How to Use Your Voice + AI as a Powerful Productivity Hack [3-Step Framework]

Read time - 4 mins

If you’re tired of staring at a screen all day, here’s how you can get some fresh air and remain productive at the same time.

I don’t know about you, but I get grumpy over the winter (thank goodness it’s spring).

If there was a way for me to hibernate for 3 months I would.

Walking really helps me get out of a funk.

Fresh air, nature, unplugged, with no screens (bliss).

But going out for leisurely walks for 90 minutes a day doesn’t help me organise my to-do list.

Until now that is…

Enter Audio Transcription

People have been recording voice notes for donkeys years.

It used to be a Dictaphone with a bit of tape in it.

And if you were lucky enough to have a personal assistant, they could listen and type up your notes.

Now, you can record yourself on your phone.

And a lot of voice recorders have built in transcription (I use the Recorder app on Google Android)

The transcription then auto-syncs to Google Cloud and I can access via https://recorder.google.com/

But having the transcription is only half the battle.

What can we do with that transcription? And how can AI help us turn our voice into a powerful productivity tool?

Here’s a 3 step framework that’ll show you how. Let’s go!

The Framework

1. Topic

First, you need to think of a topic.

When we look at the AI step at the end of this framework, you’ll see it works best with a single instruction or topic.

‘Stream of consciousness’ type ramblings won’t produce the best results here.

• Are you talking through progress on a current project?

• Are you talking through an upcoming presentation?

• Are you talking through your high-priority focuses?

Key Takeaway - Pick one topic per audio recording.

2. Record

Now comes the recording.

No hard and fast rules here, but I try and get the right balance of speaking vs silence.

Some tips:

• Leave the recording going even as you pause for thought

• Try and speak in complete sentences

• Speak loud and clear

It’s easier for an AI to ignore gaps in a recording, than it is for it to understand a really long sentence where you’re mumbling instead of speaking clearly.

Key Takeaway - Think before you speak, leave gaps and make sure you’re loud and clear.

3. AI Assist

Lastly, you’ll ask AI to assist you in turning your transcript from a pile of words into something actionable.

Once you’ve got your transcript (As I say, I use the Recorder app on Andriod, but you can dictate into the Notes app on iPhone as well.) You can then copy into a document to upload to an AI of your choice. ChatGPT Pro offers this, but free platforms like Claude also offer this.

You can then prompt the AI to assist you in turning those voice notes into whatever you like.

Use Case Examples

So let’s look at some example use cases and prompts.

1. Priority Mapping

• Topic - All current priorities

• Record - Priorities with perceived level of importance

• AI Assist - Prompt: “Take the attached voice notes, and help me rank them by priority. Which do you see as the most important, and how would you suggest I action them in the most efficient and impactful way?”
  
  

2. Presentation Prep

• Topic - Preparing for a board presentation

• Record - Talk through as if you were presenting

• AI Assist - Prompt “Take the attached voice notes, and give me some coaching on the subject matter. Are the ideas clear? Is there a consistent theme? Would non-finance pros understanding this? And do we think the content is engaging enough?”
  
  

3. Crisis Management

• Topic - Big problem you’re facing

• Record - Your mental state, how it’s making you feel, and what you’ve done so far to address the issue

• AI Assist - Prompt “Take the attached voice notes, and help me work through this problem that I’m facing. I could use some pointers on how to approach the situation, and how it can be solved, and how I can not stress myself out in the process!”
  
  

OK, so the last one may be bordering on therapy, but you get the idea.

Putting it Into Practise

1. Download the example transcript from this link (ChatGPT generated this so take it with a pinch of salt).

2. Go to Claude and login (via Google or create a new account)

3. Upload the transcript using the paperclip

4. Enter the prompt from our first example: “Take the attached voice notes, and help me rank them by priority. Which do you see as the most important, and how would you suggest I action them in the most efficient and impactful way?”

You can see my results with ChatGPT here.

Then all you have to do is repeat the process with your own voice transcription.

You’ll be using your voice as a powerful productivity hack in no time!

So that’s it for this week.

Until next time.

Adam

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P.S. - The best way to help me is by sharing this framework with your network. Who's one finance colleague who would find this valuable? Sharing would mean the world 🌍♻️