From Downtime to Productive Time: How AI can Transform Your Writing Process

In our busy lives, we all have pockets of time that seem unproductive – driving to work, walking the dog, waiting for appointments, watching your kid’s soccer game (just kidding- maybe that time in between games). What if you could harness these moments to create high-quality written content without typing a single word? With the latest artificial intelligence (AI) writing tools, this is possible and surprisingly effective. 

The Hidden Opportunity in "Dead Time" 

We all have that "dead time" in our schedules – periods where our hands might be occupied (holding a leash, gripping a steering wheel), but our minds are free to wander. Traditionally, we might use this time to listen to podcasts or music, make phone calls, or simply let our thoughts drift. But with the advent of voice-to-text technology paired with sophisticated AI writing assistants, these moments can become productive writing sessions. 

My AI-Assisted Writing Framework 

After experimenting with different approaches, I've developed a straightforward framework that helps me transform idle time into completed drafts. Here's how it works: 

While walking my dog or driving, I open my preferred AI mobile app (like Claude Sonnet or ChatGPT) and dictate my thoughts directly into the application.

1. Set Clear Parameters

Before dictating any content ideas, I clearly define to my AI assistant of choice: 

• The type of content (blog post, article, report, etc.) 

• The intended audience 

• Desired length 

• Writing style and tone 

• Any specific formatting requirements 

This crucial first step gives the AI the context it needs to generate appropriately structured content.  Remember, the goal is to get as close as possible to the final version in your first draft and the more context you can add the better.

2. Dictate Your Brainstorm Directly to the AI

Before dictating content, I spend 5-10 minutes mentally organizing my ideas to ensure I have a good chance of covering all the points I would like to make. During dictation, I focus solely on capturing the key points, examples, anecdotes, and insights—not worrying about organization, grammar, or complete sentences. For shorter pieces, this thought-dumping process typically takes just 3-5 minutes.   

I've found that speaking ideas aloud often leads to connections and insights I might not have reached while typing at a keyboard. There's something about the physical movement combined with verbal processing that sparks creativity. 

I let it go to work once I have run out of things to say. 

The beauty of using these apps directly is that I can continue my activity while the AI processes my input, and when I have a moment to check my phone, the response is waiting for me. I don't typically look at the content created until I'm back at my desk. 

3. Generate the Full Draft

For shorter pieces, I ask the AI to create a complete first draft. The quality of this draft is often remarkable, with the AI incorporating my ideas while providing decent organization of the ideas, smooth transitions, clear explanations, and a consistent tone.

4. Request an Outline (Optional)

For longer or more complex pieces (typically over 2,000 words), I ask the AI to organize my brainstormed content into a logical outline. This gives me an opportunity to review the structure before moving to a full draft. I can rearrange sections, add missing elements, or refocus the piece at this stage.  I will usually perform the outline review on my phone and then let it work on the full document.  I can easily do things like verbally tell it how I would like sections rearranged.  

5. Refine Tone and Perspective

Before finalizing a document, I often ask AI to adjust its tone or style. Whether I need more authority, conversational flow, or technical precision, AI can quickly transform the entire piece while keeping the core message intact. You'll notice that different AI models develop distinct writing patterns. If you dislike certain patterns, simply include specific guidance in your instructions to avoid them. 

For example, Claude, which is my current preferred writing partner has a tendency to frame a lot of documents as a first person discussion with the reader, i.e. “You……”  There is a little bit of that in this article, but it makes sense here.  That is not always the case.  Fortunately, it is easy enough to instruct Claude to change that approach across the entire document.

6. Word List

You may notice that AI has a tendency to use some words that might seem a little obscure and out of context with your writing style.  This seems to have become less of an issue as the models continue to mature, but if certain words bug you or you think indicate that AI likely generated your writing, you can keep a list of those and instruct your AI tool not to use those words.   

No matter how good the AI-generated draft is, I always perform the final editing myself in a word processor. This ensures that the finished piece truly reflects my voice and meets my quality standards.  If it is something like an article or blog post for public consumption, I have found I will typically add 10-20% of additional commentary around the initial content and probably delete about the same.  For internal communications or something like a training document, I may do much less editing. 

A Real-World Example 

I recently needed to create an article about data cleanliness for database administrators in the nonprofit sector. During my morning dog walk, I opened the Claude app on my phone and dictated my thoughts directly into the conversation. 

I spoke about why clean data matters, the consequences of poor data hygiene when using AI tools, how things like column headers matter more when you are using natural language and AI to interact with your data, etc. and spit out a few examples from organizations we've worked with. The entire brainstorming session took under fifteen minutes (three and a half of which was spent dictating) – time that would otherwise have been "lost" to simply walking my dog. 

While continuing my walk, I checked my phone occasionally to see Claude's responses. I asked it to organize my thoughts with parameters for a 1,500-word technical article with a professional but accessible tone. By the time I returned home, I had a well-structured draft waiting for me that not only organized my thoughts but enhanced them with clearer explanations and transitions. 

After a quick review and some minor edits, the piece was ready for publication – all created during time I would have otherwise spent just listening to music while walking my pet. 

In addition, the first draft of this article was also produced on a wide-open stretch of I-95. 

Benefits Beyond Efficiency 

This approach offers advantages beyond simply saving time: 

1. Captured inspiration: Ideas often come at inconvenient moments. This method lets you capture them immediately.
2. Verbal processing: Speaking your ideas can lead to different (sometimes better) articulation than typing them. 
3. Reduced screen time: Less time staring at a blank document trying to craft the perfect sentence. 
   
4. Lower barrier to starting: The hardest part of writing is often beginning. Dictating informal thoughts feels less intimidating than crafting perfect prose. 
5. Iterative improvement: The collaboration between your ideas and the AI's organization and language skills often produces better work than either alone. 

Safety First: When to Use (and When Not to Use) This Approach 

While this method can be incredibly efficient, it's crucial to prioritize safety when deciding where and when to use it. This approach requires some level of attention and cognitive involvement that may not be appropriate in all situations. 

When driving, only attempt this during low-stress, familiar routes with minimal traffic and turn on all of your safety features like adaptive cruise control and lane change detection on. Better yet, use it only when completely stopped in traffic or pull over for a few minutes when you have had a chance to organize your thoughts and perform your dictation in a safe parking lot.  ALWAYS prioritize your driving attention over dictating content. Many jurisdictions have laws against using mobile devices while driving, even hands-free, if it constitutes a distraction.   

For walking, be mindful of your surroundings. Busy sidewalks alongside major roads, intersections, areas with potential hazards, or unfamiliar routes require your full attention. Consider using this approach in parks, quiet residential areas, or other low-risk environments where you can safely divide your attention. 

Remember that your safety and the safety of others always takes precedence over productivity. If you're uncertain whether a situation is appropriate for this technique, err on the side of caution and save it for another time. 

Getting Started 

The best part? Modern AI mobile apps like Claude Sonnet and ChatGPT have built-in text-to-speech capabilities, allowing you to dictate directly into the app while walking or driving. This eliminates the need for separate voice-to-text tools, as you can speak your thoughts directly to the AI, let it process while you continue your activity, and then review the results when you return to your computer. 

To implement this approach yourself, you'll need: 

• A mobile device with Claude Sonnet, ChatGPT, or another LLM app that supports voice input 

• Practice giving clear instructions to the AI through voice 

• Willingness to experiment with the process 

• A method to transfer the AI-generated content to your preferred editing platform (often as simple as copying and pasting) 

In theory, your chat history should follow you across your devices, but I have found this is not always the case, or there may be a significant lag time for chats to appear across devices. 

Start with shorter, simpler pieces as you learn the nuances of working with AI. You'll quickly develop a feel for how much direction the LLM needs and how to phrase your instructions for optimal results. 

For most short-form writing, the basic $20 subscriptions to your favorite AI model will perform great.  If you write a lot of long-form pieces, especially those that might involve additional research and citations, you might want to experiment with the Pro ($200) versions.  Their ability to perform web research and find citations, examples, etc., is pretty amazing.  They will take longer to generate results because they are working behind the scenes, but you are doing something else anyway, so who cares?  

Conclusion 

The combination of "dead time," voice-to-text technology, and advanced AI creates a powerful opportunity to transform your thoughts and previously unproductive moments into creative output. Whether you're a professional writer, a content marketer, an experienced fundraiser, or anyone who needs to produce written work, this approach can dramatically increase your productivity while potentially improving the quality of your writing. 

By leveraging AI as a collaborative partner rather than replacing human creativity, you can produce more content, reduce writing stress, and reclaim hours of your week for other priorities.