How I Use Dictation Software to Increase Personal and Pastoral Productivity
Get one month of Wispr Flow for free.
One of the best new tools I've discovered with the AI revolution is Wispr Flow, a dictation software that surpasses the built-in dictation software that comes with your smartphone. I’m now using Wispr Flow for sermon preparation, text messages, and emails — pretty much any time I write — and it is taking my personal and pastoral productivity to a new level.
Why Use Dictation Software?
To put it simply, it will save you a significant amount of time, enabling you to spend more time on other projects or spend more time doing activities you enjoy.
Let me give you some of the pros and cons of Wispr Flow (and dictation software in general), and you can decide if you want to try it for free for one month.
What I Love About Wispr Flow
I’m a fast thinker, but my typing speed is average at best. So using dictation software helps me spew all my thoughts without slowing down my thinking. Wispr Flow picks up on rambled thoughts and knows when to avoid the “uhs” and “ands.” The AI technology also gives you the correct grammar of what you say, so you don’t need to go back and edit your writing in painstaking detail (although some editing is inevitable). It’s made with specific artificial intelligence that commands it to do the auto-edits. It's like talking to a long-time friend who knows what you’re thinking and helps you finish your sentences.
Wispr Flow claims to be four times faster than typing, and I have found that to be true. For example, if you type 45 words per minute with a keyboard, you'll get 220 words per minute with Wispr Flow (an example they have on their website). This is a drastic difference in speed and output.
As a pastor, you might be thinking about starting a blog or a newsletter or writing a book, but you don't start these projects because you think it will take up too much time. And maybe it will. But if you use a tool like Wispr Flow, you can creatively work on a writing outlet in less time than you may realize.
When I use Wispr Flow, I don't have to tell it to give the right punctuation; it already does it for me. For example, I don't have to say "period!" or "check mark," it just knows. I can even say “put this in bold,” and it will do it without me having to do any extra work. Or you can say “put that last part in parentheses,” and it knows what you're thinking ― it will put those last words in parentheses.
I’ve tried other dictation software. It was moderately helpful. But not nearly as good as Wispr Flow. For example, when using other dictation software, I needed to be utterly clear and even loud when talking for it to understand what I was saying. Sometimes I felt like I was yelling at my computer screen. It was exhausting. Even with a low tone, Wispr Flow understands what you're saying. I suppose that's where the word “wispr” comes from.
Like you, I'm on the receiving end of a high volume of texts and emails. Even as a productivity aficionado, I often feel behind with responding. If I type my responses, I am prone to being abrupt or sharp, treating the inquiry like another task to be done. But with dictation software, it exhibits significantly less mental and emotional energy, so people experience me as more relational, and as a pastor, that is a good thing.
Like many of the new technological tools, I'm sure there are way more features to Wispr Flow than I currently realize. What I've seen so far has impressed me so much that I'm shifting most, if not all, of my writing to it. I even wrote this article with it and plan on using it for Kaywood’s Kitchen.
It’s available on Mac, Windows, and iPhone. You can use it on your iPhone or desktop computer. It’s not available for Android yet, but it appears they’re working on it.
Are There Any Negatives?
Are there any negatives? Possibly.
First, dictation software is helpful if you already know what you want to say, not as a means to help you process your thoughts. I'm an internal processor. I don't need you to help me think, thank you very much. I prefer to process alone and only share thoughts when they're baked.
But if you’re a verbal processor or if you have unclear thinking, you may not want to use dictation software because you'll eventually have to go back and spend too much time editing your thoughts, rendering the dictation software counterproductive. I’m not talking about the basic editing that Wispr Flow can do for you. I'm talking about sentence flow and sentence structure that’s consistently too scattered for any technology to understand. Self-awareness and trial and error will let you know if it’s a good fit for you.
Second, using dictation software is slightly less enjoyable than typing. At least that’s true for me. I don't inherently enjoy sending texts or emails, but I do enjoy writing articles and sermons, and the joy of putting together articles and sermons has lowered slightly, but only slightly.
That said, however, my life goals have changed. Gone are the days when I was single and not a lead pastor, and I had more time to write, read, and think deep thoughts for long, unhurried blocks of time. Those days are gone. Now, as a lead pastor and with two young kids, I barely have time to breathe. While the joy of writing sermons and articles has marginally decreased, my productivity and efficiency are up, so I’m okay with that for the season of life I’m in.
Third, you have to do an extra step when using it on your iPhone. It’s hard to explain, but when using it on your iPhone, Apple requires you to take an extra step of going back and forth between the Wispr Flow app and the app you’re using to dictate your thoughts. It takes a split second, but it's a bit annoying, and Wispr Flow even acknowledges that they hate that Apple makes you do this.
Recommendation
The artificial intelligence era has arrived. There's so much more to AI than just ChatGPT and Claude. We also have resources like Wispr Flow that can increase our personal and pastoral productivity. We should be thankful we live in an era that has this kind of technology, but use it wisely and prudently.
I love using Wispr Flow. I encourage you to at least check it out. You get the pro version for one month free. Here's my affiliate link:
Hey! I just recently discovered this and it's been such a blessing. Especially for writing out prayers for others when responding to concerns via email or social media!