If you are a person who wakes up quickly and jumps out of bed raring to go, this is not a technique for you.
But if you are like me and wake up slowly and often have your best ideas before you’re fully awake, you’re going to love this technique.
I’m not a morning person. I don’t wake up quickly or easily. I like to wake up at my own pace, roll over and doze for a while. I often go over ideas and thoughts for the day in my semi-conscious state.
For years I have kept a notepad and pen next to the bed so that I could jot down ideas ss they occur to me. Sometimes I even write them down without opening my eyes because the ideas flow so easily.
This morning was just that kind of morning. I had no appointments. It was quiet. And I was content to doze with dozens of ideas flowing. But this morning was different. I didn’t reach for my notepad. I reached for my iPhone!
Recently I discovered that my iPhone has a tiny microphone next to the spacebar in most applications. I hadn’t paid much attention to it until I was talking to a friend who works at the Apple store, asking him for a solution for friend with palsy. He pointed out the microphone and told me that she could dictate her emails and text messages with the built-in mic. Likewise she could dictate notes in the notes application.
As I picked up my iPhone I went to Notes and hit the microphone button. Before I knew it I was dictating notes for an upcoming presentation. I could record phraseology and miscellaneous thoughts. I could get everything down with about 95% accuracy. And I didn’t even have to open my eyes!
Shortly thereafter I found ideas about an upcoming book winging across my mind. I again grabbed my iPhone hit the dictation button and began talking.
And just a few minutes after doing that I realized there was an article idea here. As I’m talking to you I’m actually dictating this entire article on my iPhone using the built-in microphone in the Notes application.
Of course there are other applications that you could use such as Dragon Naturally Speaking or other transcription-type software. Bbut what impressed me was that this was already there. It was a tool that has been sitting on my phone for years without my even noticing it. Now that I know it works so well I’m much more likely to invest in fancier dictation software. After all, this particular application only holds about 30 seconds of dictation before it needs to pause and actually type it out.
On the other hand that gives me an opportunity to catch my thoughts for a moment and then go forward. Overall in less than 30 minutes of waking up without even having to open my eyes, I’ve already written over 1500 words today.
If you hesitate in creating content or if you love creating content, this is a technique that may work for you. No longer do those of us who wake up slowly have to put off productivity until later in the day. What will you dictate today?
For more productivity ideas and tips pick up a copy of my One Hour Guide to Productivity Pointers, available at Amazon
Oh my goodness, Jeanette, who knew? Like you, I’ve had this nifty little tool on my iPhone all this time and never knew it was there. I’ll definitely be using it now to get my initial thoughts about any new ideas down in preparation for actual writing. I can see it being particularly useful when I get an idea when I’m not at my computer.
Thanks for telling us about it!
Wow! Who knew! Wonder if this feature is also on an iPad? I have a Samsung phone and will check out if they offer a similar feature.
Thanks so much for passing on this tidbit!
Great to hear from both of you, Helen and Lauren!
I was just as blown away by this when I learned about it. Many thanks to my good buddy Robby LeBlanc for putting me in touch with this new technology. We all benefit!
Thanks so much Jeanette! I just tested this on my Android phone and it works great. I get most of my really good ideas when I’m outside walking and forget them by time I get home. This is going to come in very handy!
My iPhone continues to amaze me. (Mostly for the good.) Thank you so much for this. I’ve been trying to figure out how to use my phone to dictate while driving. I’ll have to experiment, but this may be perfect!
Love it – who knew? I tested it out, so I could transcribe my own handwritten notes to somewhere permanent, and found that when I say ‘New Paragraph’ – that it skips a line for me. Makes it much easier to read.
Obviously you do not have a dog. Rolling over and dozing does not work if the dog is giving you that bark that means, “If we don’t go out NOW you will be sorry!”