Use AI to Transcribe Handwritten Notes

One of the ways that I use chatGPT every week is to transcribe my handwritten notes. This allows me to write on flip charts or write in my notebook and then quickly capture and digitize those handwritten ideas.

Here’s what it looks like:

The photo I shared in the ChatGPT app

Results from ChatGPT:

Here’s your handwritten notes transcribed as a decision tree:

Getting Things Done

1. Collect
   • Capture in containers
   • Empty regularly, as few as possible
2. Process
   • Is it actionable?
     • Yes
       • Do it
       • Delegate it
       • Defer it
     • No
       • Trash
       • Incubate
       • Reference
3. Organize
   • Projects List

Flip Chart Graphics

The flip chart image that I uploaded to ChatGPT

My Prompt:

Please transcribe these handwritten notes.

Results from ChatGPT

• Reach out to influential Muppets
  • Elmo
  • Grover
  • Big Bird
• Research successful Muppet programs
  • Methods
  • Cross-recruitment.
• Advertise
  • Speak to what motivates muppets
  • Fun
  • Learning
  • Singing
  • Friends
  • “Mr. Hooper’s Shop Window”
  • High traffic location where this type of muppet spends time.

Or Use Voice Instead of an Image

I’ve also used the feature in the chatGPT app to record a voice note. This is helpful if I have an idea while I am out on a walk. I record a voice note and then the app transcribes the voice note.

Here’s an example of a transcribed voice note:

“Okay, I’m going to share my ideas for a session that I’m facilitating. I would like you to organize those ideas so that I can turn them into a meeting design. So my idea is that the group needs to surface their assumptions. Secondly, I want to use the two cases that are being given as examples for case review. And instead of actually doing the case review, I want them to reflect on what is something you don’t know about what happened in this case that you’re curious about, that you still have questions about. And then secondly, what is something that you have an insight on or something you know from your perspective that you anticipate other people in the room might not know, that you would want to have other people understand.”