Zen mode in Google docs

Most of the time that I write, I like to use Google Docs. This is for a number of reasons, namely:

• I move between multiple devices, and having everything easily synchronised to my cloud account makes this simple
• I often collaborate on documents, and I find the commenting and suggesting features available the simplest and easiest to use
• It is free

However, I have often thought it has is one major drawback compared to some other word processors. This is the lack of what might typically be called a “zen mode” - namely, a mode in which other distractions are removed from the screen in order to allow me to concentrate on writing.

Thankfully, some recent features have made this much more achievable.

My setup

I use the following setup to achieve a zenlike state of being when writing in Google docs:

• I use Google Chrome on my MacBook Pro, with the app maximised so as to hide window borders, the taskbar etc, and hit Cmd+Shift+F to fullscreen the tab.
• I open a new document, choose a nice serif font (such as Garamond) and click Update normal text to match so that it will be used for all headers as well.
• In Page setup, I select Pageless mode to hide the page-like layout and extend the white background to the edge of the scene.
• I set the zoom to 125%, select View then Full screen, and I minimise the document outline on the left side of the screen
• Finally, I know what keyboard shortcuts to use to do enough basic formatting to keep me going. The basic ones I use are:
  • Cmd+Option+1 for Heading 1
  • Cmd+Option+2 for Heading 2
  • Cmd+Option+0 for Normal text
  • Cmd+Shift+8 for Bullet points
  • Tab and Shift+Tab to indent Bullet points in/out respectively

As an added bonus, once I’m finished, I use Docs to Markdown to render the output as Markdown text that I can copy and paste straight into my website codebase, ready to be published.