Building a Hands-Free Workflow on Mac: Voice Control, Dictation, and Automation

Whether you're dealing with RSI, prefer speaking to typing, or just want to experiment with a different workflow—going hands-free on Mac is more practical than ever. Here's how to build a complete voice-driven productivity system.

Why Go Hands-Free?

• RSI Prevention/Recovery: Give your hands a break from constant typing
• Accessibility: Essential for users with mobility challenges
• Multitasking: Dictate while doing other activities
• Speed: Speaking is 3x faster than typing
• Comfort: Work from any position—standing, walking, lying down

The Three Layers of Hands-Free Mac

A complete hands-free setup has three components:

1. Voice Dictation: Convert speech to text
2. Voice Control: Navigate and control macOS
3. Automation: Trigger complex actions with simple commands

Layer 1: Voice Dictation with Sotto

For text input, you need fast, accurate dictation that works everywhere. Sotto provides:

• Push-to-talk: Hold hotkey to speak, release to transcribe
• Auto-paste: Text appears at your cursor automatically
• Works everywhere: Slack, VS Code, browsers, any app
• Custom vocabulary: Train it on your terminology

This covers emails, messages, documents, code comments—any text input.

Layer 2: macOS Voice Control

macOS has powerful built-in voice control for navigation (System Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control):

Basic Navigation Commands

• "Click [button name]" — Click any button
• "Show numbers" — Display clickable number overlays
• "Scroll up/down" — Navigate pages
• "Open [app name]" — Launch applications
• "Switch to [app]" — Change active app
• "Close window" — Close current window

Text Editing Commands

• "Select all" — Select all text
• "Select [word/line/paragraph]" — Select specific content
• "Delete that" — Delete selection
• "Undo/Redo" — Standard edit commands
• "Bold/Italic that" — Format selection

Custom Commands

You can create custom voice commands in Voice Control settings. For example:

• "New email" → Opens Mail and starts a new message
• "Screenshot" → Takes a screenshot
• "Meeting notes" → Opens your notes app

Layer 3: Automation with Shortcuts

Apple Shortcuts lets you create complex workflows triggered by voice. Create a shortcut, then say "Run [shortcut name]":

Example Shortcuts

• "Start work": Open Slack, VS Code, browser to specific URLs
• "End of day": Close all apps, enable Do Not Disturb
• "Quick note": Create timestamped note in Notes app
• "Meeting prep": Open calendar, notes, video call app

Putting It Together: A Day in the Life

Morning

"Hey Siri, start work" → Shortcuts opens your apps and loads your dashboard.

Email

"Open Mail. Click Compose." Then use Sotto to dictate: [Hold hotkey] "Hey Sarah, just following up on yesterday's meeting. The proposal looks good, let's discuss the timeline tomorrow. Best, [your name]" [Release]. "Click Send."

Coding

Voice Control: "Open VS Code. Click terminal." Sotto for commit messages: [Hold] "Fixed race condition in checkout flow by adding distributed lock. Includes integration tests." [Release].

Slack

"Open Slack. Show numbers." [Click channel number]. Sotto: [Hold] "The deployment is done. All tests passing. Let me know if you see any issues." [Release]. "Press Return."

Hardware Recommendations

For the best hands-free experience:

• AirPods Pro: Great microphone, noise cancellation, wireless freedom
• Standing desk: Move around while working
• Large monitor: More space for Voice Control number overlays
• Foot pedal (optional): Trigger commands without hands

Tips for Success

1. Start gradual: Don't go 100% hands-free immediately
2. Practice Voice Control commands: Muscle memory takes time
3. Create shortcuts for repeated actions: Reduce cognitive load
4. Optimize your environment: Quiet space helps accuracy
5. Have keyboard as backup: Some tasks are still easier typed

When Hands-Free Excels

• Writing long-form content
• Email and messaging
• Research and reading
• Meeting notes
• Brainstorming

When to Use Keyboard

• Complex code editing
• Detailed design work
• Spreadsheets with lots of data
• Noisy environments