Did you know that there’s a secret Google Doc hack?
If you use Google Docs often, you may find yourself in the following scenario:
- You want to open up a new Google Doc.
- You type in “docs” directly into your browser.
- The browser autocompletes the rest of the URL with some previous Google Doc instead of just docs.google.com.
- You navigate to File > New > Doc.
- You wait for a new document to be created.
This whole process takes about 15 seconds, but there’s got to be a faster way!
The Google Doc Hack
Google has realized this process is inefficient and has created a Google Doc hack: a few short links which will allow you to quickly and easily access new sheets, docs, and slides.
Each of these will create a new document for you instantly.
Go ahead type it into your browser now and see for yourself: doc.new
This may only save you 15 seconds now, however, over time you’ll be faster and more efficient at creating docs, sheets, and slides.
Google has another secret.
Now try to access these in your browser. Notice you’ll be sent to goto.google.com and presented with a Google Employee Login.
What’s going on here?
If you are an employee of Google you can use mail.new and cal.new to create a new email template or a new calendar event. However, if you are not an Employee of Google you can’t access these internal resources.
Google has created its own redirect engine at the subdomain goto.google.com. This allows Google Employees to quickly access the resources they use every day with just a short keyword.
Wouldn’t you like your company to use the same technique that Google uses to allow employees to access internal company resources quickly and easily?
Currently, it would be nearly impossible to register a .new domain for every new application that you want to access, and you’d have to compete with everyone in the world to register those domains to the right URL. However, there is a way.
GoLinks: The Google Doc Hack Alternative
You can use GoLinks!
Get even more advanced by making go/doc point to
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/create?title={*}
Then you can create a New Google doc with a title automatically
With GoLinks you can create a memorable go link, also known as a “go/link” or “go-link”, for any URL that you want. You could create the links above and make them point to Google Docs or to Microsoft Word depending on the application that your company uses.
Create a new Gmail
go/email — https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox?compose=new
Create a new Medium Story
go/medium — https://medium.com/new-story
Create a new Github Issue
go/issue — https://github.com/facebook/react/issues/new
Maybe your company switches to Microsoft Office from Google Docs, you can easily change the underlying URL for that go link to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but keep the same go/doc, go/sheet, and go/slide.
With GoLinks, the possibilities are endless.
Get started using the go link productivity tool that almost every Silicon Valley company uses today, at https://www.golinks.io/
