I never got hooked on voice assistants, as they never really delivered on their promise. Gemini changes that.
The AI assistant significantly improves the voice experience to the point that I have gone from not using voice commands at all to heavily relying on them every day to stay productive and informed.
AI’s future depends on becoming a digital assistant, not just party tricks
I’m a skeptic, but these features won me over
Cut through the noise instantly
Getting straight to what actually matters
I frequently receive long emails from clients detailing issues in their ongoing projects. On most days, two to three such detailed emails land in my inbox, each packed with bottlenecks, updates, and context I need to process.
Previously, I would go through them manually and note the key points. With Gemini, that’s a thing of the past. On mobile, the experience is even better as I can use Gemini’s smart voice capabilities to get the job done.
I open an email, bring up Gemini, and then ask it to “summarize this email and give me the key takeaways.” Gmail now automatically displays the key takeaways from an email at the top.
But this is even better, as I can have a conversation with Gemini about the email’s content. So, I can ask Gemini, “What are the main issues the client is facing?” or “What are the problems that I should prioritize first?”
If needed, I can ask Gemini to draft a reply to the email and give it a basic overview of what to add. It does the rest automatically. It has now been weeks since I switched to letting Gemini write my emails for me.
These simple chains of voice commands help me stay productive on my phone when I’m on the go, especially when I don’t have access to my laptop. This is just one of the many ways I have started integrating Gemini into my daily routine.
It’s not just about emails. Throughout the day, I keep asking Gemini to summarize the content on my screen and highlight the key points. This is particularly useful when going through long Reddit threads or articles.
Starting my day with clarity
Seeing what actually needs to get done
I use Gemini throughout the day for various tasks and projects. So, it already has context about most of my work. Plus, it can access my calendar, Gmail, and Drive files for additional information.
So, every morning, I simply ask Gemini to “Give me an overview of my day and list the tasks I need to take up on priority.”
Instead of just listing my calendar entries, Gemini uses the context to give me a clear overview of the things I actually need to get done. It reminds me to complete tasks before a client meeting later in the day or to reply to a long-pending email.
Even better, I can ask Gemini to help with some of these tasks in advance — all with a simple voice command. So, by the time I sit down to work, the basics are already taken care of.
I build on this by asking Gemini to summarize the unread emails in my inbox and list the ones that I need to act on as a priority.
Turning my thoughts into social media content
Making publishing effortless
I get bursts of ideas when I go on walks. Some turn into actionable thoughts that I capture through Todoist Ramble. But for thoughts that I want to turn into a LinkedIn or X post, I fire up Gemini.
I ramble my thoughts, without worrying about structure or continuity, and then ask Gemini to turn them into a LinkedIn or social media post.
Within seconds, it gives me polished content that I can post online. And if I don’t like the tone or style, I can always ask the AI assistant to reword it.
This whole process ensures that I don’t lose ideas when I’m away from my laptop. By the time I get back, the content is drafted and ready to review for publishing.
Making sense of chaotic WhatsApp conversations
Getting clarity in seconds
In the part of the world I live in, WhatsApp is the primary source of communication. It’s not just for friends and family, but also where business discussions and work-related discussions happen.
The problem is that such chats can get chaotic, making it hard to track important points or tasks. They often get buried under multiple replies, off-topic conversations, and constant back-and-forth. All this makes it difficult to track key points and decisions.
Multiply that across several active groups, and it becomes almost impossible to stay on top of everything.
This is where I have started relying on Gemini. I simply trigger Gemini and ask it to give me an overview of the entire day’s conversations.
Even better, with my permission, it scans shared files in the conversation and surfaces any relevant details I might have missed.
If I need more clarity, I further ask Gemini to “give me a list of the actionable items.” That way, I can forward it to my team so that they can work on it.
Before Gemini, I spent at least 30 minutes going through all the important WhatsApp group conversations to stay on top of everything. Now, all it takes is just a voice command.
Making better decisions, faster
Letting Gemini highlight what matters
Clients often send their KPIs and proposals over email or WhatsApp. During the workday, I don’t always have the time to go through them in detail. Instead, I trigger Gemini and ask it to generate a summary of the client’s demand.
From there, I take it a step further. I ask Gemini to highlight the main issues in the client’s proposal or any glaring gaps. Sometimes, I even share my plan and ask if the strategy makes sense or if there’s anything I should watch out for.
The best part is that I do this entire process on my Android phone, entirely through voice commands. A year ago, I couldn’t imagine reviewing and breaking down client proposals this way on a phone.
As part of this, I ask Gemini to follow what’s on my screen and then create a step-by-step plan that I can follow. Or, if the client’s requirements are detailed, I ask Gemini how long and complex the overall process is.
This entire process gives clarity and boosts my overall productivity, as I don’t always need to go through every client’s proposal in detail or spend time thinking about the potential gaps.
Skip through YouTube videos
Getting the insights within seconds
Before Gemini, I used to painfully sit through and watch long YouTube tutorials or interviews when I didn’t have the time or patience to do so. At best, I played them at 2x speed just to get to the parts that mattered.
Gemini makes this entire process seamless and fast. Now, when I play a long YouTube video, I trigger Gemini and ask, “Summarize this video and give me the key takeaways.” Within seconds, I get a breakdown of everything important in the video, irrespective of its length.
If I need to dig deeper into a topic, I can do that right from Gemini as well, asking it if “this part is worth watching in full?” All this saves precious time, allowing me to watch long videos that I actually want to watch from my favorite creators.
No wonder Gemini has now become my favorite productivity tool, as it saves me hours every week.
Gemini makes voice commands useful
The reason voice commands on Gemini feel useful is simple: it understands context. That makes a world of difference in daily use.
Coupled with better natural language processing, integrating Gemini’s voice commands into my workflow feels almost seamless. Thanks to that, I can get more done hands-free, staying informed and productive with just a few voice commands.
