How I Turned My Phone Into a litle Productivity Powerhouse?
Many people ask me: “You’re blind, so how do you type? Do you have a special keyboard?”. My dear friend, why the fuck do you think touch typing is also called the blind system?
Let me tell you a secret: nobody should ever look at the keyboard while typing. Basic principle of productivity: If you can do something using one sense, do not involve another one. Okay, back to the topic.
A standard computer keyboard is a wonderfully accessible device. You learn where all the buttons are, you program the neural cables that run from your brain to your fingers, and that’s it. Especially as a blind person, this is a skill you can learn extremely well. Honestly, I think everyone should practice until they can type around 60 words per minute, basic life skill in 2025. My motto: do well the things you can do well.
But then people ask: “How do you type on a smartphone?”. Well, with much blood and sweat. And fucking sweat makes things even worse with a touch screen. Here’s how it works. You touch the screen, the phone announces the letter you’re touching, and the letter is entered as you lift your finger. So you still need to know the keyboard layout, because it makes the process faster. I hope it’s obvious that this method is… not ideal. It works, but it’s like filling a kettle using a shot glass. Sure, let me know when you are done, but by then I am done with my desert.
Another method? Dictation. It works, and it keeps getting better, but there are some structural limitations: It doesn’t work in public places. You don’t want the whole train to hear the message you’re sending your partner, right? I'm meant to give away my grandma's secret recipe to the whole train for free? Fine, I'll be generous, I'll let these food thieves listen in. But guess what, it's pretty loud in public places. Next thing you know, my girlfriend is putting three spoons of salt in those meatballs instead of a teaspoon and I'm in trouble again.
Final method: the hero of this story. Our friend, the old reliable keyboard with the same layout since the seventies. Its little grandkid got an upgrade that changed my life: Bluetooth connectivity. Yes, there are keyboards that connect to any smartphone! And suddenly my phone is transformed into a tiny writing station.
It doesn’t have the magical Emacs superpowers that my laptop setup has, but: • I can respond to messages quickly. • I can take proper notes. • I can write posts for AudioThrive. • I can keep my secrets. Well, secret.
And the cherry on top? Some Bluetooth keyboards connect to your computer and your phone at the same time, and you can switch between them with the press of a button. So I’m in the office, writing a bit of code on my computer when I remember I still need to tell my girlfriend that final detail about getting the meatballs out of the pan. I press the magic button → switch to my phone → type my grandmother’s wisdom → press the magic button again → back to work.
The best devices are the simplest ones, using the right sense for the right job. Talking about senses, all this meatball talk made me pretty hungry... So you get it, just use that Bluetooth keyboard, and I'm gonna go take care of the food.