Goals, streaks & your new project dashboard

New features and improvements in v1.0.78, plus a note on designing for neurodivergence.

App improvements (v 1.0.78)

Phew, it’s been a minute. We’ve been working so hard behind the scenes to bring you this latest update… Version 1.0.78 is about motivating consistent effort and helping you achieve your writing goals (plus a significant focus on stability of online/offline editing).

Goals, streaks & a dashboard revamp

• This update is all about motivation, more dopamine, and a cleaner design of the project dashboard.

• We also made substantial improvements to online/offline editing stability.

New features

• Daily word count tracker redesign: This has had a total revamp, complete with an animated celebration when you hit your goal, and the cutest little cheery flame to keep you motivated (I call him Sparky).

• Writing streaks: See your current streak at the top right of your dashboard and on your writing calendar. Scroll back to view past streaks!

• Words per day chart redesign: Now called “Goals” shows your actual words vs. your goal words over the last 30 days. The new look makes your progress easy to see (and gives an extra dopamine boost when you hit your targets).

• Dashboard layout: We removed the left-side file navigator to give more space for your projects, moved project settings to the project cards, and made the actions you can take from the dashboard clearer to see.

  • Project settings: Click the settings cog on your project to open your options.

  • Clearer actions: The “Add project” button has moved to the project section, and the “Reset goal” button now lives in the goal section for easier access.

Bug fixes

• Fixed a bug where adding a chapter using keyboard shortcuts while text was highlighted caused that text to be deleted (this won’t happen again!)

• Re-worked offline access to fix issues where “connectivity dropped” even when you were connected to the internet, and made this much less intrusive (a big win!)

Coming soon

I’m so excited about some of the features we’re planning, that I can’t hold back. Here’s what you can expect to see in the next few months:

• Premium trial (test before you decide to upgrade)

• Export to .doc & .pdf

• Email + password login

• Archive/unarchive (soft delete)

• Strike-through formatting

• Line breaks in scene cards

• Tasks & editable pinned notes

• Screenwriting project type

• Option to hide the left menu

• Full dark mode

Thanks to our paid subscribers!

If you’re on a paid subscription — thank-you. Seriously. Your support made these improvements possible.

The best way to keep supporting this work:

1. Tell us about your needs

2. Share First Draft Pro with others

Want to try the Premium plan out for a month? 

Use this code to get one month free: PREMIUMTRIAL

A note on designing with neurodivergence in mind

Writing a book is hard. Particularly if reduced dopamine availability (in the case of ADHD) makes something like... say... a very, very long term goal with no immediate payoff feel impossible.

When working on goals, streaks and the improvements to the dashboard, I thought a lot about what actually helps writers keep showing up for themselves and their big dreams.

I kept coming back to and reading around:

• Reward and motivation

• Consistent effort

• Task initiation and paralysis

• Dopamine feedback loops

• Psychological momentum

• Negativity bias

• Identity reinforcement

Design is about form and function. These concepts really shaped my approach with the revamped dashboard and the goal and streaks feature.

Goals, celebration moments, and designing for delight helps to set-up a dopamine feedback loop, and provides a framework for rewards and motivation. Streaks help to short-circuit paralysis by providing an impetus for task initiation, encouraging consistent effort and creating psychological momentum.

I’ve also always been a strong believer that the look of the software matters more than people think it does. Especially for neurospicy brains, a beautiful interface isn’t fluff. It’s fuel. And it ties into something even deeper: your sense of self.

Being able to show up and write consistently is what makes you a writer, and that, in turn, reinforces your identity and reduces negativity bias.

I’m so pleased with the way these features turned out, and how they can better support us through the creative journey. I’d love to hear about your experience of them!

Feedback and feature requests

If you have feedback or feature requests for First Draft Pro, you can add them (and upvote others) on our feedback forum.