Nothing Was The Same

For the past 10 years, I’ve had the same work routine.

I sit down at my computer, open Spotify, and play Drake’s 2013 album Nothing Was the Same. I listen to the whole thing, front to back. Then, I cycle through Take Care, Thank Me Later, and start the loop again.

This is a vulnerable confession, and I wish I were kidding, but it’s truly been the same three albums, all day, every day.

I’m not sure why. I don’t even particularly love Drake. But something about the production and pacing of the songs put me in a deep meditative state. And it’s become a habit that is so deeply ingrained into who I am and how I work.

But recently, I’ve been using Wispr Flow.

I feel like I should be on a billboard with my cult-like obsession, but to be brief, it’s completely transformed my workflow.

Now, I spend all day speaking to my computer.

Using Wispr Flow, you talk into your computer or phone, and your voice gets translated and cleaned up into text. You can use it for everything from emails to web pages, documents, text messages, notes, etc.

It’s a constant, ongoing conversation with your device — and it has skyrocketed my productivity.

Some quick thoughts:

• Voice is fast — the argument is that most people speak at 150–180 words per minute, compared to typing at 40–50 words. And the second you start using one of these apps, you feel that improvement.

• Voice AI has a deep synergy with ChatGPT or Claude. Speaking your ideas aloud creates a kind of “vibe coding” loop — I find myself brainstorming, refining, and building on thoughts in real time. Or, for example, I’ll create a prompt with my voice and then copy and paste text that relates to the prompt.

• Pressing a button to speak removes friction and helps you get something on the page. You can knock things off your to-do list at an incredible speed because you don’t have that cloud of “cold-start” problem pulling up a doc or email.

• It makes working on the go way easier — responding to messages or capturing thoughts while walking, commuting, or moving between meetings.

• More voice input will push offices towards private booths and solo offices. I work remotely, so I can yap all day, but for everyone to get the productivity boost, they need their own space.

• I am fully confident that every person who uses a computer will be using continuous voice‑to‑text, whether using Wispr Flow or another app, within the next few years. We are only at the start of what a voice-first culture looks like, and the momentum is only picking up.

Overall, I feel a bit nostalgic - and honestly a bit sad - leaving behind my old routine. And in general, no longer listening to any music while I work. Those albums have been the soundtrack of my life longer than I’ve lived in any city, longer than I’ve worked at Chapter One, longer than I’ve been in any relationship.

But ever since I started using Whispr Flow, Nothing Has Been The Same.

And as dramatic as it sounds, nothing will be the same again.

Thank you to Jeff Morris Jr. and Akash Bajwa from Earlybird for being the early adopters who introduced me to the app.

I’m a General Partner at Chapter One, an early-stage venture fund that invests $500K - $2M checks into pre-seed and seed-stage startups.

If you’re a founder building a company, please feel free to reach out on Twitter (@seidtweets) or Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesin-seidel-5325b147/).