Voice commands

Written By Manos Mastorakis

Last updated 1 day ago

Voice Commands in Routine let you capture tasks, schedule meetings, add journal entries, and manage your entire workspace using natural language — completely hands-free. The AI voice assistant understands context, follows up on previous commands, and converts your spoken thoughts into structured Routine objects. This feature enables true brain dumping: speak everything on your mind, and Routine organizes it into the right places automatically.

✍️ Functionality

With Voice Commands, you can:

  • Create tasks by speaking naturally

  • Schedule meetings with specific times and durations

  • Add entries to your journal

  • Update or interact with custom objects and databases

  • Trigger actions across integrations (send a Slack message, draft a Gmail, update a CRM contact)

  • Modify commands in real-time ("actually, split that into two tasks")

  • Adjust details like meeting length, priority, or assignee

  • Capture multiple items in a single voice session

  • Let AI parse dates, times, people, and contexts automatically

  • Keep your hands free while brainstorming or on the go

  • Voice asks for clarification when a detail is missing instead of guessing

The assistant understands follow-up commands and context from earlier in the conversation, so you can refine as you speak. Your configured assistant preferences and instructions apply to voice commands too — making voice as personalized as the full AI assistant.

💭 Why use Voice Commands

Traditional voice assistants create reminders or calendar events in isolation. Routine's Voice Commands:

  • Create real Routine objects (tasks, events, journal entries, custom objects) that integrate with your workflow

  • Understand context and follow-up modifications ("make that meeting one hour long")

  • Allow you to brain dump multiple items in one session

  • Parse natural language into structured data (dates, times, people, priorities, assignees)

  • Place items in the correct location (inbox, calendar, journal, database) automatically

  • Trigger multi-step actions across integrations from a single spoken instruction

  • Work hands-free — ideal for driving, walking, or when inspiration strikes

  • Apply your assistant's configured preferences automatically (tone, behavior, integration choices)

  • Stages integration actions (e.g. posting to Slack) as approval cards before executing — you stay in control

  • Can answer general knowledge questions ("Who won the FIFA World Cup?")

Voice becomes a first-class input method, not just a gimmick.

🎙️ How to use Voice Commands

Triggering voice:

  1. Long press the main Routine button on mobile

  2. The microphone activates and listens

  3. Speak naturally — the AI processes your input in real time

Basic capture examples:

  • "Book a meeting with John tomorrow at 4:30 p.m."

  • "Remind me to buy a new tennis racket and balls"

  • "Add to my journal that I had breakfast with Mary this morning"

  • "Create a task called prepare Q3 report, high priority, due Friday"

Follow-up modifications:

  • "Actually, split that into two separate tasks"

  • "Make the meeting with John one hour long"

  • "Assign that task to Sarah"

  • "Add it to the Website Redesign project"

Multi-step and integration actions:

  • "Cancel my 3pm meeting and send an apology to the participants via Gmail"

  • "Update the Acme contact in our CRM — we had a call today and they're interested"

  • "Create a follow-up task and send John a Slack message to confirm"

Reviewing what was created:

  • Meetings appear on your calendar

  • Tasks land in your inbox

  • Journal entries are added to today's journal

  • Custom objects are created in the relevant database

  • Everything is ready to plan, schedule, assign, or refine

The AI handles parsing, creating, and placing each item correctly based on your workspace context and assistant configuration.

🗣️ Use cases

Voice Commands are especially useful for:

  • Brain dumping — capture everything on your mind without typing or clicking

  • Driving or commuting — add tasks and meetings hands-free

  • Walking or exercising — capture ideas when inspiration strikes

  • Morning planning — speak your priorities for the day and let Routine organize them

  • Post-meeting capture — quickly log action items, follow-ups, and decisions

  • Integration actions — send messages, update records, and trigger workflows by voice

  • Accessibility — hands-free productivity for users who benefit from voice input

  • Rapid inbox triage — speak through a list of tasks faster than typing

  • Multi-step delegation — speak a complex instruction and let the AI handle the rest

Voice Commands turn fleeting thoughts into structured productivity data instantly.