Anything goes. Any items you don't leave your house without? Apps or "methods" you use to make tasks easier? If you have a Therapeutic Companion or any other type of person to care for you, all advice you have.

I get migraines something fierce these days and I hate having to be reduced to using speech to text on my phone to be able to type anything. For one, I prefer my desktop to my phone in every respect, and for two, I hate that the data is being sent to Google to be able to do it.

So I got the flatpak for SpeechNote, got hardware acceleration going with the AMD ROCm addon, and hooked it into ydotool so I can put whatever I say into my microphone pop up in whatever text input window my cursor is in. Finally, I set a simple key combination to start and stop recording. So now I can continue to talk to people and at least somewhat interact with my PC while having a migraine while also not sending any data to Google to do it.

SpeechNote:
Github: https://github.com/mkiol/dsnote/
Flatpak: https://flathub.org/en/apps/net.mkiol.SpeechNote

Hardware acceleration add-on flatpaks:
Nvidia CUDA: flatpak install net.mkiol.SpeechNote.Addon.nvidia
AMD ROCm: flatpak install net.mkiol.SpeechNote.Addon.amd

If either of the add-ons fails to install with an error (and you're not actually out of disk space or RAM) try this:
flatpak repair --user
flatpak install --user flathub net.mkiol.SpeechNote.Addon.amd
or
flatpak repair --user
flatpak install --user flathub net.mkiol.SpeechNote.Addon.nvidia

ydotool (usually has a release via your package manager):
https://github.com/ReimuNotMoe/ydotool

Nice solution!

Its mobile but I figured I'd mention futo has a voice input app for android in case that'd be helpful :)

I believe its source available, not Foss, but if I remember right its fully local. Frustratingly it adds punctuation automatically and won't let you verbally tell it where you want punctuation to be though

If there is a specific task that you are having trouble with, you could see if there is a tool intended for the elderly or people with arthritis. Chances are that you might find something, or get an idea for a design that you can build / print yourself.

Also, don't feel bad about getting something like that. It's no different than getting any other tool/gadget

• A small bottle of water.
• Some medications that could, well, save my life if my condition was to suddenly worsen. Plus a few other meds I need to take at lunch time, just in case I will eat outside.
• Three pair of glasses (bad eyesight) one for short distance, one for long, and a pair of sunglasses. And, nope, I don't want (nor like) progressive/adaptive glasses.
• A cap/hat of some sort to protect my big head (and the tiny few remaining neurons it contains) from the sun and from overheating too quickly.
• A book. Print, not ebook (I used to read those a lot), as print 100% respects my privacy and I fully own it.
• A Sony digital voice recorder from the 90s, to take quick audio notes. Why not my phone? Because igf I'm required to have a phone I still have the option to not be using it. Plus, with that old voice recorder gizmo there is no tracking going on, no AI, no ads, no updates, no subscription. It also uses standards batteries that will last for weeks, if not months. Plus, it's much simpler and faster to use than any app.
• A pocket electronic chessboard from the late 80s, for when I meet cool people to play with. No need for Internet access or subs, no need for an app and no screen required. I can even play alone against the weak (but still stronger than I) chess engine. No update, no account needed, and it uses standard AA batteries that will last for weeks if not months...
• Pen and paper. For writing and (poorly) sketching.
• When I'm in the mood: a small watercolors set (between 3 to 9 colors, to keep it real light), a paintbrush, some more water in a separate bottle, and a few sheets of post-card sized watercolor paper.
  Watercolor is a great excuse to stand still, or even to sit, absolutely anywhere one might be (and to get some rest), plus it helps cooling down (the body and the mind). It's also an amazing conversation starter with random people of any genre, age, social background.
• Depending the season, I may also carry a small pair of binoculars for bird watching. And for insects/plants drawing, as those binoculars can focus quite close, @ 50 cm, they're really great to see those little buggers when you're old and your eyesight is not what it used to be, or when you're getting that... damaged you can't get that easily close to the ground anymore, or not voluntarily :p

Oh, this is a good pack! May take some of these hints for myself :)