Dictation not only seems like such an old-fashioned word but it may seem like an outdated tool. Remember, it from long ago when executives dictated and secretaries typed a way to put all their thoughts down on paper. And in today’s world so many of us don’t have assistants to help with things like this. But there’s a new way that dictation can really aid entrepreneurs and small business owners.

You don’t have a lot of time. You often need to balance life tasks with work tasks. This is especially true for people that work out of their homes. Say you have about thirty minutes before your next call and you need to fold that load of laundry you started hours ago and you need to write a blog post or draft an email. You may think you have to choose but you don’t.

There are dictation apps available right on your phone. In fact, I’m using one right now to write this blog post while I fold laundry. We don’t have to talk about how long this load of laundry has been sitting in the dryer. So, we all know folding laundry doesn’t require a lot of brain activity. And you were probably going to think about that blog post or email anyway. So why not do both.

Here are some tips for making dictation work for you.

  • Jot down a quick outline for what you want to say. Mine is on a post-it note. This serves as your map so you don’t get lost talking.
  • Turn on the app on your phone. Put on your headset or turn on the speaker. And get started talking.
  • Talk to the app like you would talk about the topic to a person on the phone.
  • Save your work to go back and import into your word processing program or email application later.
  • Don’t forget to turn off your lock mode on your phone so you don’t keep talking and the phone has turned off.

This great tool could really increase your productivity. At the end of the day, you will find yourself letting less of the little things slide.

By: Amy Matthews, CEO, AMI LC