when it overgeneralizes.
- Accuracy depends on how current and complete the user’s calendar and notes are.
- The approach is less effective if your tasks are spread across many non-Google apps.
What to watch next
- Whether Gemini’s ability to summarize and prioritize improves with future updates (not confirmed in the source).
- How broader integration with non-Google apps might affect usefulness (not confirmed in the source).
- Instances when the briefing misprioritizes tasks because calendar or notes are outdated — test and verify time-sensitive items.
- How often you revert to old scrolling habits on tired or distracted mornings; the author notes this can still happen.
Quick glossary
- Gemini: Google’s conversational AI assistant that can answer questions, summarize information, and pull data from linked Google services.
- Doomscrolling: The habit of consuming large amounts of negative or trivial news and social media, often leading to stress or distraction.
- Decision fatigue: Reduced ability to make choices effectively after making many decisions, common in the early morning for some people.
- Google Calendar: A scheduling service from Google that stores events and meetings; Gemini can pull calendar data when linked.
- Gmail: Google’s email service; Gemini can surface messages marked important when included in a briefing.
Reader FAQ
How did the author set up the morning briefing in Gemini?
She created a saved instruction in Gemini: in the app go to profile > Instructions for Gemini > Add; on the web use Settings & help > Instructions for Gemini.
What does the morning prompt include?
The prompt requests today’s important Gmail messages, top Google Calendar meetings, summaries of world/tech/economy news, and one feel-good story.
Does Gemini fully replace checking multiple apps in the morning?
No; it reduces app-hopping and provides a high-level snapshot, but it isn’t a substitute for verifying time-sensitive or high-stakes details.
Will this work if I don’t use Google apps?
The author says the approach works best inside Google’s ecosystem; effectiveness is reduced if tasks live across many other apps.
Does the article discuss privacy implications?
not confirmed in the source
I replaced my morning scroll with Gemini — and the results surprised me Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police | yourphotopie / Shutterstock By Anu Joy Published 16 minutes ago Anu…
Sources
- I replaced my morning scroll with Gemini — and the results surprised me
- I swapped my morning routine for an AI-powered one
- Google wants its AI assistant CC to replace your morning …
- Gemini in Google Keep is more powerful than I initially …
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