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If you work from home, you know the “pre-flight” ritual: checking your camera, fixing your hair, and—most importantly—adjusting your lights.
In my home office, I use Amazon Basics Smart Bulbs. They are great, but for a long time, I had a lighting dilemma. When I’m in a Zoom or Teams meeting, I want the background lights dimmed to reduce distractions and keep the focus on my face. But when I’m just working, researching, or writing, I want the room to be brightly lit and energizing.
The Problem: The Manual Grind
For months, going from “work mode” to “meeting mode” was tedious. I would fumble with my phone, open the Alexa app, and manually dim three bulbs while brightening the one in front of me. Then, 30 minutes later, I’d have to do it all again in reverse.
It was a classic “friction” problem—small enough to ignore, but annoying enough to drain my focus.
The Solution: Alexa Routines
I finally decided to automate the process using Alexa Routines. This essentially turns a complex series of manual adjustments into a single “macro” command.
My Two New Commands:
- “Alexa, Meeting Start”:
- Dims the overhead and background lights to 10%.
- Increases my “face light” to 80% brightness.
- Result: A professional, non-distracting video background with clear lighting on me.
- “Alexa, Meeting End”:
- Sets all office bulbs to 100% brightness.
- Result: Immediate full-room illumination for deep work.
Why This Works (Even Without Amazon Bulbs)
The beauty of this setup is that it’s platform-agnostic. While I use Amazon Basics, this works just as well with Philips Hue, LIFX, or any smart bulb that integrates with the Alexa ecosystem (or Google Home/Apple HomeKit).
The Benefit of Typed Commands: Sometimes you don’t want to shout at a speaker while your meeting is starting. In the Alexa app, you can create a shortcut on your phone’s home screen. One tap, and the “Meeting Mode” scene is set silently.
The Verdict
Automation isn’t just for big tasks like “Smart Energy Monitoring.” Sometimes the biggest productivity gains come from automating the “micro-tasks” that we do five times a day. My 2016 MacBook Pro is fast again, my Tesla is in the garage, and now my office lighting finally feels like it belongs in 2026.
