Three Tech Habits That Will Transform How Leaders Work

Lee Domaszowec
Sep 2
2 min read

Most leadership content you see online is about theory. It might sound interesting, yet it rarely helps you work differently.

The truth is that small habits, when used consistently, can free up hours of time every week. Add that up. If you save 5 hours a week by using our time management strategies, you will gain as many as 4 entire weeks of your working life back every single year!

At PhoenixFire, we teach practical strategies to leaders of nonprofits and small businesses because we use them ourselves. These three habits have been proven in the field and they will change the way you work.

Small business professionals strategizing over visual materials, demonstrating collaborative planning and design for mission-driven growth.

1. Save Time With Voice-to-Text

Your downtime is not really downtime. When you are driving, walking the dog, or waiting in line, you can still capture ideas. You talk faster than you type. That means you can record thoughts, outlines, and even draft content more quickly by using your phone’s built-in voice-to-text. Leaders we work with have used this method to dictate grant proposal outlines and draft board updates while on the go.

Community volunteers engaging with local families during an outdoor outreach event, highlighting grassroots nonprofit work and relationship-based impact.

2. Use AI to Turn Drafts Into Polished Content

Voice-to-text does not have to be perfect. Just talk and let AI do the cleanup. A rough recording can be quickly shaped into a usable draft of a donor letter, a social media post, or an internal report. This is one of the easiest ways to overcome writer’s block. One of our nonprofit clients cut their weekly grant-writing preparation time in half after we helped them adopt this system.

Youth volunteers working together in a recycling or environmental program, representing sustainability initiatives and hands-on nonprofit engagement.

3. Make Technology Part of Your Leadership Toolkit

Many leaders say “I am not a tech person.” That mindset limits their impact. Instead, think of learning these tools as an investment. If you spend thirty minutes learning how to use voice-to-text and AI well, you can save thirty minutes every week. Over a year, that is more than twenty-five hours of time you could redirect to fundraising, staff support, or board engagement.

Animal conservation volunteer caring for panda cubs, illustrating global nonprofit efforts in environmental protection and wildlife rehabilitation.

Why It Matters

Efficiency is not about cutting corners. It is about creating more space for the work that matters most. When you learn to combine voice-to-text and AI, you increase your productivity and reduce friction. You get more done in less time, and you have more freedom to focus on your mission.

A Practical Bonus

Many people use AI in the wrong way. They let it write in a generic style that does not sound like them. The solution is to train AI tools to reflect your unique voice, vocabulary, and tone. When you do this, AI becomes a powerful extension of your leadership style instead of a replacement for it.

Volunteer team packing food donations for community distribution, showcasing nonprofit logistics, teamwork, and hunger relief efforts.

The Bottom Line

There is nothing magical about these habits. They are simple methods that allow leaders to work more efficiently. The result is more time for strategy, fundraising, community engagement, and family.

At PhoenixFire, we use these tools every day, and we help organizations apply them in ways that save time, improve communication, and strengthen outcomes. If you are ready to reclaim hours each week and redirect them to what matters most, let’s talk.

Explore more time-saving strategies on our PhoenixFire blog or contact us to learn how we can help your organization change the world, faster.