Twos: A Tool for Everyone
Over the past year, I have been using a remarkable Tool for Thought called Twos, that has been consistently gaining traction and users, while at the same time being overlooked by many users of Tools for Thought.
For me, the issues have been mobility and ease of use. While there are many powerful Tools for Thought that work well on the laptop or the desktop, some that I use regularly, and others that I am familiarizing myself with, there are few that work well across platforms, while also working well on mobile devices or when offline.
I take down thoughts a lot with my phone, and Twos (TwosApp) allows me to enter those things on my iPhone, edit them later on my Macbook or my Samsung laptop, access them via the web on another computer if needed, and share whatever I want to share with someone, whether they are using Twos or not.
Twos is such a powerful tool, that I have dubbed myself an “Official Twosvangelist,” and many other Twos users have followed suit as awareness of the app has grown. For those that know me in the Tools for Thought space, Twos is one of only two tools that I have promoted consistently, even while I continue to use, experiment with, test, and evaluate other Tools for Thought, Productivity and Note-taking apps. I’m not criticizing the majority of the other tools being used, I believe healthy competition is essential for continued development in this field, and a healthy digital “toolbox” can make use of more than one tool.
However, Twos has hit the “sweet spot” for me where it is easy enough to use, powerful enough to store many of the most important things that drive my days, months and years, and good enough to meet my needs, while at the same time continously improving, because the application has not reached perfection (though it clearly continues on that path).
So, what do I like most about Twos?
Twos is Simple and Adaptable
Twos is simple enough that anyone can start by simply adding things to their day, and build more complexity as needed. On one page, you can add thoughts, tasks, key information, ideas, personal notes, dated entries, pictures, and almost any other thing that may be important enough to keep track of throughout your day. Here is how Twos looked for me on day 1:
You can move your things to lists as needed, edit later, strike out what you no longer need, yet maintain a record so that your things are easily retrievable by Twos powerful search.
As of today, April 22, 2023, I currently have been using Twos for 378 days, I have 15,352 things located in Twos, I have 2,838 lists, and 526 bookmarks. And I can always retrieven any piece of information at a moments notice. Twos search has never failed me. The simplicity of Twos masks the power that lies hidden beneath the surface. Here’s an example of how my Daily Page looks in Twos today:
Twos is adaptable as well. It is made with the end-user in mind. In Twos, you can structure your menu items in the way that works best for you. You can add highlights, you can set a default thing type, yet easily change it via shortcuts or the menu as needed. Plus, you can add new features to the default app that will improve your experience, while ignoring features that you don’t really need or want.
Twos is Responsive
As I mentioned earlier, Twos works cross-platform, serving your needs wherever you find yourself taking digital notes (you can even snap a picture of your written notes right into Twos). Twos is easily accessible from phone to desktop to web.
Response is built into the fabric of Twos. From within the app, you can click into the Help center, and find a variety of ways to engage with the Twos team and the Twos community. The day after I opened my Twos account, I received and email from Co-Founder Joe Steilberg (TwosJoe). I responded the next day with some questions regarding Twos, and received a response from Joe that same day!
But alas, even with that wonderful response from Joe, Twos didn’t immediately click for me. It sat empty for many days. Eventually, I posted some more questions on Twitter, one important one for me being:
“The app is free, which really surprised me, and between coins and the $2.00 price tag for features, it is very inexpensive to upgrade.
How are you able to sustain Twos as well as maintain some profitability for the value of your time and work? I really appreciate that cost is not a barrier to accessibility, but at the same time I’d like to see the app stick around for a long time. Which means that you guys also need to be fairly compensated.”
This is a valid concern, and one that many other Twos users quickly responded to, as well as Chief Developer and Co-Founder Parker Klein (TwosBaller), who reached out to me and scheduled a phone call on June 16, 2022 (I know this, because during the phone call, I put notes from our conversation within Twos).
After my conversation with Parker, all of my major questions were answered, and I committed to using Twos everyday for at least 30 days. I have never stopped using Twos, never missed a day since, and today Twos is not only my daily driver — it is my “Digital Brain”. Everything that I need immediate access to, plus more, is stored in Twos.
It is easy to connect with Parker and Joe across multiple spaces. Especailly via email. Twitter, Discord, or by scheduling a call.
Twos is Community Focused
Finally, one of the things I appreciate most is Twos focus on community. Community engagement is a major part of its continous improvement place. TwosWorld provides social connections and list-sharing for Twos users (Twosers), and the Twos Shop supports Alzheimer’s research (100% of profits go to support this cause).
In additon, Twos commitment to community is one of the reasons that Joe and Parker continue to keep Twos free (though I will gladly pay if they every move to a subsription Pro model). They want to ensure that their product is accessible to everyone who can benefit from it. These are two individuals who really love people, love the work they are doing, love and faithfully use their own product, and love one another. They are committed to helping indviduals do what they love through conversations, understanding, example, and of course, through their Twos app.
Love for community and individuals is built into everything they are doing.
That’s My Reasoning
So, here it is. My thoughts are written down so that I might entice you to either give it a try, or recommend it to someone who is struggling with their use of Tools for Thought. Twos may provide the entry point they need to start digitally collecting their important things in the way that works best for them, without being overwhelmed by overly complicated products not made for the average user. As I end, I’ll share one more view with you. This is my writing process within Twos. I keep a tab in my browser open with my outline, so I have a rough structure to follow as I’m writing my piece. Then everything is easily imported into Medium, so I can share these thoughts with the world. Happy Twosday, everyone! ✌️
