The old setup was Google Nest: voice reminders at 60 / 30 / 15 / 5 min before every event.
It worked. But it meant Google owning my calendar, my voice data, and my attention.
The goal: same behavior, zero Google.
Spoiler: Fastmail + Home Assistant + Alexa gets you there.
#SelfHosted #Privacy #DeGoogle #Fastmail

Step 1: Publish your Fastmail calendar as a read-only ICS URL.
Step 2: Add it to HA via the Remote Calendar integration (CalDAV is gone in 2026 — this is the new way).
Step 3: Your calendar events are now first-class HA entities — usable as triggers, conditions, and data sources.
⚠️ Gotcha: Zenarmor flagged https://s.adhdhomelab.com/sJYe as malware. Whitelist it first or nothing will sync.
#HomeAssistant #OPNsense #Homelab

The automation fires at -60, -30, -15, and -5 minutes before each event.
Why four offsets instead of one?
Because ADHD time isn't linear.
⏰ 1 hour out = abstract concept
⏰ 15 minutes = okay this is happening
⏰ 5 minutes = body, we are LEAVING
It also speaks the event name — not just "something is starting soon."
Context is the whole point.
#ADHD #TimeBlindness #HomeAutomation

The full notification stack:
🔊 Alexa announcement when I'm home (zone condition)
📱 ntfy push notification to my phone — always, regardless of location
One automation handles both. If you prefer Pushover or Simplepush, the pattern is identical — just swap the notify service.
🧠 ADHD Brain Note: The best infrastructure is the kind you set up once and never think about again.
#Ntfy #HomeAssistant #SmartHome