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Dictate tasks and notes in Things 3

Things 3 is an Apple only task app, so it uses the standard Apple dictation system in every field.

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Things 3 is calm and quiet, and voice input keeps that pace. Speak the task, drop into notes for the detail, and let cleanup wait for the review.

Turn on dictation

On Mac press Fn twice inside a task or note.
On iPad or iPhone tap the microphone on the keyboard.
Use the quick entry shortcut on Mac to capture without switching apps.
Keep notes short so the task list stays scannable.

Tasks vs notes

Task titles are the anchor, so keep them short and action first. Notes carry the context, and voice input is perfect for a two or three sentence brain dump.

Draft in Zahvox for public copy

For anything shared with a client or team member, dictate the raw thought in Zahvox, tighten the wording, then paste it back. That extra pass keeps the tone steady and removes filler.

Small habits that keep it readable

Say punctuation out loud, including commas and periods.
Keep one thought per sentence so cleanup is fast.
Do a short review pass at the end of every session.
Save common phrases in a snippet tool so voice input can call them.

Speak the shape of the piece before you speak the words

Before you start dictating for dictate tasks and notes in things 3, say the shape out loud: what it is, who it is for, what the three beats are, and how it ends. Ten seconds of planning out loud saves five minutes of rambling. The transcript that comes out of a planned dictation is nearly always cleaner than one that starts cold, because your mouth is following a map instead of wandering.

Where Zahvox fits after the raw capture

Zahvox is the careful second pass that sits after the raw capture. The browser, the OS, or the app you used for dictate tasks and notes in things 3 gave you words on a page. Zahvox at /tool is where you paste those words, tighten the wording, fix the shape of the sentences, and copy the result back into wherever it needs to live. Raw capture anywhere, careful edit in Zahvox — that is the whole loop, and it stays the same whether the source was a laptop, a phone, or a meeting transcript.

Looking for something else? Browse the full guides library or open the free voice tool and practice as you read.