Have you ever imagined a life where you have all the time in the world to do the things that you want and love to do? Where everything that you don’t want to do is completely automated and you don’t ever need to worry about it?
I know that so many people are in search of that one magical thing that will help them save time. Everyone wants to hear that there’s one thing that they can add to their day (or subtract from their day) that will give them hours and hours of their precious time back.
Well, unfortunately, that trick doesn’t exist.
*womp womp womp*
But do you know what does exist? SO many different, small things that you can utilize throughout the day to save you a few minutes! I know that saving 5 minutes here and 7 minutes there doesn’t seem all that impressive, but when you add all of those saved minutes together, you might find that you’ve given yourself an extra hour or more throughout the day!
I have a lot on my plate right now- I am a full-time virtual teacher who keeps my 7-month-old home full-time, I run an Etsy shop, take graphic design classes, create content for my blog, and am building a graphic design business. I also love to watch movies and sleep!
So, you can understand that I need to maximize my time as much as I can. If you’re a busy mom and/or entrepreneur, I’m sure you’re in the same boat!
I love helping others find little pockets of time in their days! What would you do with an extra 15 minutes in your day? I’m sure you have quite a list!
So, I’m going to let you in on one of my biggest time-saving hacks that I use for writing this blog and more!
My Secret
Are you ready?
My secret weapon for writing blog posts, as well as Instagram captions, as quickly as possible…
It’s so simple- I use voice-to-text!
I utilize voice-to-text both in Google Docs, which is completely free, and also on my phone using an app (Voice to Text Pro) that I pay $6 a year for. Once I’ve said everything that I need to say, I export the text file to wherever it needs to go, whether that be to my laptop for a blog post or my phone for an Instagram post. Then, I separate everything into paragraphs, move my thoughts around to make them a little more cohesive, add any links and images, and then I’m done and ready to publish!
No more sitting at the computer, staring at a blank page and a blinking cursor. (Is it just me, or is that the most intimidating feeling in the world?!)
Instead, I just talk and let the words tumble out, and then I go through and clean them up later.
Why It Works
I can ‘write’ while I’m rocking the baby to sleep, while I’m doing housework, while I’m washing the dishes, while I’m stuffing diapers… as long as I’m using voice-to-text, I can essentially write anytime I can talk.
Picture it- as I’m ‘writing’ this very blog post, I have one hand on my daughter’s bottle and am holding her in my other arm. I have my computer sitting on the kitchen table with Google Docs open, and I’m speaking these words out loud and writing this blog post completely hands-free! Later, when she is sleeping or playing, I can go back through and edit it… but the content is there.
One of my favorite things about using voice-to-text is that the words come out in my own voice, not in an academic voice which I sometimes default to when I’m writing. The thoughts flow and come out exactly how I speak, and I know that because I’m literally speaking the words.
There is obviously still some work involved in this process; you can’t just speak your thoughts and post them. (Or hey, I mean, maybe you can! More power to ya!)
When I write with voice-to-text, it doesn’t come out perfectly because I don’t tend to use punctuation words when I’m speaking out loud. (For example, that last sentence would need to be spoken as, “When I write with voice to text comma it doesn’t come out perfectly because I don’t tend to use punctuation words when I’m speaking out loud period.”)
It’s really important when you’re using the voice-to-text feature that you go back through and meticulously edit every single word- double-check and make sure that it’s exactly what you wanted to say… especially if your baby is babbling in your arms as you’re speaking! Google Docs seems to catch most of my words correctly, but I do have to be a lot more careful with my enunciation with the app on my phone.
If you’re like me, you also need to delete all of the times that you said “umm” or “like.”
(However, what I learned about Google Docs while voicing this post is that it doesn’t register or transcribe when you say “umm.” In fact, I had to spell out the word to get it onto the page, because I kept intentionally saying it and Google wouldn’t transcribe it.)
In Summary
I understand that we’re all busy and that not everyone has hours to spend on writing the perfect blog post. I also understand that not everyone excels in writing and are not confident in their ability to get their thoughts across on paper. However, using voice-to-text eliminates both of those things- if you have time and ability to have a conversation, then you have time and ability to write!
If you’re struggling to find the time to consistently write for the blog you want to grow, I challenge you to open up a new Google Doc, turn on the voice-to-text feature, and talk about whatever is on your heart until you feel that you’ve said everything that you need to say. Export it and edit it or heck- save it for another day, knowing that you have the content creation part already done!
Going through a blog post is so much more manageable when the content is already down on paper (ahem- on the computer) and just needs to be fine-tuned. Give it a try and I bet you’ll be surprised by how much you have to say!
Have you ever used voice-to-text? Do you love it or hate it? Let me know in the comments!
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