As a enterprise proprietor – and editor of this publication – I’m all the time searching for methods to make myself extra productive.
Whether or not it’s utilising new cloud-based productiveness instruments like Asana for editorial venture administration or Akiflow to higher handle my diary and my duties, I’m always on the hunt for applied sciences – normally software program – that enable me to get extra issues achieved with my restricted time.
In my line of labor, I have to learn so much – and I imply a lot! I devour an enormous variety of articles, podcasts and movies day by day, from a variety of native and worldwide sources. I subscribe to (as in pay for) a ton of publications, too, from BusinessLive and News24 regionally to The Wall Avenue Journal and the Monetary Occasions (the latter is dear, however value each cent).
However typically one of the best time to devour content material, and to suppose deeply about what I’m studying, is after I’m energetic – cooking dinner, for instance, or climbing a path on the weekends. However studying and climbing don’t go effectively collectively.
The answer? An audio app that may enable to me to avoid wasting articles I come throughout and hearken to them later – when cooking, climbing or simply ready in a protracted queue on the licensing division.
Till now, there have simply been two main issues:
- Discovering the software program that may take written articles from web sites – or from anyplace, frankly – and browse them again to me in a non-robotic voice; and
- Discovering earphones that don’t always fall out of my ears or trigger discomfort after prolonged use. (You’ll recognize that over-ear headphones merely aren’t good on the path, aside from wanting ridiculous.)
I solved the audio app drawback first. After some investigation, I settled on an app for Android (it really works on iOS, too) known as Speechify – a tip of the proverbial hat to Shaun Trennery for introducing me to this software program. The professional model prices a reasonably penny – over R2 000/12 months on a SaaS mannequin – so it’s not for everybody, however the productiveness beneficial properties make the worth value it for me.
Speechify features a net browser plugin, so at any time when I come throughout an fascinating article on the internet – maybe shared by somebody on WhatsApp, or one thing fascinating I noticed on social media – I merely click on a button and it saves the article to the Speechify platform and app for later listening on the gadget of my selecting.
AI voices
The app features a vary of “synthetic intelligence” voices that sound pure – gone are the robotic laptop voices of yore, changed by high-quality voices, together with some celebrities (Gwyneth Paltrow, anybody?). You possibly can even prepare it to make use of your personal voice, although why you’d wish to do that’s past me. Speechify can ingest whole books in PDF or EPUB format, too.
Now, at any time when I’m driving or climbing or procuring, I can make amends for my studying – and acquire beneficial time that might have been spent later in entrance of a display ingesting the identical content material (or lacking out on it solely as a result of I ran out of time).
Learn: Early indicators that AI is fuelling a productiveness increase
The second drawback was just a little trickier to resolve. Through the years, I’ve tried a minimum of half a dozen in-ear earphones from distributors similar to Samsung, Huawei and Jabra. Some labored higher than others, however I hated the entire idea of sticking earbuds into my ears. I by no means might fairly get them to suit correctly, and so they’d typically shift round and fall out, significantly if I used to be doing train like operating or climbing. Wingtips didn’t assist a lot. They’re additionally a good way to get an ear an infection – gross! And so they change into uncomfortable to put on after some time.
Then, not too long ago, I noticed Huawei had launched a pair of “open-ear know-how” earphones – the Huawei FreeClip – that clip onto the outer fringe of the ear, somewhat than being inserted into the ear canal – and I used to be intrigued! Watch the temporary video beneath to see them in additional element:
Though the FreeClip has acquired combined evaluations on-line, with some YouTubers criticising the audio high quality, particularly for listening to music, I took the plunge anyway after I noticed them on particular on Takealot a number of weeks again (R2 800 as a substitute of the R4 000 really helpful retail value). And I’m so glad I did – they’re actually a revelation, and I put on them from the second I begin my workday. They’re so tiny and lightweight, I barely discover them.
Actually, I’ve gone hours with them connected to my ears, forgetting they’re even there – they weigh about 5g every. The battery life is nice, too — greater than sufficient to get by a workday, after which some, earlier than returning them to their charging case. The one draw back is, this being Huawei (the topic of US sanctions), I needed to sideload the Android software program it makes use of – which isn’t with out its safety dangers.
Positive, the Huawei FreeClip earphones don’t have energetic noise cancellation know-how, and also you’re not going to get wealthy bass such as you’d get on a pair of Apple AirPod Execs or Bose QuietComfort Ultras. However for listening to audiobooks in Audible, podcasts in Pocket Casts, or articles and paperwork in Speechify, they’re perfect!
I concede the FreeClip earphones usually are not for everybody – on the value, music lovers will most likely wish to look elsewhere. However for my functions, they work effectively: I can hear the setting round me since they not caught in my ears (nice after I’m climbing), and the decision high quality is greater than acceptable, regardless of their tiny dimension. I’m offered, and when Huawei releases model 2 (they’d higher launch a model 2), I’ll be among the many first within the queue to purchase them.
And so far as productiveness hacks go, I couldn’t be extra happy. — (c) 2024 NewsCentral Media
