How can you leverage technology tools to streamline your writing process and beat the clock?

Leverage is a poor word to use, as technological discoveries and tools are not 'leveraged' at all. They are either used or discarded upon examination. Just moving from cursive writing as a reporter to direct typing into Word was such a move for me. As I've been quite a fast typist it made reporting a much more time-saving operation, not to mention the use of Wordspell and the ability to immediately back up and edit. See and discover what's coming up as often as you can. You cannot 'beat the clock.' Don't even think of time that way. Thinking about time can help you if you will think of it as your friend. My deadlines as a reporter make me perform on time, also assure that I won't just keep on changing everything to 'get it right.'

For complex writing projects, Scrivener is a god-send. In one project file, you can paste: * The brief * Each item of research * Your draft * Your to-do list * Your project goals Each has it's own page, but the titles are listed down the left-hand side, so you can click instantaneously between them. When you've tonnes of research to refer to, Scrivener's the best way to avoid overwhelm and keep everything straight in your mind. For me, this application is like anti-anxiety meds for writers, in software form! ??

Today's technology is so advanced that you don't have to write; you can use the tools available on the market. One of them is already in your hand. Numerous apps allow you to speak to them, and they will transcribe your words into words in real-time. Many AI tools are also available. Applications like WhatsApp and Google Docs allow you to speak and type. You don't have to do the hard work of writing. I know writing is not everyone's cup of tea. But you can use available applications to write for you. Even the AI can now elaborate on what you have said. You can use them to enhance your writing.

The promise of voice writing = it saves time. ?? But inaccurate transcripts = infuriating! ?? The two best apps: 1. Dragon Expensive one-off payment for Windows only, so I advise starting with Dragon Anywhere, which lets you voice-write from your phone, for a monthly fee (& there's a free trial). Super accurate, but expect a learning curve. You need to train yourself to say punctuation aloud & teach the program your accent – but these are its keys to high accuracy! 2. MacWhisper Mac only. Almost as accurate, but the flubbed words are easy to correct because it'll spell out phonetically whatever it can't grok. No speaking punctuation aloud. No training the program. Just upload your voice recording & boom. You tried these? ??

My go-to tools have been Zoom + a meeting recorder (like Otter.AI). These meeting notetakers (Otter, Read.AI, Fireflies, Fathom) can summarize, and make action items, and some offer a chat so you can talk with your own material. Basically, I can open Zoom, talk to it, and then cut and paste the parts that are working. Best part is, you don't have to wait until the end of the meeting to see the notes, some (Otter, at least) let you watch the transcript live. Such a great way to work smart.

To me voice typing technology doesn't count much. Reason? I find it double work. This is because as much as you voice type the audio, you have to go through it again; from word one to the last word. Voice typing makes more of pronunciation errors bearing in mind people from different locations in the world pronounce English words differently.

We are living in a digital age where everything is available online, and tools are there to simplify our tasks. You type, and tools will correct your spelling and grammar. They help you to enhance your writing. You can even set the tone of your content, and the editor will tell you if you are writing according to it or not. They can then change the words according to the set tone.

Instead of apps to guard writing focus, I use rules. Here's what works for me: ? No media in the morning ? Straight into deep work with a clear head ? No media in bed ? Except Kindle ? Let your brain process the day's writing ? Enjoy media in the afternoon ? While working out or doing errands ? Makes exercise enjoyable ? Favour longform media ? Podcasts & audiobooks pair well with movement ? Avoid shortform media ? Constant topic-switching fragments attention ? Keep phone notifications OFF ? Keep phone messaging apps in a folder marked INBOX ? Check it ~twice per day ? Train everyone you'll get back to them in 24 hours & they can call, if there's an emergency This way, my mind's clear for writing, while still media-inspired.

We're primed to be at our phone's beck-and-call. After all, notifications trigger our fight or flight. As important as some notifications can be, they can also be time-wasters and distractions, especially in the midst of a deadline. I love ScreenZen because it blocks notifications for addicting social media apps. When I want to go on them to check my DMs, I can simply unlock the app.

2 cloud services help writers: * Capture ideas on the fly * Access drafts on the go 1. Evernote Create an Evernote notebook for each writing project. Found content that relates to your project? Use Evernote's web clipper to send it to your project notebook. With pro Evernote, you can even email documents etc. into your notebooks. When it's time to write, you have all your research ready in one place! 2. Dropbox & iCloud Store drafts on these cloud storage platforms, so you can access them from any device. Pro Dropbox has fab sharing options that let you put folders on your clients' computers. If you want them to have a file, drag it into your shared folder & it appears on their machine. They can send you files the same way. ??

Leveraging technology tools to streamline your writing process and beat the clock involves utilizing software and apps designed to enhance productivity and efficiency. Tools like grammar checkers, plagiarism detectors, and style enhancers ensure polished writing, while project management apps help you stay organized and on schedule. Voice-to-text software can speed up drafting, and cloud storage enables seamless access and collaboration from anywhere. Additionally, writing-specific platforms with distraction-free modes can keep you focused, ensuring you meet deadlines without sacrificing quality. Integrating these technologies into your workflow maximizes productivity and helps you deliver high-quality content on time.