So I tried combining the Pomodoro method (four 25-minute work sessions, 5-minute breaks in between) with the dictation. It was perhaps a bit weird to have earbuds connected to my phone, ticking away (I like the auditory “do something!” cue of ticking sounds from a timer) while I spoke into a different device entirely.
Right away I noticed two things. First, the 25-minute sessions felt artificial. Of course they are artificial, and that hasn’t been a problem when I’ve been typing, but I really didn’t like them for dictation. Nonetheless I persevered. The other thing I noticed: I’m not very good at this. Yet? What I’m getting at here is that I spent more time than I (think I) should have talking to myself about what I’d dictate. Rather than dictating.
We’ll see how things go tomorrow. I’ll also try to figure out how I’m going to post progress…tomorrow. Most likely I’ll just include minutes and sessions, but I’m not really in the mood to fool with that right now. Not totally over the stomach issues from a couple of days ago, and it turns out my wife is in similar straits. Neat.
Anyway.
I think I’m going to ditch the timers tomorrow. It feels more natural to stop at scene/chapter breaks. Maybe that’ll be good? Anyway, today, 100 minutes, four sessions.
And hey, about that new recorder? It’s an Olympus WS-853, replacing my WS-852. Primary differences are that it comes with rechargeable batteries, it can recharge batteries when plugged in via USB, it has 8GB of storage compared to 4GB, and it came with a case.
How much does the battery thing matter? I dunno. At over 100 hours of recording time between battery changes, I’m not sure it’s a significant advantage. The 8GB vs. 4GB thing really doesn’t matter a whole lot either, since the thing saves files in MP3 format and either way it’s good for a ridiculous number of hours of recording without running out of space–and also either way, I think it makes sense for me to back up the files off the device, and do so at least daily. You know? So I’ll never use the first gigabyte, is what I’m saying.
But the case it came with? That’s actually really, really cool. It’s soft, with a loop for my lanyard. So, with the leather lanyard? The recorder, uh, hangs off my neck. I know, not a revelation. But! It turns out this setup does a good job of recording (and Dragon does a good job of transcribing) while the recorder is actually in the case. So it’s a hands-free operation once I get the recording started, it means I have no need for a separate lavalier/lapel mic, I always have the recorder in the same position (probably aids in transcription accuracy), it’s good while walking…driving (probably not a good idea!)…whatever. Of course you can buy the same case for the WS-852. But if it’s a new device, you end up paying nearly as much for the 852+case as you would for the 853. So there’s that.
Two more related issues, in increasing level of importance thus far. First, the recorder can be switched on, told to record, yeah, that, and then I can slide the power switch–which tells the recorder to disregard any accidental button pushes. Handy, and prevents any accidental oopsies while sliding the recorder back into its case prior to dictation. Second…uh…this is probably just me. I actually liked holding the recorder up to my mouth. That way, if anyone saw me wandering around, and heard me talking, it was at least possible that I wasn’t a loon. So. That’s gone. And it’s surprisingly difficult to make myself talk to the air, rather than a device. I imagine I’ll get used to it. Or if I don’t, that’s…eh, it’s whatever. I’ll deal. (And maybe do a better job of that tomorrow?)
Have fun out there!
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