My power tools
Sep 9, 2018 · 2 min read

I wanted to share four power tools I have been using for the past months, in some cases years. This is a short selection of things I use that save me time managing my various commitments.
- VoxSciences — voxsci.com — converts voicemail to text and emails. Costs £5 per month, saves me at least 45 minutes a month, so just net positive. This is one of the best work investments I make every month. It allows me to screen, prioritise and respond to voicemails dozens of times faster than having to listen to them.
- Otter.AI — otter uses ML to transcribe meetings to text. it is really not bad and gives 10 hours of free transcription per month. Can’t do phone calls unless you use Android (or Zoom, see below). I do use it in meetings from time to time. Note — I always ask participants if I can have Otter listen in to our discussion. “Do you mind if Otter, my AI assistant, listens in and takes notes?” is a nice conversation starter.
The quality of transcriptions is getting better and better. I recently subscribed to Otter Premium which costs $80 per year and gives me 100 hours of transcription per month. - Zoom — Zoom is a phone & video conferencing service. It is more reliable and has a more pleasant UX than Webex or Skype. I prefer to to Appear.In. Integration across iOS and Android is not bad (but not perfect.) Otter integrates with Zoom premium (about £10 per month) and so it allows me to record and create transcripts for phone calls, interviews and conferences, assuming I have permission from participants. I use Zoom Premium for many of my calls and meetings now, so that I get a transcript straight after each call to accompany my notes.
- Astro.AI-Astro is the nicest email and calendaring app I have come across. I use it to monitor four email accounts and combined calendars. Integrates really well with iOS, Android & MacOS. I use Astro in preference to Gmail on Chrome or iOS for everything, except long-term searches of my archive. On MacOS, it does mean Chrome doesn’t molassify as frequently. This is a bonus.
Happy to hear of the power tools you use :)
