Alexa routines may feel overwhelming, but these shortcuts make them a breeze Avoid wading through complex menus and confusing lists to program custom commands on your Amazon Echo devices. Here are the quickest, easiest alternatives. Listen - 06:25 Although still not exactly child's play, Amazons new and improved ways of implementing Alexa routines are vastly easier to deal with than they were previously. Amazon Admit it. You're curious about Alexa routines. Maybe your friends or family sometimes show off their own home-brewed Alexa automations, but every time you try to concoct your own script of smart home sorcery, it blows up in your face. The unfortunate and unspoken reality is that smart home routines can be cumbersome and frustrating to set up, so most people choose to live without them.