Voice to Text for Brain Fog

Brain fog is real, and it makes everything harder. When your mind feels cloudy, typing becomes surprisingly exhausting. You're not just pressing keys — you're also tracking spelling, managing punctuation, fixing typos, and trying to hold your thought together long enough to get it on screen. That's a lot of cognitive overhead when your brain is already struggling. Voice typing removes most of that load. You speak naturally, like you would to a person, and your words appear. No spelling to manage. No keys to find. Just the lowest-friction path from thought to text.

First 1,000 words free Minimal cognitive load macOS app

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The Typing Problem

Typing takes more mental energy than people realize

When you're operating at full capacity, typing feels automatic. But when brain fog hits, you suddenly notice how much work it actually is. Finding letters on the keyboard. Remembering how words are spelled. Noticing typos and deciding whether to fix them. Managing capitalization and punctuation. Each small task demands attention you don't have to spare. The cumulative effect is exhaustion.

You lose the thought while managing the mechanics

You know what you want to say. You start typing. But by the time you've handled the spelling of the first few words, the rest of the thought has faded. Brain fog makes it hard to hold things in working memory, and typing is slow enough that your fragile grip on the idea slips before you can finish capturing it.

Simple messages feel like enormous tasks

Replying to an email should take two minutes. But with brain fog, you stare at the screen, knowing you need to write something, but the effort of translating thoughts to typed words feels overwhelming. So the email sits in your inbox. Then another day passes. The task isn't hard — the cognitive cost of typing is what makes it feel impossible.

Editing becomes a trap

You type a sentence. It's not quite right. You go back to fix it. Now you've lost what came next. You try to remember. You can't. You stare at the screen. Brain fog makes it hard to context-switch, and typing constantly forces you to switch between composing and correcting. Each switch costs energy you can't afford.

The blank page is extra intimidating

Starting is the hardest part. When your brain is foggy, the gap between knowing you need to write something and actually beginning feels like a chasm. The cursor blinks. Your hands rest on the keyboard. Nothing happens. The activation energy required to start typing is more than your depleted system can muster.

How It Works

Blurt reduces the cognitive load of writing to almost nothing. Hold a button, speak naturally, release. Your words appear. No spelling, no typing, no formatting to manage.

Hold your hotkey

Press and hold your chosen key. A small indicator appears. That's your cue to start talking. No menus, no settings, no decisions to make.

Speak naturally

Talk like you would to a person. Don't worry about punctuation or formatting — Blurt handles that automatically. Just say what you're thinking, at whatever pace feels comfortable.

Release and you're done

Let go of the key. Your words appear at your cursor, properly formatted. The message that felt impossible to type is now written. Total cognitive effort: minimal.

Real Scenarios

Writing emails when your brain won't cooperate

You need to respond to a client but the thought of typing makes you tired just thinking about it. With Blurt, you hold the button and say: 'Thanks for sending this over. I've reviewed it and have a few questions. Can we schedule a call for Thursday afternoon?' You release the button. The email is written. What would have taken ten draining minutes took fifteen seconds.

Capturing thoughts before they dissolve

A useful thought surfaces through the fog. You need to write it down before it's gone. With typing, you'd lose it. With Blurt, you speak it immediately: 'Idea for the project — maybe we flip the order of sections two and three.' Done. The thought is captured. You can think about it more later, when the fog lifts.

Getting through work on low-energy days

Some days you're at 30% capacity but work still needs to happen. Messages still need sending. Notes still need taking. Voice typing lets you function at a lower energy level than typing requires. You're not productive at your normal rate, but you're not stuck either.

Medical documentation when you're the one who's sick

You need to message your doctor, explain symptoms, ask about medication. But you're sick — that's why you need the doctor. Typing while unwell is its own special frustration. Speaking feels more natural. 'The headache started Tuesday and hasn't improved with the current medication. Should I increase the dose or try something different?'

Quick responses without the energy drain

Someone asks a simple question on Slack. Normally you'd type a quick reply. Today, even quick feels hard. With Blurt, you say 'Yes, that works for me' and release. Three seconds. No energy spent finding keys or fixing typos. You saved yourself for tasks that actually need your depleted brainpower.

Journaling when you need it most

Brain fog often comes with conditions that benefit from journaling — tracking symptoms, processing difficult experiences, noting what helps and what doesn't. But when you're foggy, writing in a journal feels like the last thing you can manage. Speaking your thoughts into a document is easier. 'Feeling foggy again today, started around 2pm. Might be the new medication or just not enough sleep.'

macOS includes built-in dictation, but it adds friction that matters when your cognitive resources are limited.

	Blurt	macOS Dictation
Activation	Hold any hotkey you choose — no decisions required	Double-tap Control or click menu icon
Punctuation	Automatic — just speak naturally	Must say 'period' and 'comma' out loud
Cognitive load	Minimal — hold, speak, release	Higher — must remember voice commands for formatting
Speed to start	Instant — no lag or connection delay	Brief delay while system connects
Accuracy	AI transcription handles mumbling and low energy speech	Less reliable with unclear or quiet speech
Interface	Tiny indicator — minimal visual distraction	Modal popup can break focus
Price	$10/month or $99/year (first 1,000 words free)	Free with macOS

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I speak slowly or pause a lot?

That's fine. Blurt isn't expecting a polished speech. Speak at whatever pace feels natural. Pause to think. Say 'um' if you need to. The transcription handles natural speech patterns, including the kind of halting speech that comes with brain fog. Your words will appear coherent even if speaking them didn't feel that way.

Will this work on days when I can barely think?

Those are exactly the days it helps most. The worse the fog, the harder typing becomes, and the more value voice typing provides. Speaking requires less coordination than typing. You don't have to remember where letters are, track spelling, or manage punctuation. You just talk, and words appear.

What causes brain fog anyway?

Many things. Chronic illness, medication side effects, sleep deprivation, long COVID, autoimmune conditions, depression, hormonal changes, chemotherapy, and more. Whatever the cause, the effect is similar: reduced cognitive capacity that makes normally-easy tasks feel hard. Blurt doesn't treat the cause — it just makes writing less exhausting while you're dealing with it.

Is the free tier enough for a real trial?

The free tier gives you first 1,000 words free, permanently. That's enough for dozens of messages, several emails, or a few pages of notes. It's enough to genuinely experience whether voice typing helps with your brain fog. If you find yourself consistently hitting the limit, that's a sign it's working for you.

Can I use this quietly?

Yes. Blurt works well with low volume speech. You don't need to project or enunciate perfectly. A quiet, conversational tone — or even softer — works fine. Most people around you won't notice someone speaking softly at their desk, and even if they do, it's not particularly unusual.

What if my brain fog affects my speech too?

If you can have a conversation, you can use Blurt. The AI transcription is trained on natural speech, including hesitations, restarts, and imperfect articulation. You don't need to speak clearly or continuously. Say what you can, however you can, and the words will appear on screen.

Does Blurt work with Windows or just Mac?

Blurt is macOS only. We focused on creating the best possible Mac experience with native menu bar integration and system-level keyboard shortcuts. Windows and Linux versions are not currently available.

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