Google Docs, Sheets & Drive

A free alternative to Microsoft which could save you A LOT of money!

Hi, I’m Sophie, an introverted coffee loving creative. Welcome to Finding Simple & Calm, a place where I share the harsh realities of motherhood and being neurodivergent in my pursuit of a simple life in an overwhelming world. I’m also passionate about creative businesses, and I love writing about, and teaching, methods on how to simplify and organise your business, reduce the overwhelm, and spend more time being creative.
I hope you can join me?

This post is part of my ‘Free Business Tips’ series, where I share a quick and simple business tip, tool, or piece of advice. I hope you find it useful, enjoy!

My son’s friend had a birthday party on Sunday. It involved roller skates and scooters, so I did the most sensible thing I could do for my anxiety and went to a local cafe for coffee. While I was there I was talking to some of the other mums, and we got chatting about one of their older children who’d just started high school.

The mum said that she’d bought her son a laptop to do his homework on, and she needed to buy a Microsoft package with Word & Excel. My mind was blown! I told her about Google Docs & Google Sheets, and it made me think that perhaps if she didn’t know, then other people may not know, too. So that’s what this weeks free business tip post is all about!

If you already know about Google Docs & Sheets, feel free to skip this post. If not, keep reading…

Basically, Sheets is Google’s version of Microsoft Excel, and Docs is Google’s version of Microsoft Word.

All you need is a personal Google account to access them, and they’re completely free.

Now, if you’ve never used Google Docs or Sheets, then they do take a minute to get used to. But I think it’s worth it to save money.

Your Docs and Sheets are saved in your online space called Google Drive. This means that you can access them from any computer, just by signing into your Google account.

I also have the Google Docs & Sheets apps on my phone. It’s a bit of a pain to use them on my phone, but sometimes I need quick access to something, and I can quickly get to it via the apps. There’s also an app for Google Drive, too.

The main reason why I love Google Drive/ Docs/ Sheets, is because I can’t lose it! I remember my final month of college in 2010, and I was ready to hand in all of my coursework. I used to store all of my work on a USB memory stick, and I lost it right at the end of my final year! I had to redo all of my work, and it caused so much stress.

Maybe it’s a neurodiverse thing, but I lose things All. The. Time! So having all of my work stored safely where I can’t lose it, is such a relief for me, and doesn’t cost me any precious head space.

Google Sheets & Docs can easily be shared with others who need access to what you’re working on. I do this all the time as a VA working with clients, and not just clients who live in the UK! I can share a Doc or Sheet with people around the world.

There’s also other apps like Google Forms, where you can create simple to use questionnaires or information gathering forms, and Slides, where you can create presentations just like you would in Microsoft Powerpoint.

If you’re not using Google for your business and you’d like to give it a go, I’m here if you have any questions!

Speak soon,

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