Workflowy Help by email

Workflowy is a one-list-to-rule-them-all organization tool that takes an unusual approach to providing User Assistance.

Like with many other Web applications, the site contains a “how-to” video and a list of keyboard shortcuts. However, it also sends users an email that’s essentially the information you’d expect to find in a user guide or online Help file:

Hi there, new WorkFlowy user!

Mike and Jesse, creators of WorkFlowy, here. WorkFlowy is a super-powerful tool that’s going to clear your mind, hone your focus, increase your productivity, and bring peace to the Middle East. (We’ll get back to you on the last one.)

What should you be using WorkFlowy for? WorkFlowy is a single sheet of paper to hold your whole brain. The idea: put EVERYTHING you want to keep track of into it. Notes about your trip to Tahiti, stuff you need to get done in the next week, a list of your favorite Transylvanian romance novels, your Ph.D. thesis outline – they’re all fair game.

If you haven’t already, might we suggest you get started? Do it right now, before you forget.

Here’s what you should do:

1. Go to workflowy.com.
2. Create top-level items called ‘Personal’ and ‘Work’.
3. Click the bullet point next to ‘Personal’ to zoom in.
   • Create a ‘Chores’ item. List under it everything you need to do in the next week.
   • Create a ‘Goals’ item. List under it everything you want to get done in the next month and year.
4. Zoom out and start on the ‘Work’ section.

This should be enough to get you started. WorkFlowy is free-form and you can use it however you like.

We’ll be getting back to you with more info on WorkFlowy’s features.

Does this approach work? It’s too early for us to tell. If you need to dip in and out of the Help, then you’ll need to store the emails somewhere and work out the best way to search the emails for the information you need. It depends really on the amount of Help that’s needed/provided for an application such as this.