During one of the evening breaks at a recent conference, Alex and I were chatting with a few people from different housing authorities. Eventually, the conversation drifted to AI — as it tends to do these days.
I mentioned that AI and productivity in general don’t have to be complicated. Before you rush out to buy a new app or sign up for another subscription, take a look at the tools you already have. A lot of the time, the solution is sitting right in front of you.
One example I shared was how easy it is to transcribe an audio recording using Microsoft Word. When I explained that you can upload a meeting recording and have Word transcribe it automatically, one person practically fell out of her chair. She spends hours every month listening to meeting recordings and typing everything manually.
Because of this conversation, Alex wrote an article on how to use Word’s built‑in dictation and transcription features — because it’s that useful and that overlooked.
Sure, there are plenty of specialized “AI tools” that can transcribe audio. Many meeting platforms will even do it for you. Those are perfectly valid options. But if the final result is going to be a Word document anyway… why not start in Word and save yourself a few extra steps?
There are always multiple ways to solve a problem. But here’s the takeaway I hope sticks with you:
Before you buy another tool, look closely at the ones you already use.
You might be surprised how many productivity problems can be solved without spending more money, downloading more software, or managing yet another login.
Sometimes the easiest solution is already in your toolbox.
Look around and see what problem you can solve, to help you be more productive. If you need help, give us a call.
