Motion Docs
Note: This article assumes you've read "Creating a Task in Motion," "Projects in Motion: Regular Projects vs Workflow Projects," and . If you haven't, we recommend starting there for foundational concepts.
Summary:
Why Did we Build Motion Docs?
We've all experienced how chaotic collaborative landscapes can be-- with inputs from various docs, meeting notes, Slack messages, and much more it can be tough keeping all your team's notes, roadmaps, and resources coordinated and aligned. To combat the world of organizational inefficiency, we created Motion Docs. Through Motion Docs you can now turn all your team's informational inputs into a single source of truth, improving your team's efficiency and saving you time spent coordinating.
In an instant you can turn your inspiration into Motion tasks and projects directly from your Motion Doc for streamlined efficiency. Motion Docs are created at the click of a button and are stored neatly in the workspace they were created in, or any workspace they've been shared with. Additionally, Motion Docs can also be shared directly with your teammates for enhanced coordination and collaboration.
Whether you are creating shared HR resources across your team, editing a new feature proposal for an upcoming company-wide demo, or simply adding notes for an upcoming 1:1 meeting with one of your teammates; Motion Docs are here to take your collaboration and organizational abilities to the next level.
In this article we will answer the questions: "What are Motion Docs?" "How do I best utilize Motion Docs?" and "Why do Motion Docs Matter?"
Let's dive in!
What are Motion Docs?
Great results come from great ideas, and great ideas often originate from high-level collaboration. With this in mind, Motion Docs operate as an all-in-one collaborative shared space to maximize the communication, coordination, and execution across your team. Unlike traditional tooling docs, Motion Docs are thoughtfully designed and offer the use of 'sub-docs', which allows your team to store troves of valuable data, processes, documentation, and information all within one doc; enhancing your team's overall communication and organizational efficiency.
Picture this: Your team's knowledge, projects, and workflows—all living in one beautifully organized space that everyone can access, understand, and effortlessly contribute to.
End the App-Switching Chaos
Your team currently jumps between documents, spreadsheets, project boards, chat apps, and wikis. With Motion Docs, everything lives in one place. That means:
No more lost information in email threads.
No more "Which version is current?" confusion.
No more "Where did we save that?" frustration.
Ex: A creative agency using Motion Docs reduced their tool stack from 9 applications to just 1, saving 12 hours per employee each month in context-switching alone.
Real-Time Collaboration That Actually Works
See your colleague's cursor as they type. Leave comments on specific sections to start a collaborative dialogue directly from your Motion Doc. Mention and tag team members to bring them into the conversation. Motion Docs makes collaboration intuitive:
Everyone works from the same source of truth
Changes sync instantly across all devices
Permission controls ensure the right people have the right access
Ex: When one engineering team switched to Motion Docs, they reduced their meeting time by 30% because information was immediately accessible rather than tied up in multiple 3rd party tools and gated behind tedious status updates.
Create Custom Collaborative Spaces That Grow With You
Unlike rigid tools that force you into their system, Motion Docs adapt to how your team naturally works:
Create collaborative spaces that combine specs, tasks, and resources.
Create tasks and projects in Motion in real-time, directly from your Motion Doc.
Design process templates that standardize your team's best practices.
Ex: A marketing team using Motion Docs increased their campaign launch efficiency by 40% by creating reliable and accessible protocols in their Motion Docs that captured their proven processes and streamlined their execution.
Connect Everything That Matters
The true power of Motion Docs comes from connections:
Link related tasks, projects, and action items together for streamlined completion.
Effortlessly connect team members to their responsibilities so your team is always on the same page.
Directly link and embed relevant documents and attachments directly in your Motion Docs; connecting all your resources in one place.
The Bottom Line
Motion users that utilize Motion Docs spend less time managing their tools and more time doing their best work.
They report:
Faster onboarding of new team members.
Clearer communication across their teams with greater alignment and fewer misunderstandings.
More accessible institutional knowledge.
Higher overall quality of collaboration leading to a rise in team productivity.
Your team deserves a collaborative tool that enhances their brilliance rather than getting in their way. Motion Docs aren't just another tool—they're a better way for teams to work together.
How to Create a Motion Doc
There are two ways to create a new Motion Doc directly from your Motion sidebar.
Option 1: The Big Blue Button
Select the large, blue '+ New' button atop the Motion sidebar.
Select 'New Doc' from the list of available options.
Option 2: Create From the Workspace
Select the '+' icon located to the right of the specific workspace you'd like to create your new doc.
Select '+ New Doc' from the list of options.
You will be instantly brought into the editor-mode of your newly created Motion Doc.
Adding and Editing Content in Your Motion Doc
Motion Doc usability is extremely user-friendly, utilizing a simple '/' command to instruct a multitude of commands. By selecting '/' you can add:
Heading Options:
Heading Sizes 1-3
Toggle Heading Sizes 1-3
List Formatting:
Numbered list
Bulleted list
Check list
Content Elements:
Table
Blockquote
Divider
Code block
Content Creation:
New task
New project
New doc
Editing in Your Motion Doc
Motion Docs utilize intuitive editing options to allow for ease and peace of mind when working and navigating inside your Motion Doc. The ability to drag and drop, copy and paste, and freely structure content in your doc allows for enhanced customization and personalization.
Dragging and dropping full toggled headings allows for the effortless editing of large amounts of content, while intuitive copying and pasting allows for the seamless inclusion of images and added exterior content to your Motion Docs.
Additionally, content can be interlaid using the backslash commands for added organization and concept structuring.
Note: Each backslash command is searchable after selecting the '/' (pictured in video below).
Storing and Sharing Your Motion Docs
As previously mentioned, Motion Docs are created at the workspace level and are stored in the Workspace they were created or shared. With this in mind, we can consider Motion Docs as a 'shared space' for you and your teammates to collaborate.
Unlike a Motion project, that is workspace-specific (meaning it lives entirely in one workspace), Motion Docs can be shared across workspaces and/or directly with individual teammates. To access your shared Motion Doc(s) navigate to the specific workspace the doc(s) was created and select the doc amongst the workspace's projects and folders.
Ex: A Motion Doc created in your My Tasks workspace can be shared with your teammates in your Team Collaboration workspace, and both workspaces would have full access to the doc. Additionally, the doc can remain in the My Tasks workspace, but be shared with specific teammates for collaboration.
Keep in mind that when sharing your Motion Doc you can determine the allotted permissions the shared party will have when accessing the doc.
These permissions vary from:
Full Access
Users can edit, comment, and share the doc with others.
Editor
Users can edit and comment on the doc.
Collaborator
Users can only comment on the doc.
Viewer
Users can only view the doc.
Based on the previously used example, if your Motion Doc was created in the My Tasks workspace and was shared with your Team Collaboration workspace, you can limit the members of the Team Collaboration workspace to just viewers or collaborators to promote communication but maintain the docs structural integrity.
Moving Your Motion Doc to Another Workspace
Note: Moving a doc to another workspace will store that doc permanently unless is it moved again.
Select the "--> Move" option located in the upper right-hand corner of your Motion Doc.
Either use the search bar to search, or manually select the workspace you'd like to transfer your doc to.
Select the new preferred workspace and your Motion Doc will transfer to that workspace automatically.
To Share Your Motion Doc with a Teammate or Workspace:
Note: Sharing a Doc with a Workspace or Teammate will allow them varying access to that Doc.
Select the 'Share' option located in the upper right-hand corner of your Motion Doc.
In the search bar, type either the name of a teammate or workspace you wish to share your doc.
Next to either the teammate or workspace name, select the level of permissions you wish to grant for this doc.
When finished select the 'invite' button to finalize your doc invitations.
Once permissions have been shared, you can select the 'Copy Link to Doc' option for direct URL sharing.
To remove access for a teammate or workspace, select the role permissions next to the name of your teammate or workspace, then select 'remove'.
Once shared, this doc will be accessible for your teammate(s) or shared workspace.
Note: To share a link to an individual block of your Motion Doc, select the grouped set of vertical dots located to the left of a sentence in your doc. Then select 'Copy Link to Block' to share the direct block link with any teammate that has permission to the doc.
Locating Your Motion Docs
There are two primary methods to quickly locate your Motion Doc(s):
Navigate to the specific workspace the doc was created and select the 'Browse' option to view all the associated Docs, Projects, and Folders associated with that workspace.
Use the search bar located on the Motion sidebar on the left-hand side. Simply type the name of your Motion Doc and, as long as you have permissions access, it will appear in the search results.
Adding a Motion Doc to Your Favorites Section
For enhanced organization and access, you can add your Motion Docs to your Favorites in two simple steps.
Select the 3 horizontal dots located at the top right of your Motion Doc.
Select the option to 'Add to Favorites'.
Your newly saved Motion Doc will now be easily accessible in the Favorites section on the left-hand side of the Motion sidebar.
Creating Tasks and Projects on the Fly
Tasks and projects are some of the fundamental building blocks to success with Motion. With Motion Docs you can now go from striking inspirational genius in your Motion Doc to creating a cascade of tasks or projects in just a few clicks. By saving you time creating, you can spend more time doing.
To create a task from your Motion Doc simply:
Select the '/' command and select 'New Task'.
Just name your task and press enter.
Your new Motion task will have been successfully created right from your Motion Doc.
To edit your newly created task, simply hover your mouse over the task name in your Motion Doc to edit the Priority, Status, Due Date, Duration, Assignee, or Auto-Scheduling status.
Additionally, you can click the task name in the doc to open the task modal for enhanced editing options.
Your newly created task can be deleted directly from the Motion Doc by selecting the grouped vertical dots located to the left of the task name, and then select 'Delete Block'. Note: You can also complete, edit, or delete the newly created task from your Motion calendar.
To create a project from your Motion Doc simply:
Select the '/' command and select 'New Project'.
Just name your task and press enter.
Your new Motion project will have been successfully created right from your Motion Doc.
To edit your newly created project, simply hover your mouse over the task name in your Motion Doc to edit the Color, Priority, Status, Due Date, Assignee, or Add a Label.
Additionally, you can click the project name in the doc to open the project modal for enhanced editing options and easy task addition.
Your newly created project can be deleted directly from the Motion Doc by selecting the grouped vertical dots located to the left of the project name, and then select 'Delete Block'. Note: You can also edit or delete your newly created project from the All Projects section or the workspace it was created.
Creating 'Sub-Docs' From Your Motion Doc:
To create a sub-doc, begin by selecting the '/' command and select 'New Doc'.
Enter the name for the new doc and press enter to complete the creation process.
Your newly created doc will be linked and accessible directly from the doc it was created, hence the name 'sub-doc'.
Simply click into the hyperlinked doc to make any edits you'd like.
The order of organization will then be Workspace > Original Doc > Newly Created Doc.
Benefits of Sub-Docs
Sub-docs allow for the organizational enhancement of successive data storage in your Motion Docs. Think of these sub-docs like a Russian nesting doll of notes and valuable information. Your sub-docs can live neatly inside one another to effectively organize layers upon layers of high-level data, discussions, and processes.
Think about it like this, Instead of having a series of documents on a topic scattered across a variety of your companies tools, you instead use a Motion Doc to organize all your active documents into one neatly organized collaborative space.
Let's visualize this with an example:
Picture this, you have an ongoing company-wide project you are mapping out with your team. The project completion is broken into 5 stages: Preparation, First Iteration, Improvements, Final Iteration, and Final Release. To avoid any structural topic changes to the content in the Preparation stage doc, you can store your First Iteration stage doc as a sub-doc in the Preparations stage doc.
Repeating this process with each successive stage to organize thoughts and streamline preparation. Your project can be embedded directly into your Motion Doc for easy access from each sub-doc stage for maximum efficiency.
Changing the Color of Your Motion Doc
To customize your Motion Doc color simply:
Select the paper icon located atop the Motion Doc above the title.
Select your preferred color and you will see that color selection immediately reflected on the doc.
Conclusion:
Motion Docs are the premier way to enhance your team's collaboration, as well as effortlessly incorporate your organizational process directly into your task and project creation. Through organized and fully customizable docs, Motion is here to help you streamline your creative process from the conceptual stage to the final product.
Give Motion Docs a try today!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I created a new doc and used the 'Copy Link to Doc' option to share the doc my teammate, but they say they can't view it. What's wrong? If your teammate is not part of the workspace the doc was created, the doc will still need to be shared with them directly, or shared in a workspace they are a part of.
2. Where are my Motion Docs located?
Your Motion Docs are workspace-specific and will always remain in the workspace in which they were created or shared.
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