As you might or might not be aware, Google has a suite of office software called Google Docs. You can use it from almost any web browser; your documents are saved on Google’s cloud (you can also save them locally).

I’ve been rather skeptical of the whole Google Docs thing; on the whole, I like to have my files under my control. Yesterday, though, I was beginning to look for some help in keeping records for the Pomodoro time management system. By default, all you need is a pencil and three sheets of paper; but the fact is, I don’t want to carry the three sheets of paper around with me. Virtually all of the activities I do at work involve a computer (I write software; what would you expect?); and I do my work in a variety of places. I’ll always have a computer with me, but I might not have those pesky sheets of paper.

There are a number of Pomodoro software packages available; but a big part of the technique is letting your own needs and experiences drive the record keeping you do, which in turn lets you adopt the process to your own needs. The packages I’ve looked at (the ones that go beyond being a simple timer) are simply too inflexible.

I decided to try using an Excel spreadsheet. Much of the data the technique uses takes the form of lists; and since I can put anything I want in any cell, I can use any notation I like. It’s completely flexible, plus it computes statistics. Very nice. But, I work on different computers in different places. I don’t want to have to copy an Excel file from machine to machine. I thought about using a spreadsheet on my iPad, since I carry that pretty much everywhere I might be working, but spreadsheet usability is low on the iPad; even Apple’s own Numbers app takes a lot of heat.)

Then I remembered hearing that Google Docs is now usable on the iPad. And it is, sort of; you can enter data, but formatting and setting up the spreadsheet structure is a nuisance. But, I reflected, it’s available everywhere, right? So I tried it on my laptop—and wow. It’s not as powerful as Excel, certainly, but it’s plenty powerful enough for my needs. I quickly set up a spreadsheet with three work sheets, typed in my current list of activities, and I was off. It was readily available throughout the day; and it was a pleasure to use.

So call me a Google Docs user. The only time I foresee any problem saving Pomodoro data on Google Docs is if I’m going somewhere without web access; and in that case I can save the spreadsheet to my laptop as an Excel file, or use my iPad. If worst comes to worst, I can revert to paper for the duration, and enter my history into the spreadsheet when I get back.

Take a look, if you haven’t.