Google Assistant wants to shake up your boring pandemic routine

Google has a new Assistant routine that will remind you of the passage of time as you continue to work from home. The workday routine will prompt you to get up and move, go for a walk, grab a glass of water and other normal human being activities at various points throughout the day, just in case, you know, you were beginning to atrophy at your desk while seasons changed outside your window. The new feature rolls out this week and comes pre-configured with suggested actions at specific times, though you can customize these yourself. So instead of (or in addition to) "start preparing dinner" at 5pm, you might set a reminder to "Take a shower, you stink" at 7pm, too. Assistant will serve these reminders through your smart display or speaker, and will also regularly share the time with you throughout the day.