After my fourth serious trial, I’m calling it: for me, dictation is dead—at least for now. The modest bump in words per hour just doesn’t outweigh the tech friction, location lock-in, and editing overhead. If dictation plus clean-up time gets you more net words than typing, go for it. But if you’re already a clean, fast typist, the numbers might tell you to stick with your keyboard.
We talk a lot around here about optimizing your writing life, especially when things aren’t ideal. Whether you’re juggling kids, caregiving, a full-time job, or just sheer burnout, sometimes the biggest enemy of progress is the myth that “real writing” only happens under perfect conditions.
Ah, keyboard shortcuts—the secret sauce that transforms a writer’s workflow from a clunky tricycle ride into a sleek, high-speed chase. If you’re still dragging your mouse around like it’s 1995, it’s time for an upgrade. Embracing keyboard shortcuts isn’t just about shaving seconds off tasks; it’s about reclaiming your creative flow and keeping those brilliant ideas from evaporating while you hunt for the “Paste” option.
The Tiny Time-Saving Trick That Adds Up to Hours of Extra Writing Read More »
Recently, Anne R. Allen published a post titled “Can Marathon Writing Sessions Lead to Depression?,” citing studies that suggest long, intense writing sessions might mimic symptoms of depression. If you’re an indie author pushing for a prolific writing habit, this kind of claim can be alarming. I get it. No one wants to wake up
The Joy of Writing Prolifically (No, It Won’t Make You Depressed) Read More »
What if I told you there’s a way to reach a flow state nearly every time you sit down to write?
Another Way to Reach a Flow State Every Time You Write Read More »
Is It Worth the Effort? I’m not entirely sure why I haven’t written a dedicated post about dictation before now. I’ve mentioned it in passing, and it’s come up in discussions, but never in its own spotlight. Maybe that’s because my relationship with dictation has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Let’s just say, I’ve
The Pros and Cons of Dictating Fiction Read More »
One of my very first jobs, after I left high school, was data entry. Thirty of us would punch in numbers from thousands of sheets of engineering reports that had been collected for a month, from across the state. Granted, these days, those same engineers would be punching in their own data on a mobile
A Henry Ford Efficiency You Can Use to Save Time Read More »
Keeping Your Inbox at Zero. This is part Four and the final post of a series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4 (last). Last week, I described how you can get your inbox to zero. It’s possible you may still be working on your stash of emails and haven’t yet reached zero, but you
How To Get Your Email Inbox to Zero. Part IV Read More »
Getting to Zero The First Time. This is part Three of a series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4 (last). In the last two weeks we’ve looked at why you might want to work toward an empty inbox and keep it that way, and some of the prep and practicalities of managing an empty
How To Get Your Email Inbox to Zero. Part III Read More »
Make Your Life Easier, First. This is part Two of a series. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4 (last). Last week, we looked at all the reasons why you might want to work toward an empty inbox at all times. Stress relief, security, and avoiding legal hassles were just a few of them. This
How To Get Your Email Inbox to Zero. Part II Read More »
