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On a low-energy day, even opening an anti-procrastination app can feel difficult. Prepare the routine earlier, then let a trigger start it.
Watch the demonstration on Xiaohongshu (Chinese)
Why connect PlanCoach to Shortcuts?
A useful routine looks inviting, has steps you believe in, benefits you when finished and begins with an action you want to take. Ask the coach to Explain anything unclear, and edit the plan until it fits.
Then use Apple’s Shortcuts app to start it at a chosen time, with an NFC tag or through another automation trigger.
All five PlanCoach actions
Search for PlanCoach in Shortcuts to find these actions. The names below describe their purpose; the screenshots show the Chinese interface.
| Action | Parameters |
|---|---|
| Run a route from Route Library | Route: a saved route |
| Start a bookmarked plan from history | Plan: a bookmarked plan |
| Generate a plan | Coach: a chosen coach or the most recently used one; Task: text or a variable, asked for if blank; Start in Navigation Mode: go directly to the large-text view |
| Capture an idea without interrupting your work | Idea: text to save, asked for if blank |
| Confirm and capture an idea, useful with Siri | Idea: dictated text to confirm before saving |
The first three open PlanCoach. The last two save an idea in the background.
The confirmation action also has app-provided Siri phrases, so it can be invoked through Siri without first building a shortcut manually. Use a phrase supported by your system language, such as asking to capture an idea in PlanCoach.
Example: start a bedtime routine at 23:40
1. Make a plan you want to follow
Ask Chang’e for a plan to put the phone away and sleep. Edit the steps and wake-up time until they fit your circumstances.
2. Bookmark it or save it as a route
In plan history, long-press the plan or open its upper-right menu and choose Bookmark or Add to Route Library.
3. Create the shortcut
- Open Shortcuts, go to All Shortcuts and tap +.
- Search for PlanCoach and add the action for starting a bookmarked plan, or running a route.
- Choose the saved bedtime plan in its parameter, then name the shortcut—for example, “Bedtime.”
4. Add an automation
- Open Automation and tap +.
- Choose Time of Day, set 23:40, choose the repeat days—for example Sunday to Friday—and select Run Immediately.
- Choose the Bedtime shortcut you just made.
Selecting Run Immediately avoids leaving the routine waiting for a confirmation you may miss. At the scheduled time, the automation opens the plan so you can follow its first step.
Five combinations to try
1. Different coaches for different times of day
When the wake-up alarm stops or the wake-up trigger fires, run Miss S’s morning route: water, washing and today’s priorities. At wind-down or bedtime, run Chang’e’s sleep routine.
2. Put NFC triggers where the task happens
Place an NFC tag by the bookshelf, desk or door:
- Bookshelf: generate a 20-minute reading plan using a LoreBook reading draw.
- Desk: generate a plan with Start in Navigation Mode enabled.
- Door: run a one-minute checklist for keys, headphones and turning the hob off.
3. Start a workout on arrival or Bluetooth connection
Use arrival at the gym or connection to exercise headphones as the trigger. Run a saved workout route so you do not have to decide where to begin while standing beside the equipment.
4. Interrupt automatic scrolling
When a distracting app opens, use an automation to run a short route or ask whether you want to finish your current PlanCoach step first.
5. Use the Action Button, Back Tap or clipboard
- Assign Capture an idea to the Action Button or Back Tap. Record a thought without manually switching into PlanCoach.
- Connect Get Clipboard to the Task parameter of Generate a plan. Copy a list from another app and send it straight to the coach.