I Tried “Twos” for a Week!
What was your biggest “TWOs” moment?
For some, it was their graduation day...
For others, it was their wedding day….
And for all of us, it is the ultimate birthday day!
Hello, everyone!
By now, you know me as the writer who’s all about high energy when facing challenges that come up in our pathway to achieving our goals, and an important part of the journey is to celebrate it.
For me, celebrating it meant freestyle dancing to this 2 minutes uplifting song that I found on youtube* (and bookmarked!) when I passed an interview that I have been most looking forwards to a month ago, but for the person who has inspired this article, it meant shouting “TWOs” whenever there was something to celebrate.
And I’m all about that.
And guess what…
Your Twos moment doesn’t have to wait until you ‘tie the knot’.
Why not think of it this way: What if you took it literally; what if ‘tying the knot’ for you right now meant something as accessible and gratifying as remembering things?
And what if remembering what you need to do most right now was all that you’ve always really needed to be one step closer to getting what you want?
But wait, isn’t it more ‘fun’ to forget things sometimes?
Yes.
Forgetting things makes great surprises. Forgot you were getting your grades today? Amazing, you’ve been enjoying the moment. Forgot to do your homework and somehow the teacher didn’t make it to class today? Lucky you. Forgot to buy your groceries?
“Great”. Now you’re having toast for dinner.
The last time I forgot to do something, I had the dormitory staff knock at my door late in the evening to tell me to call back my parents who’d been -restlessly- trying to reach me without a response; I got so caught up in my classes that day that I missed to call them earlier and notify them of my peculiarly hectic schedule. (and yes, I did get into a bit of trouble there)
This time, forgetting things did “stink”…
My “Twos” Moment:
Fortunately, there was an app supporting me this week so I didn’t end up forgetting any more valuable things that made all the difference in my life (and getting into less trouble, but I almost got into (another) one this week).
Without further due, here is why I’ve LOVED using Twos this week...
And I have one word for that: The system. Shocker right? But in Twos, I’ve found such ‘things’ as a ‘good’ system for change:
The Coins system:
- What is more gratifying than getting rewards for ‘touching’ stuff?
- The first time I got this message on Twos, I was so surprised yet impressed by the idea; getting rewards for simply navigating the app felt as satisfying as a pat on my shoulder for exploring a new area on my own.
- What if this translated into real life? I thought, what if there was someone who clapped for us every time we entered a new zone/stage in our journey?
- What if that someone is us?
- Well, if Twos claps for us when we take the initiative to explore the app, as achievers, maybe we should take the initiative to clap for ourselves every time we cross something off that to-do list; every item we check off is a stair we climb towards where we want and aspire to be.
The Bookmarks system:
- I liked what Parker had to say about how the app helped him in documenting his notes, and in Twos, that can be done through bookmarks!
- I found the possibility to ‘bookmark’ a day a very thoughtful feature to add to an app that functions as a reminder but seeks to be much more than that.
- As my previous review reports, I found a few issues with the multiple apps that I have used to maximize my productivity during the day, and Twos was a forward attempt into tackling those issues that I’ve faced and wanted a solution for: eg. Writing texts (making lists), reminders, tasks…
- In this context, I thought that the closest app to Twos was TickTick, but it didn’t seem quite right either since Twos aspires to be more and is built on a peculiar philosophy; See how Parker interprets why many of us still forget to get things done even though we have productivity apps and reminders.
Turns out, A ‘Thing’ means everything for Twos…
Another moment of truth.
At first, I was really confused about what ‘thing’ means for Twos. Maybe it is because I already tend to read into words, or it was my background in linguistics, but I couldn’t get what a ‘thing’ meant for “Twos” in the early days.
I’ve watched a few videos too on the app’s youtube channel (which by the way has all the tutorials for using the app) YET, what a ‘thing’ means for Twos was to be demystified.
But now that you were lucky to find this review before deciding to check out the app, I’ll save you the trouble and I’ll share my findings; First, here is what a ‘Thing’ means for Twos from a 1st hand credible source: Parker Klein, the app developer himself:
Second, here is what I thought ‘Thing’ means for Twos:
Your “Thing”: I’ve been loving “my thing” lately; running this blog.
Any “Thing” that you care about: This was the closest to what a “thing” means for Twos; why would anyone want to remember something they do not care about?
Your “Things” (Literally): As in ‘items’ basically, which kind of didn’t make sense…
Still not clear? Here is the story behind ‘things’ because I was intrigued:
“[…] I couldn’t easily share things I would write in my notes apps, and the things I wrote on social apps were only public. That spawned the idea for ‘things’. Being able to write down random things privately, but then being able to choose which things I wanted to share with friends and family to stay connected […]”
-Parker Klein
I thought that was pretty cool.
Next: How I think Twos can Improve…
It wouldn’t be real without addressing the points for improvements.
The app is currently still on ‘early access’ and that says something on the stage of its development.
Personally, Twos has a lot of potential as a productivity app. First, it is built on the idea of simplicity and practicality at times of need. Second, even if was until the last 3 days, I’ve built a stronger meaning for it thanks to the story behind it; See Parker’s answer to my question of the story behind Twos.
From his answers, I felt like Twos could not only become home for what we care for most but also a tool that we use to develop an attitude that makes remembering things easier and takes away that stress of feeling like “forgetting something”.
Even though, as a former linguistics student, Twos is challenged by the ‘tip of the tongue’ phenomenon. But that is not the point, because…
Finally, today’s ‘Twos’ was fun, tomorrow’s ‘Twos’ will be Revolutionary…
I want to believe in Twos and the bigger sense of mission behind it. That is why I would like to suggest my top 5 points for Twos to improve on and reach its fullest potential as a productivity app at the peak time of digitalization:
The app is yet to have its glow-up:
Fortunately, there is dark/light theme in Twos. Yet, for an app that aspires to become so much in serving others with their productivity levels, I find that aesthetics matter as much as a productivity app with multiple features.
There is no denying that the app appears to do its best to live up to its promise for ‘practicality’; however, if there is a possibility to experiment with vibrant designs and add more colors to the app, I think that would truly be something that would make it stand out.
The app is practical, but I need some space…
I don’t think I’m the only one who feels the need for space even on the phone; the tool we use most at this time and age:
If I’m going to use an app so often, such as to organize my tasks, store my favorite lists, and come back to it for reference of my milestones, I would like it to be spacious (ie: isn’t too condensed with content) as much as functional.
How that can be achieved exactly on Twos' platform is completely up to the app developer’s insight and creativity.
Why only target the English-speaking community?
Translation. This is something that I can say for other productivity applications. At this time of constant technological and digital innovation, all of us are equally responsible to add value to the world we live in as we feel the same burden of ‘standing out’.
In this context, it has become really hard to imagine a productivity app that is trying to stand out by only providing its services in one language, and Twos could make a difference in this area.
A Twos widget…
Why not have a widget option? In addition to Twos computer version, I think that having a widget for Twos would really add to its practicality and eventually, enhance its capacity to enable its users to write down, hence remember, what they want to more quickly.
How? Do you also think that people forget things because they do not write them down? If yes, please refer to my interview with Parker on Twos for more details.
Journaling and Tips for Productivity:
Personally, my 2nd favorite suggestion is to improve the Twos app!
If we put productivity, on one hand, positivity on the other, and merge between both in one place; we will get an app that is all about “positive productivity” and that does sound refreshing.
As a high achiever, aside from all the productivity tips and despite having all the apps for it, nothing is more valuable to me than taking care of my state and optimizing how I feel to best show up for my tasks.
It is like what Tony Robbins says:
“Your state, your story, (then) your strategy.” -TR
For me, having an app that notifies me to be positive in my productive times is as important as one that helps me with planning them and writing down my things.
If Twos can take an initiative into building a safe and positive space for its users while planning and jotting down ideas, I think that will be the real game-changer as far as productivity is concerned.
Bonus: Should Productivity Apps be Interactive?
Hard to say…
We’ve all heard of an accountability buddy, and I think there is no better (and more human) way of measuring our achievements by learning from others and trusting them to help us improve each other’s productivity level.
Yet, I feel that productivity apps should never become so interactive that they mimic social media. In other words, the only feature I would personally vote for in a productivity app from social media is stories; not to compare but to feel connected through the use of the app vis à vis being productive.
Also, another suggestion for users engagement that would be most constructive for us as achievers and high achievers would be the development of challenges and sending congratulatory messages to one another upon their completion.
Simple, forward, and time-bound challenges that sober up our competitive spirit in times of need: Our productive times.
Now, wouldn’t that be quite “funutionary”?
*
Thank you for reading my second attempt and my first this year to write an app review and a special thanks to Parker Klein for collaborating with me and trusting me with this review :)
Author’s note: The answers to my questions that Parker has kindly agreed to provide contain so much more information on Twos, what it is, its values, where it is going, his thoughts on productivity, and whether or not a productivity app should be interactive. Please Feel free to check them out here.
I wish you a positively productive week!
-Imane Ben
__________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer: This review only reflects on my personal experience and thoughts on Twos as a user. It is not intended to be a reference. Like me, the decision to try this app is 100% yours and if you’d like to inquire more about it, please visit the app developer’s page here.
*: The Link to my celebratory son g— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWLIgjB9gGw
