Dragon Naturally Speaking is dictation software by Nuance. I think it’s about $300 normally, but it often goes on sale for $180 or less. So it’s not cheap, but it’s a big improvement on other dictation software such as Google.

I bought a Bluetooth headset made by Logi for about $60 from Staples. It seems to help the software catch what I’m saying better than my laptop microphone. And most importantly, it frees me from my desk. So I can walk around, play with my cat, tidy the house, or drive while writing. Plus it makes me much faster than I would be typing. I estimate the software and headset have paid for themselves many times over in increased productivity.

I should say here that I don’t work for Nuance and have no financial interest in pushing their product. I just really like it.