Why it matters
If you're the only one who knows how to send an invoice, book a job or update the website, every one of those waits for you. Most owners never get around to writing the steps down. Talking through the task once while you record it is faster, and the AI turns the recording into the written version.
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Steps
- Pick one computer task that takes under 5 minutes, like creating an invoice, adding a new customer or scheduling a post. On the free Gemini plan, 5 minutes is the most video you can upload in one prompt.
- Clean up the screen. Close extra tabs, hide customer names if you can, and keep passwords off screen. Use a test customer if your software allows it.
- Record with sound. On a Mac, press Shift, Command and 5 together. Click Options and choose your microphone, then pick Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion and click Record. On Windows 11, press the Windows key, Shift and R to open Snipping Tool's recorder and select the area. Snipping Tool can record your microphone, so check that the mic is turned on before you click Start. You can make that the default in Snipping Tool's settings.
- Narrate while you click: "First I open QuickBooks, then I click New, then Invoice. I always check the job address here because..." The reasons you say out loud are what make the SOP useful.
- Go to gemini.google.com and sign in. Click Add files, then Upload files, and choose your recording.
- Paste the prompt below and send.
- Follow the SOP yourself, step by step, on a fresh task. Fix anything that's wrong or missing.
- Save it in a shared folder named "How we do things," then watch a new person follow it once.
Copy-paste prompt
Prompt
This video shows me doing a task in [SOFTWARE] for my business, with my narration. Write a standard operating procedure a new employee could follow without me. Format: - Title: "How to [TASK]" - When to do this: one sentence - What you need before starting: logins, info, files - Steps: numbered, one action per step, using the exact button and menu names shown on screen - Checks: what to double-check before finishing, based on what I said out loud - Common problems: anything I mentioned that can go wrong If you can't hear my narration in the video, tell me before you write anything. If a step is unclear in the video, write [UNCLEAR: describe what you saw] instead of guessing. Don't include any passwords, account numbers or customer details that appear on screen.
Common mistakes
- Recording a 20-minute task on the free plan. Split it into short parts, or upgrade to Google AI Pro or Ultra for up to an hour of video.
- Recording silently. Without narration, the AI can describe your clicks but can't know why you made them.
- Showing customer data or logins on screen. Everything in the video gets uploaded to Google.
- Skipping the test run. AI sometimes misreads small buttons and menus.
- Writing one giant SOP. One task per document is easier to find and update.
