I ditched Google Docs for this app, and I do not remorse it

I feel I did it. I feel I lastly discovered a system that works for my mind. A system that brings my work and private lives collectively underneath one roof and permits me to remain organized throughout duties, paperwork, and initiatives — and it’s lastly out there on Android. That is, in spite of everything, the holy grail of productiveness apps, proper?

Productiveness apps are a dime a dozen nowadays, and I’ve tried approach too many looking for one thing that works for me. However after constantly utilizing it for some time now, I really feel assured saying that the app Craft is definitely making a distinction in my life.

I believed I had it found out

I really feel like I’ve tried every thing. Notion, Todoist, Trello, TickTick…. I might go on, however the entire article would include naming apps, each massive and small, that I’ve given an opportunity. Many excel in a selected space, however none caught for me.

My most up-to-date try at discovering a productiveness answer was switching every thing to Google’s suite of merchandise. Calendar, Docs, Duties, and Hold are all nice instruments, and I particularly admire Google’s efforts to interconnect them lately. Duties is sort of actually constructed into Calendar now, for instance. Hold reminders present up in Duties. It’s an ecosystem that’s beginning to really feel extra cohesive, however most of those merchandise had been initially constructed as standalone instruments, and it nonetheless feels that approach in too some ways.

One of many largest points I confronted when making an attempt to make use of Google’s suite is the shortage of clear group. Every little thing is in its personal place, with no solution to convey all of it into one succinct dwelling view. Which means, as a way to handle a challenge, you’re working throughout not less than Docs, Calendar, and Duties.

Docs was imagined to be my dwelling base. In my thoughts, this may give me the flexibleness of a doc with the group of a to-do checklist. I created a doc that was imagined to function the house throughout all my initiatives, after which I’d use duties to trace the trivia for every challenge.

Why can’t I create a process immediately in Google Docs that may then seem on my Duties checklist and in my Google Calendar? Positive, the Duties app is tacked on to the proper aspect of the display, but it surely doesn’t immediately work together with my doc as one may count on. To be clear, you truly can do what I’m describing right here with a piece or faculty account, however I’ve neither of these, and after seeing the implementation in motion, it’s a bit clunky for my tastes. This is only one of many such examples.

Craft, however, does have what I might take into account a house base. I work throughout a bunch of various paperwork, relying on which challenge I’m engaged on. To get a hen’s eye view of every thing, I solely want to change to the Duties view. Right here, all of your duties throughout all of your docs are introduced into one place, based mostly on due date and arranged by doc. This has actually helped me keep on prime of the numerous various things I must do in a day, and nonetheless seeing the duties organized by doc helps me prioritize what I must do subsequent.

Maybe extra importantly for me, Google Docs feels stale. The toolbar design has been barely up to date over time, however the doc itself simply doesn’t really feel trendy to make use of and take a look at. We’ll dive into some design and UX components I like in Craft, and the distinction may be very clear.

Craft is named Craft for a motive. This app is a murals in an in any other case boring world of productiveness. When lined up aspect by aspect subsequent to Google Docs, opening up Craft seems like a step into the long run, besides the long run is now and Google Docs is simply previous. Each pixel of Craft feels rigorously positioned, right down to the smallest of particulars. If Google Docs seems like a chore to make use of, Craft seems like dwelling.

Paperwork are on the core of Craft, and creating a ravishing doc is a central characteristic of the expertise. Like Google Docs, the same old black textual content on a white background is the default in Craft (though in some way even the usual doc appears to be like higher to my eyes than what you get in Google Docs), however with a couple of clicks, you’ll be able to convey your doc to life.

Each doc editors have the same old, baseline options — change the background coloration, the doc coloration, the textual content coloration, give the doc a header picture — however even with these fundamental options, Craft simply appears to be like higher to my eyes.

Let’s take it up a notch. In Craft, you’ll be able to insert all kinds of what Craft dubs wealthy blocks, together with a whiteboard, a spreadsheet-like assortment desk, a wise hyperlink with a wealthy preview, a file, or a card, which is basically a hyperlink to a associated doc inside your doc, however with distinctive designs that actually change the texture of the doc you’re working in. One other nice instance: as a substitute of utilizing a typical line separator, you’ll be able to select from totally different Washi Tape designs or create your personal. I by no means thought I’d be so excited a couple of doc; if solely I had had this after I was at school!

Sound design, in a doc app?

Consider it or not, considered one of my favourite particulars of Craft is its sound design. There are sound results tastefully sprinkled all through the app, and so they add an extremely nice contact to the expertise. Listed below are a couple of of my favorites.

A pencil on paper whenever you mark a process full:

The sound of paper ruffling whenever you create a brand new doc:

My private favourite is the sound that performs whenever you enter or exit focus mode, a characteristic I take advantage of fairly steadily when writing for this web site:

In my analysis for this text, I got here throughout a weblog submit from the Craft staff, which particulars the method of arising with the right sounds for what the staff envisioned. It’s price a learn.

A really energetic group

I actually admire an organization that clearly values its relationship with its clients. Craft has extraordinarily energetic communities on Reddit and Slack, stuffed with a few of its most devoted customers who’re always giving suggestions. The founders and staff members will be seen replying to a lot of the posts, too.

With that priceless suggestions, Craft iterates rapidly. I can’t consider too many firms that ship updates and substantial new options as rapidly and effectively as Craft does. Simply check out the launch log.

One of many causes I haven’t written about Craft till now’s as a result of, up till lately, it wasn’t out there on Android. Craft began out on this planet of Apple, however late final yr, it unleashed its app within the Google Play Retailer. Nevertheless, Craft for Android continues to be in beta, and I’m hopeful of some enhancements for future updates.

Whereas I’m grateful to lastly be capable of use Craft on my Pixel, the app is missing in some areas. For a primary launch, nonetheless, the extent of characteristic parity with its Apple counterpart is spectacular. That stated, in its present type, the Android app appears to be an adaptation of the cell net app Craft launched shortly earlier than the Play Retailer model. The online app is technically spectacular with how practical it feels, but it surely doesn’t characteristic the identical clean animations discovered within the iOS and Mac apps. I’d prefer to see enhancements on this entrance sooner or later.

Moreover, Craft as an entire doesn’t assist end-to-end encryption. Whereas your information is encrypted in transit and at relaxation, I want Craft would assist full encryption. Craft makes use of comparable safety practices you’d discover in lots of the instruments we use day-after-day, so this isn’t one thing that may cease me from utilizing it for work, however I might discover extra consolation in understanding that my information is totally encrypted. I might additionally think about using Craft for different areas of life, like a spot to retailer medical information or different private information that I in any other case wouldn’t retailer in an app with out end-to-end encryption.

Lastly, I’d prefer to see Craft add assist for Gemini. Because it stands proper now, you should use Craft Assistant with LLMs from Apple, OpenAI, or Meta. For now, I’ll seemingly stick to the native mannequin choices. Admittedly, I haven’t utilized Craft Assistant a lot but, so this hasn’t been an enormous subject for me.

I really feel like I’ve barely scratched the floor of what Craft has to supply. We haven’t even mentioned collaboration in Craft, publishing choices for sharing paperwork, or extra concerning the AI-powered Craft Assistant.

Totally different instruments work for various individuals. In Craft, I’ve discovered a software so malleable that it really works throughout a number of aspects of my life and so well-designed that I truly get pleasure from utilizing it. Whether or not I’m writing my subsequent article for Android Authority or planning a birthday journey with my brother, Craft is the place all of it occurs.