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Happy Monday 🌞

It’s been a snowy weekend here in North Carolina, a place where this kind of snow is rare from what I understand. Yesterday we spent time clearing snow off our cars and playing outside, and during a quiet afternoon I started my weekly planning — including my new favorite part: analyzing the voice notes I’ve recorded all week.

This system has transformed how I understand my own patterns and honestly feels like having a personal coach for $21/month. I think it might work for you too.

If you joined recently, hi 👋 I’m Hailley. I’ve always created systems for my work (as a Marketing leader at Buffer) and life (as a mom of two who enjoys having free time) where I can stay productive, calm, and organized. And if this was forwarded to you, subscribe here.

About 6 months ago during a 1:1 with my manager, Joel Gascoigne, I asked him how he was journaling every day, sometimes multiple times a day — a practice he’s had for years. He explained he has a few systems (and I won’t spoil all of them because I’m holding out for Joel to share his thoughts on journaling more widely), but one routine immediately clicked for me: he records voice notes after dropping his kids off at school while driving home.

I do kid drop-off every weekday, so this felt like a no brainer. As a verbal processor, I’d used voice notes before to think through problems, but never consistently. What started as a daily practice has evolved into something I reach for multiple times a day — and the best part is that it turns into an opportunity for growth when I review the transcripts on Sundays.

My voice note journaling system:

1️⃣ Set up an easy capture system

Apple Notes is my favorite way to capture transcripts. In a new note, you can hit the attach icon and then click record audio to start a recording. I have a folder in my Apple Notes titled Journal Summaries, and I have that pinned to my home screen so I can quickly add a new entry.

What I talk about varies: sometimes I detail my day and how I’m feeling, other times it’s decisions I’ve made, conversations I’ve had, or just what’s on my mind. It’s especially helpful to talk through things that aren’t sitting well with me. The act of processing information out loud is extremely valuable — I can’t tell you how often I’ve come to solutions or better articulated my exact struggle during these recordings.

2️⃣ Record throughout the week

I record most often during my drive home from kid drop-off, but I’ll also capture thoughts whenever something is weighing on me or I’m working through a decision. Apple Notes transcripts are excellent, so I don’t have to do anything extra — the transcription just happens automatically.

There’s no pressure to review them during the week. I just capture thoughts as they come.

3️⃣ Sunday analysis with AI

Every Sunday during my weekly review, I copy all my transcripts into a Claude Project I’ve built specifically for this. The AI analysis gives me six sections:

1. High-level summary with an overview of dominant themes
2. Major recurring themes and patterns
3. Insights & observations: connecting dots, positive trends, blind spots in my thinking
4. Action items & recommendations: every action item I mentioned plus suggestions based on my patterns
5. Questions for self-reflection: thoughtful questions that challenge my assumptions
6. Advice for next week

This takes the AI maybe a minute, but it works to connect dots and see patterns I might have missed throughout the week.

This system has been especially helpful compared to my former approach of reflecting on Sundays based only on what I remembered. Now I’m working with real clips from throughout the week, not just the highlights my brain decided to keep.

4️⃣ Act on the insights

Of course, getting the insights is only half of the work. AI acts as my coach, spotting what I’m saying repeatedly but might not be noticing myself, and then it’s my job to start adopting new practices or considering things differently in my life.

There have been many small things that have built up from these reflections. I’m not making big sweeping changes but taking small weekly actions that compound over time. I’ve moved tough conversations forward, I’ve found new ways to make time for myself, and I’ve felt less like I’m failing or having a hard time because the AI analysis looks at real patterns — showing me where I’m already doing well and where I can do more of something that’s working.

I’m paying for Claude, but it feels like I’m getting personalized weekly coaching worth much more than my $21/month subscription. It’s worth noting you could do this with any AI — I just prefer Claude Projects, but you could easily achieve the same with ChatGPT if that’s your tool of choice.

→ Grab my prompt for my weekly analysis​

Seriously, email me if you try this and love it as much as me because that would be cool to hear. I hope you have a lovely week ahead!

See you next week,

Hailley

• If you’re trying to post on social media more, here’s advice that genuinely helped some of my wonderful colleagues at Buffer become more consistent and confident on their own creator journeys.
• We’re hiring a Senior Developer Advocate at Buffer, apply or share the role here!
• If you’re interested in creating little apps easily (with no coding needed), my former colleague Alfred built this incredibly cool tool called Booplet, you can play around with it for free. Here’s his Habit Grid app, a beautiful way to track habits, and LifeGrid, a visual of how many weeks you’ve lived so far.

“You could rattle the stars,” she whispered. “You could do anything, if you only dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.” - Sarah J Maas, Throne of Glass (One of my altime favorite books.)

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