Hack your commute: Dictate notes to your mobile

Probably more for people that aren’t on public transport, rather than scribbling down notes or writing bullet points why not keep your hands free and speak notes instead.

Dictate notes to your mobile

This commute hack is more for the drivers, walkers and cyclists out there. By all means, try it on public transport if you dare, but it probably won’t save you any time and you’re likely to earn the enmity of the rest of your bus or train carriage by subjecting them to your inane ramblings.

The concept is simple: at some time or another you’ll need to scribble down notes or write out bullet points to prepare for a meeting, respond to a brief or simply organise your thoughts. It often feels like a time-consuming task that’s a drain on your mental energy, so it’s a bonus to be able to do it at the same time as something else you can’t avoid – like your daily commute.

Speaking your notes is much less effort than writing them out and has the benefit of keeping your hands free. There are now plenty of mobile transcription apps that can put your words into text automatically – just search ‘voice to text’ in any app store. The reliability can be variable, so you may find yourself doing some editing afterwards if the notes need to be presentable; but if that bothers you, you could even opt for paid transcription services, which are available inexpensively.

Needless to say, Marketing Week accepts no liability for any failure to keep your eyes on the road while brainstorming, so if you struggle to concentrate on two things at once, perhaps avoid this hack.

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