Sometimes we focus on mastering one tool for every case, when we’d be better served by using two tools with different strengths.
I use two applications for when I want to write words down. Google Docs and Adobe InDesign. How do I choose?
Easy: if I care how it will look when it prints (i.e., if I will print it), I choose InDesign. If I care only about getting it typed quickly, I choose Google Docs.
InDesign is beautiful but takes work to get the text inputted well. Google Docs is simple to input but almost impossible to control the final look of with precision.
I like having these two options available to me – not just for text input, but for anything I’m doing. If I’m playing games with my son, we choose between Yahtzee and chess. If I’m doing video editing, it’s between Final Cut Pro and the native photos app on my phone. If I’m recording myself singing, it’s either the phone Voice Memo app or a condenser mic and Pro Tools. When I’m reading, I often have both an engaging novel and a non-fiction full of inspiring but challenging ideas.