I’m on a walk.
I’m headed for a chocolate croissant.
I have a Saturday morning ritual that involves getting up and heading out without breakfast. I walk about four miles to the State Farmer’s Market down the road from my apartment. It’s a pleasant market, especially if you arrive early in the morning. It gets awfully crowded as the day progresses, but first thing in the morning, it’s peaceful, and I enjoy it.
When I get to the market, I get a chocolate croissant from a French bakery that has a booth set up on the weekends. I then wander over to another booth and get coffee. I find a quiet spot and enjoy my coffee and croissant. At this moment, I’m about 10 minutes away from the market, and just telling you about the croissant is making my mouth water.
Once I’ve finished my breakfast, I’ll start the walk home. The whole routine takes a little over two hours. I use the time to listen to audio books and podcasts. I also use the time to write blog posts.
In fact, I’m writing this as I walk.
Walking Does Your Body, Mind, and Work Good
How am I doing that? I’m dictating on my iPhone into the SpeakWrite application (there is an Android app as well). The application allows me to talk as I walk and record my thoughts as I go.
This is the second article I’ve written this morning while I’ve been walking.
When I finish dictating the article, I simply name the file and hit the send button. It’s uploaded to SpeakWrite, and someone at the other end transcribes my article and e-mails it back to me. Generally, the article will be in my e-mail box before I return home.
SpeakWrite charges me 1.25 cents per word.
Once SpeakWrite has transcribed the article, I do some minor editing and post it to Divorce Discourse for your consumption. SpeakWrite makes it awfully easy to turn that walking time into writing time.
As an added bonus, I find that walking stimulates my thinking. I get a tremendous amount done while walking. For whatever reason, and I’m sure there is some scientific explanation, my brain works pretty well while moving.
While I’m on a walk, I often accomplish tasks like these:
- Organizing my task list and add additional tasks,
- Cranking out blog post after blog post,
- Responding to e-mails by dictating the responses into the iPhone and using the speech to text conversion feature,
- Listening to audio books from Audible, and
- Listening to technology, marketing, and management podcasts.
Walking time can be incredibly productive time. In fact, for me, it’s some of my most productive time.
Four Steps to Greater Productivity
So, my suggestion for you today is to do these four things:
- Install a dictation/transcription app on your phone,
- Find a French bakery that’s about four miles away from where you are now,
- Apply sunscreen and, if you’re bald, put on a hat,
- Get moving.
The walk will be good for you, and your body will thank you. Your brain will loosen up and get going in new, different, and creative ways. And your work will get done while you’re on the move.
Enjoy your chocolate croissant and your coffee. I’m certainly enjoying mine.
