Using ChatGPT to Transcribe Handwritten Notes

One of the most helpful uses I’ve found for ChatGPT is transcribing my handwritten notes.

Years ago, I became convinced that the best way to stay fully present in a meeting or conversation was to take notes by hand. Whether I’m in a one-on-one, in a group setting, or just trying to work through my own thoughts, writing things down with pen and paper keeps me focused. It also removes that awkward sense of separation that can happen when you’re sitting behind a laptop screen.

Why I Prefer Handwritten Notes

There are a few reasons this matters.

When someone sees you on a computer during a conversation, they have no way of knowing what you’re actually doing. Are you taking notes? Checking your email? Glancing at the score of the game? Even if you’re fully dialed in, it doesn’t always feel that way to the other person. And let’s be honest, the pull to multitask is always there. I'm hard pressed to think of a meeting that I was fully present and didn't engage in something else on my computer or iPad if it is out.

That kind of drift is especially costly in small group settings or one-on-one conversations. Here you're building trust, reading subtle cues, and trying to be fully present. So I made the switch to handwriting my notes.

But there was always a downside. I’d fill up notebooks and never look at them again. I had no consistent way to reference what I’d written. Occasionally I’d try to retype the important stuff later, but that rarely happened. Eventually, the convenience of digital notes pulled me back in.

Like many of us, when the iPad and Apple Pencil came out, I was excited by the prospect to use digital handwriting for notes. The Apple Pencil was surprisingly good though it didn't have the same tactile feel as a fountain pen and paper. There were some wins such as keeping the screen flat on the table, and it felt a little more personal than typing. But it still wasn’t the same. I missed the feel of writing with a good pen on paper. And since it was still a screen, the distractions were always nearby.

This fell by the wayside as well.

Using ChatGPT

Lately though, I’ve returned to my fountain pens and fancy paper. What’s different this time is that I’ve found a workflow that actually works. I take a photo of the page and tell ChatGPT, “Transcribe and organize my notes.” That’s it.

Even with my messy cursive and scattered shorthand, ChatGPT does a surprisingly good job. It pulls out what matters, formats the notes clearly, and fills in the gaps.

I’ve even trained it a bit. I’ve told it how I like my notes structured: date, title, key points, action items, questions that came up, and reminders for later. Now I can just say, “Use my meetings format,” and it follows the pattern automatically.

Sometimes while reviewing the transcription, I’ll remember something important I forgot to write down. I’ll voice-dictate that into ChatGPT, and it will add it in like it was always there. The result is a clean, structured set of notes that’s more useful than anything I would’ve typed out in real time.

If you’ve never tried using ChatGPT to transcribe your handwritten notes, I think it’s worth experimenting with. There’s a little learning curve, and you might need to make a few corrections at first, but it improves quickly. If it struggles to read a section, I’ll just reply with something like, “Try again,” or “You’ve done this before,” and it usually figures it out.

For me, this simple habit has made handwritten notes not just practical again, but actually better than digital. If you’ve abandoned paper in the past because it was too hard to keep up with, this might be the thing that brings you back.