Twos is not part of my productivity system. This is deliberate and intentional and this is what makes Twos – the free app that is exactly what I need.
What is Twos?
Honestly….I do not know the answer to this question. But, not in the same way as Notion. Notion is ‘nothing’ but it can be everything. Like Lego.
Twos is not like that. Twos has some very distinct built in structure. The basic premise is that is everybody needs to write ‘things’ down. A thing is exactly that – a thing. You write it down and then decide what it is later and you can change the ‘thing’ type.
By default, everything you write down goes into your list for today’s date. But you can create other lists, and sub lists and move things around. You can add reminder dates to ‘things’ which mean they will show up both on whatever list you put them in AND on the date the reminder is set for. You can add checkboxes, notes, bullets and more.
Two’s has a lot of flexibility. The way it is structured mean you can use it for notes, or you can use it for tasks and projects (if your needs are basic). The point the developers are trying to make is that it isn’t a notes app or a task manager or a calendar. It is just a place to write things down. The things might be notes, or tasks, or events or reminders, or whatever. Once written down, your can structure it how suits you best.
There are a lot of options for what you can do.
How am I using Twos?
I say again, this app is not part of my productivity system. For me this is perfect. For me therefore, Twos is the app that is exactly what I need it to be. And what I need is for it to be outside my system.
For a long time, about nearly twos years in fact, I have been doing a bit of digital journalling. I’ll write about this soon. I’ve used an app called Diarum for this. I am now using Twos. Full disclosure, I started using Twos in June and used it June-August. Then I went back to Diarum for a bit, but I have now settled on Twos. I will explain the logic of that in a different place.
A Digital Bullet Journal….and more
For me, Twos feels like a digital bullet journal. But, I also use it for more traditional written journalling. It does both. This really suits my needs better than Diarum.
But what I love most is the fact that when the going gets really tough and things are beginning to feel overwhelming, I can open up a blank list in Twos. I can write down all the things on my mind, whatever they are. Sometimes, this will look like a more traditional ‘mindsweep’. Other times, my plan for the day needs to be abandoned and I will resort to making a new list in Twos and running with that.
This needs to be done outside of my system. When it gets to that point I need a place to work from that isn’t cluttered by all the things I am now deciding not to do. It saves me the time and mental energy of deciding what to do about the things I am not doing. Obviously, I am only deferring that decision, but having a place outside of my system to do this makes it possible for me actually reset and refocus and get some things done.
Twos can be this place. Diarum can not. Though sometimes I will just use a notebook and pen.
Daily Journalling in Twos
I will say more about this in a future post. All I will say here is that I find the experience of writing in Twos really positive. I can write more long form stuff, I can write bullets and lists. Using the checkboxes is an easy way to record my objectives. The built in ‘toggle list’ for indented list items is a handy feature to keep everything uncluttered and neat. It’s on all my devices so I can write on the bus on my phone, in a cafe on my tablet and on a computer.
In short, this is an app I would recommend you take a look at. I do not think it will be to everyone’s liking. I’m not sure it could fully replace a task manager or a notes app, but then it isn’t claiming to be any of those things. It’s just a place to write things down and then organise them. It does it very well.
So consider the app, use my referral code. I’ll get coins to spend on feature upgrades. (FYI, Twos is currently free but you earn in-app coins for completing various tasks, including inviting others to try it and those coins can be spent on feature upgrades.) Try out Twos and take it for a spin. It may not fit neatly into your system, but it might add value to your life. For me, I love Twos – The free app that is exactly what I need.
