My First Week with ChatGPT's New Agents Feature: Creating Notes Bot for Capturing Ideas on the Go

Last week, I created a simple productivity assistant that has changed the way I use ChatGPT every day.?

Notes Bot builds on two key interactions with the OpenAI mobile app: the ability to dictate and speak to an agent and the ability to use it while on the go.?

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Two modes of work: thinking and doing.

I have two very distinct modes of work; each requires a different approach, environment, and tools.? When I’m thinking, planning, strategizing, this is mostly creative work, and it happens for the most part away from my computer. I talk to colleagues and friends about what’s happening, what’s on my mind, and what to do about it. Whether I’m planning to write an article or a proposal, thinking about a product or service, writing a new piece of code, or solving a challenge. I do that in conversation, in front of a whiteboard, FigJam, or a paper notebook or post-its stack.

This work is often unstructured and verbal. There is a fair amount to “figure out” and for that, I need a flexible medium. A whiteboard, post-its or paper to both gather and organize my thoughts are usually ideal for me. Having a sparring partner to do it with helps as frequently you figure things out “in conversation,” making the problem evident and often times, the solution, or approach to it too. This is partly the reason for rubber ducking (google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

When I have things figured out, I sit (or stand) in front of my computer and get things done. This is my doing mode, which requires other sets of skills, tools, and modes of work. Mostly heads-down, focused time.?

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Someone to talk to on-the-go

I work with friends and colleagues from all over the world. I truly enjoy working on multiple projects in parallel with people from different backgrounds and life experiences. Often on entirely different topics. A drawback to my working lifestyle is that oftentimes my thinking and doing happen in the same place. In other words, I spend far too long in front of my computer. This happens to many of us.?

Because of that, often I feel the quality of conversations can deteriorate. We have limited, timeboxed 1h Zoom calls back to back. These use every little inch of free available time in our calendars and in our heads, presumably maximizing time efficiency. Optimizing calendar space, it feels, we’re neither thinking clearly nor doing as productively as we could.?

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That is why often solutions to problems that we’re stuck on come where you least expect them. To me, this happens when I’m driving, cooking, or my morning walks.

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This is where Notes Bot has become a useful companion.?

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Introducing Notes Bot

Notes Bot is super simple. It does only two things, but does them quite well.?

First, it's a good listener. Like any good listener, Notes Bot asks follow-on questions to prompt our thinking. Yes, I prompt an LLM, so it can prompt my thinking in return. The irony is not lost on me.

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Second, it captures your thoughts and organizes them really well for you. You can simply speak your thoughts aloud, and Notes Bot will transcribe and organize them into easily accessible notes.?

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Whether you're drafting an email while driving, thinking about how to finish something you're writing, or developing new ideas for a project while cooking, you can always pull out your phone and speak out your thoughts. Notes Bot listens, and afterward, it organizes your thoughts.?

This means you can capture your thoughts virtually anywhere. My desk is still full of loose post-its with various notes I make while I am in meetings. Later, I can read these out and mention what they relate to, and I can have a summary organized of these notes at the end of each day.?

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Take it for a spin and share what's on your mind with it. You will need an OpenAI Plus account. When you're done, say “compile notes”. It will create a neatly categorized markdown file with topics and ideas under each. It will also pick up any action items mentioned.?

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https://chat.openai.com/g/g-HGvQZPqee-notes-bot

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If you test it and have improvement suggestions, feel free to reach out.?