Pen and paper, that is all that we needed years ago to start send messages or information from one person to another. This way of communication is still available, as it is effective. People like to go to their mailbox to see if some envelopes are waiting to be opened. At least, that is when we are not expecting bills.
When we talk about our virtual mailbox, most of us are afraid of showing or opening it. There are just too many emails waiting and requiring you to follow up on them.
Since Covid hit us all, we started to rely on asynchronous communication more than ever. That gives us an extra channel for generating an information overload.
For a long time, I thought I was the only person experiencing this overwhelming feeling of continuously losing focus with these asynchronous communication platforms.
In most cases, when I encounter such an issue, I try to find a way to solve it. Beginning of 2020, I started to use Microsoft ToDo, to keep my notes virtually. In the beginning, it worked pretty well, but by the end of 2020, I went back to old habits: pen and paper. Pen and paper give me a peaceful mind. The reason is that I am in total control and do not get distracted or lose my focus. Losing focus is what happens a lot when switching from application to application.
Although pen and paper give me control, I also lose control of it. I cannot simply link to conversations or documents. That is why I began to think about what would work better for me. An application that can give me structure and allows me to store what matters most to me. If I can also share it with my team, that would be a bonus.
This idea drove me to create the initial version of Squarl. When I showed the first proof of concept to a couple of friends, I was amazed and happy about their reactions. It made me realize I was not solving only my problem, but an issue a lot of people experience today. The initial feedback motivated me to work late nights and weekends to get something ready to show to a broader audience.
In April, I was able to show a second version of the POC to 45 people and had various follow-up meetings with a couple of them. Many of them provided great feedback, but more importantly, they saw themself using Squarl and told what could take it to the next level.
A month later, Squarl launched its first beta. Initially, I planned to start with 50 people testing out the product, but Squarl gained more interest than I anticipated. Day by day, we let more people in to test the beta.
I am very excited about the evolution of Squarl and I am eager to find out where this road will lead to.
Squarl is a product that will allow you to regain control of the information overload you might experience in Microsoft Teams. It provides you the context you need to find your information quickly. What makes Squarl so powerful is that you will be able to use it anywhere you go. Squarl tries to be as close as possible to or in the application you are using, which allows you to keep your focus and be more productive.
Do you want to know more about Squarl? Get in touch with me [email protected] or read more on squarl.com.
I hope you will like Squarl, and it helps you to regain control.