How I Use AI to take perfect notes...without typing

Introduction

In today's fast-paced world, efficient note-taking is essential. This week, I developed a workflow that leverages AI tools to seamlessly convert my voice notes into organized text entries in Notion. The process is remarkably straightforward and entirely automated once set up. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how I built this workflow for capturing insights without the hassle of typing.

Overview of the Tools You'll Need

To achieve this automated note-taking system, you'll need four tools:

Notion: This will be your database for storing notes. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up using this link.
Cloud Storage: A place to upload your audio files that will trigger the automation—Google Drive works well, but you could also use Dropbox or OneDrive.
Pipedream: This automation tool will connect everything together. Sign up at pipedream.com, and then upload an audio file to that folder to generate a test event.

2. Download the Audio File

Next, you need to download the uploaded audio file to Pipedream's temporary storage:

Add a step to “Download File” from Google Drive.
Use the ID from the previous trigger step to specify which audio file to download.
Save the file in "/tmp/recording" along with its original file extension.

3. Transcribe Audio Using Whisper

Now it’s time to transcribe the audio file using OpenAI's Whisper:

Add a new step and select the “Create Transcription” action from the OpenAI app, connecting your OpenAI account.
Specify the audio file’s path in the temporary storage.

4. Summarize the Transcript with ChatGPT

Once the transcription step is complete and you have the text, the next step is to generate a summary.

Add another step with the action of “Chat” from the OpenAI app.
Here, create a comprehensive prompt that instructs ChatGPT on how to summarize the transcript, include key points, and specify formatting.

5. Format the Output

To ensure clarity and organization, add a code step in Pipedream to format the summary, title, and lists appropriately. This step helps break down the text into manageable sections.

6. Send Notes to Notion

Lastly, create a page in Notion using the formatted output:

Search for “Notion” and select the “Create Page from Database” option.
Specify your Notion database, inserting the title, summary, transcript, and other details as properties.

Conclusion

With these simple steps, you can create a powerful system that allows you to take notes effortlessly. This automation not only saves time but also enhances the quality of the notes by ensuring they are well-structured and easy to recall later.

If you want to implement a sophisticated note-taking system like mine, consider using the Ultimate Brain template for Notion, which includes various productivity features and a dedicated support team to help you get started.

Keyword

AI
Notion
Voice Notes
Automation
Pipedream
Whisper
OpenAI
ChatGPT
Transcription
Summary

FAQ

Q: What is the role of OpenAI in this workflow?
A: OpenAI’s Whisper model transcribes audio to text, while the ChatGPT API generates summaries and action items from the transcript.

Q: Do I need coding skills to set up this workflow?
A: No coding skills are required for the basic setup. However, some familiarity with the tools can help you customize the workflow further.

Q: What audio file formats are supported?
A: Whisper supports multiple audio formats such as MP3 and M4A.

Q: How do I ensure my transcripts are organized in Notion?
A: By utilizing markdown formatting and proper structuring in your Pipedream workflow, you can ensure organized entries in Notion.

Q: Can this workflow handle longer audio files?
A: The no-code version of this workflow has a 25 MB limit for audio files. For longer audio, you may need to follow a code-heavy version available in the tutorial.