What Is Craft?

Craft is a relatively new player in the note-taking arena, competing with apps like Notion and Coda. I plan to provide a more detailed comparison of these apps in the future, so consider subscribing to my email list for updates.

At its heart, Craft distinguishes itself primarily through its design. While this might appear insignificant, it greatly enhances your user experience, especially when utilizing the app for various tasks. A glance at their homepage reveals the meticulous attention they pay to detail, emphasizing how straightforward it is to create visually appealing documents.

The core functionality of Craft allows users to structure their notes, writings, and thoughts into documents and folders. You can create sub-documents to whatever depth you need, and the app supports tables, images, dates, links, and code. While these features may seem standard in 2022, the app's design and attention to detail truly enhance the experience.

Currently, Craft offers applications exclusively for iOS and macOS. These native apps are beautifully designed, ensuring smooth operation and a familiar feel akin to standard Apple applications, albeit with additional features. A web version is also available, although I haven't explored that extensively.

How I Utilize Craft

So, how do I incorporate Craft into my daily routine? My professional projects generally fall into three categories: programming, writing, and teaching. Within these areas, I gather numerous notes for clients, students, lessons, and articles.

Recently, I've started using training materials from Tiago Forte, and I highly recommend checking out his content. He introduces an organizational framework known as PARA—projects, areas, research, and archive. I categorize all my sub-folders in Craft under these four headings, allowing me to maintain a clear overview of my current tasks and easily locate notes when needed.

Outside of work, I also use Craft extensively. I apply the same PARA method but maintain an additional “Space” (as Craft refers to it) shared with my wife. This space helps us gather notes regarding kitchen items, clothing, upcoming trips, and other shared interests, making it a valuable collaborative tool.

Craft simplifies the process of creating comprehensive notes through its template feature. I appreciate how easily I can access existing templates and design my own. Templates function as reusable documents that can be saved and utilized across various projects.

For instance, I recently developed a template for exploring potential travel destinations. While I would welcome more customization options—such as pre-filled fields when creating a new template—it's still highly effective, with countless applications.

Another way I leverage Craft is for journaling. The app features a quick note function that is accessible from any section. Each note is linked to the current date and can be viewed in a straightforward calendar format. Moreover, you can assign dates to any page, allowing for seamless navigation back to specific notes.

Craft has also begun rolling out integrations with other applications. It automatically checks for compatible apps on your device, which then appear in the share sheet, enabling quick transfers of documents into other platforms. Examples include Day One, Ulysses, Bear, OmniFocus, and Things.

This capability positions Craft as a central hub for your information and thoughts, which can be exported easily if that suits your preferred workflow. This feature is powerful and is likely to expand as developers create more integrations.

Previously, I used Apple Notes for quickly jotting down thoughts, but I've shifted that task to Craft due to its speed and the quick note functionality. This allows me to capture spontaneous ideas in one cohesive platform. The app also includes browser extensions and iOS sharing capabilities, which I frequently use to save links and images for later organization through the PARA method.

Lastly, I use Craft for writing, including drafting this article. It serves as an excellent tool for capturing quick thoughts, which I can then expand upon, adding resources and points before finalizing my draft. Once completed, I export the article to Ulysses, which I find to be an exceptional proofreading and publishing tool. If you're curious about Ulysses, check out my article detailing its many advantages:

Conclusion and Considerations

While I've highlighted Craft's strengths, it's essential to acknowledge a few limitations. One drawback is the current lack of integrations compared to apps like Notion or Coda. Although Craft has a developer site, it doesn't yet match the robustness of those platforms. However, this has not been a significant issue for me thus far.

Another limitation is the absence of database features. Alternatives offer advanced database functionalities, including multiple views and intricate relationships. While I miss these capabilities, I've come to accept Craft as a specialized note-taking app rather than an all-in-one solution.

While it may seem unconventional to rely on two different apps for different purposes, I believe that when an app excels at a specific task, it often performs better than one attempting to cover all bases. Notion, for instance, has become increasingly complex for me, while Craft serves as an excellent dedicated note-taking tool.

In summary, Craft is a remarkable note-taking application with an engaging design that captivates users. Whether you're seeking a method to take lecture notes, organize your thoughts, collaborate on projects, or compose the next big article, I highly encourage you to explore Craft's capabilities.

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