Recently, I have been exploring the landscape of productivity tools.

I’ve found myself particularly intrigued by speech-to-text applications, like Wispr Flow and SuperWhisper for Mac.

It fascinated me how these tools are reshaping workflows by allowing us to express words through dictation rather than traditional typing or writing.

Speech as an Authentic Medium

Speech is a fundamental tool in human interaction.

Many people find they articulate thoughts faster through speech than typing. And the speed of speech aligns more closely with their thinking pace, resulting in a more unfiltered conveyance of ideas.

It allows genuine thoughts and feelings to be expressed and provides an additional layer of expression through vocal tone, pacing and emotional inflection, intricacies that can be challenging to express through plain text.

When we type or write, by contrast, the process itself introduces pauses.

These pauses are invitations for the inner critic, which often makes us question word choices, or rework phrasing and structure, sometimes so subconscious that we hardly notice it. While this potentially produces a more refined and polished message, it perhaps unwittingly sanitises and censors the raw authenticity of our initial thoughts.

The Natural Flow of Thought

With this in mind, I experimented with SuperWhisper.

I spent the next few days using voice-to-text transcription for various tasks, from drafting AI prompts to sending text messages. I spoke to my laptop and let it transcribe my thoughts into words and organise my ramblings into something coherent and readable.

This was what I found: when I talked, my thoughts flowed more naturally.

For me, speaking felt more natural. It’s as if I tapped into a genuine, unfiltered version of myself. The things I said were better representations of how I felt in the moment, and I was able to convey my thoughts with more authenticity and precision.

Turning Speech into Self-Discovery

It dawned on me that there is a hidden potential in speech-to-text tools for journaling.

From my experience, through speaking our thoughts, we step into an unhindered flow of expression that reveals our most authentic selves. This spoken-word approach encourages us to reflect deeper on our experiences and feelings, offering a genuine window into our minds, free from any filtering or self-censoring of raw thoughts that often accompanies the intimidating stare of an blank page.

A Mirror for the Mind

Upon looking up the current market of speech-to-text journaling apps, I stumbled upon Untold. A voice recording app designed for your thoughts.

It transcribes your recordings into neatly formatted paragraphs, and generates mini personalised articles based on your reflections, offering insights and aiding personal growth.

After a week of use, I was genuinely impressed by how helpful it was in facilitating my self-discovery and introspection process.

So much so that I recommended it to a close friend who’s currently studying abroad.

The Freedom of Speaking Without Judgement

After using Untold for about a week, I talked to my friend over a phone call, and we both agreed on what we loved most about the app:

The sense of liberation it gave from speaking our minds freely, without filtering a single thought.

Unlike with human interactions, there’s no judgment. And that very absence of judgment invites honesty and transparency.

In the journey of self-discovery, honesty with oneself is everything. You can lie to your therapist, or even to yourself, but growth only begins when you speak the truth. When you learn to confront, acknowledge and internalise your thoughts and feelings.

AI offers a unique advantage in this context. It doesn’t interrupt or react emotionally, and doesn’t project its own feelings onto your words. It just simply listens and transcribes. It creates a safe, non-judgemental space for unfiltered expression and thoughts without the usual reservations or self-consciousness.

While human feedback has its own value, this space can be particularly useful for initial reflection.

In this way, journaling with a speech-to-text app becomes a powerful tool for reflection and growth, one that encourages authenticity, embraces vulnerability, and offers a clearer view of our inner world.

Building a Space Where Thoughts Speak

With this newfound experiences and insights, I wanted to delve deeper and explore building something within this realm.

An app that harnesses speech-to-text for deeper self-reflection.

A space where your thoughts becomes a dialogue with yourself, devoid of the weight of judgement or self-censorship.

Pair it with real-time guiding prompts, similar to how a therapist would ask clarifying questions, it could deepen the process further.

Try it for yourself. Next time you need to get your thoughts out, don’t open up your notes app, open a recorder. Speak your mind, let the words flow, and then look at the transcript. You might be surprised to see how differently your mind responds and opens up in ways the blinking cursor never could.