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Do you remember where you were when cell phones became digital voice assistants? If you don’t, it was because it was two decades ago. In 1998, disruptive innovator Kevin Surace and his team developed one of the first digital voice assistants, Portico. Users had to access the service using 1990s cell phone technology and dial a special 1-800 number. You could manage voicemails and set calendar appointments. I never used it.

Then, Siri came along in 2011, debuting as a beta program on the iPhone 4S, developed by Adam Cheyer and Dag Kittlaus. You could manage emails, calendar appointments and get directions all by talking to your phone. No 1-800 number needed. I never used it.

(Full Disclosure: My company, BigSpeak Speakers Bureaus, represents Kevin Surace, Adam Cheyer and Dag Kittlaus for keynote speaking engagements.)

Fast forward to 2018, and I wouldn’t be able to do my work without my smartphone and a digital voice assistant. I talk to my phone so much, people mock me at work. But they don’t mock the amount of work I can accomplish. Here’s how I use my digital voice assistant to get things done, with some simple tips on how to use its functions to balance your time management skills as a leader.

Notes

Do you ever get a great idea — or a bunch of great ideas — when you’re walking around and need to write it down? But who carries a pen and paper anymore?

No need to write things down on napkins or old receipts. It’s so much easier to activate my digital voice assistant and dictate a note as I’m walking along. How do you think I came up with the idea for this column?

Use your digital voice assistant to talk out a few ideas. Then, it’s all right there on your phone for you to remember, paste into another document, or send in an email.

Alarms

The alarm/calendar function has been a lifesaver. When you’re running a business that has doubled in size in the past three years, sometimes it’s tough to keep up with everything. Setting alarms by voice has not only helped my work but also given me much needed work-life balance.

As soon as I can think of an appointment I need to make, I can talk to my phone to set an alarm to remind me to call someone, set up a meeting time or maybe block out some personal time.

My advice: Always block out personal time. Instead of getting caught up in the next work crisis, this reminder can help you take the time you need to refresh. Personally, I would be burnt out without it.

Emails And Texts

If you’re like me, you’re on email more than you are on the phone. I also travel a lot for my work. West Coast, East Coast, Europe and Asia — you name it — I’m there at another conference or event, supporting my business. Rather than lugging a computer around with me all the time to keep up with my emails, I talk to my phone.

A voice assistant allows you to quickly read an email from work and form a voice reply. No slowly typing with your thumbs. Wherever you are, you can keep up with your staff and clients. This ability has helped me keep in touch with everyone, so no one is asking, “Why haven’t you replied?”

Sure, you can do other things with voice assistants: get directions, find out the weather and search for things on the internet. But for me, notes, alarms and dictating emails and texts are the most important voice tools for the busy executive.

About the author Ken Sterling