Voice to Text for Illness and Low Energy
You're sick. You're exhausted. Everything hurts and the thought of sitting at your desk to type feels impossible. But work doesn't pause because you have the flu. Emails need responses. Messages need sending. Blurt lets you stay minimally connected without leaving bed. Hold a button on your laptop, say what you need to say, release. Your message sends. Then you can go back to resting. This isn't about being productive while sick. It's about handling the essentials with the least possible effort so you can focus on getting better.
The Typing Problem
Your body says rest but your inbox says respond
There's always something that can't wait. A client expecting an answer. A deadline that needs acknowledging. A manager who needs a status update. You know you should be resting completely, but the anxiety of messages piling up makes it impossible to actually relax. You need a way to handle the minimum without spending what little energy you have on typing.
Typing feels like running a marathon when you're sick
When you're healthy, dashing off an email takes thirty seconds. When you're running a fever or exhausted from fighting off something, those same thirty seconds feel like an hour. Your fingers are slow. Your thoughts are foggy. The physical act of sitting up, opening your laptop, and typing drains energy you don't have. Even looking at a bright screen makes your headache worse.
You're not sick enough to disappear, but too sick to work normally
If you were in the hospital, people would understand radio silence. But for a bad cold, a flu, food poisoning, or complete exhaustion? You're expected to at least be reachable. You fall into a frustrating middle ground where you can't fully rest but also can't fully function. You need a way to stay visible with minimal effort.
Every bit of energy spent on email is energy not spent on healing
Your body is fighting something. Every resource should go toward recovery. But instead, you're spending precious energy propping yourself up to type responses that could have been spoken in ten seconds. It's not just uncomfortable. It's counterproductive. The harder you work while sick, the longer you stay sick.
You've tried typing from bed and it's miserable
Laptop balanced awkwardly on your stomach. Screen brightness stabbing your eyes. Arms tired from holding them up to reach the keyboard. The ergonomics of typing while lying down are terrible. You make typos. It takes forever. You end up more drained than if you'd just gotten up. There has to be an easier way.
How It Works
Blurt works from wherever you are. Lying on the couch, propped up in bed, curled up under blankets. If you can speak and your laptop can hear you, you can send messages.
Hold your hotkey
One keypress. You don't need to sit up, open apps, or navigate anywhere. Just hold the shortcut.
Say what you need to say
Speak at whatever pace feels comfortable. Even if your voice is hoarse or quiet, Blurt captures it. Say your message once and be done.
Release and rest
Your text appears. Send the message. Close the laptop. Go back to resting. Total effort: maybe thirty seconds.
Real Scenarios
Letting your team know you're sick from your couch
You wake up feeling terrible. You need to tell people you're out. From under your blanket, laptop nearby, you hold the hotkey and say: 'Hey team, I woke up with a bad fever and won't be working today. I'll try to check in later if I'm feeling better but otherwise assume I'm out.' Send. Done. You didn't have to sit up, squint at a bright screen, or type with shaky hands. Now you can actually rest.
Handling one urgent email without getting out of bed
There's always that one thing that can't wait. A client who needs confirmation. A deadline that needs acknowledging. Instead of dragging yourself to your desk, you prop your laptop on a pillow, hold the hotkey, and speak your response. The essential gets handled. Everything else can wait until you're better.
Quick status updates when you're not quite sick enough to fully disappear
You're not bedridden, but you're definitely not functional. Working from the couch, doing the bare minimum. Voice typing lets you send the necessary updates and responses without burning through the limited energy you have. Check in, confirm you're alive, then go back to half-watching TV and waiting to feel human again.
Responding to worried family or friends without explaining everything
People are messaging to check on you. Sweet, but you don't have the energy for a full conversation. A quick voice message converted to text lets you reassure everyone you're okay without typing out the same explanation five times. 'Feeling rough but managing. Just need rest. Will update tomorrow.' Copy, paste to everyone, done.
Managing work expectations while recovering
You're on day three of being sick. You need to push a deadline, delegate a task, or explain why something won't happen this week. These messages require thought but not necessarily typing. Speak your explanation once, clearly, and let Blurt handle the transcription. You stay professional while horizontal.
The low-energy days that aren't quite illness
Maybe you're not technically sick. Just completely wiped. Burned out. Running on empty. The thought of typing feels like too much. Voice-to-text gets you through the day without demanding physical effort you don't have. You can communicate what needs communicating and save your energy for recovery, whatever kind you need.
Why Blurt works better than built-in dictation when you're sick
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey from anywhere | Find the microphone button or remember the shortcut |
| Reliability | Works consistently, even with a hoarse voice | Often fails silently or requires repeating |
| Effort required | Hold, speak, release, done | Multiple steps and waiting |
| When you're foggy | No commands to remember | Requires remembering voice commands for punctuation |
| Speed | Text appears in under 500ms | Noticeable delay adds friction |
Frequently Asked Questions
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