iA Writer is a minimalist writing tool Marie Kondo would adore

iA Writer subtly nudges me to keep my hands on the keyboard, typing. I don’t see any menus, so I don’t get distracted as easily. The company that makes it, iA, founded in Japan in 2005, describes it as an ADHD-friendly writing app. From Smart Girls with ADHD:

iA Writer takes over the whole screen and makes me focus on the content of what I’m saying, NOT on the fonts, the layout, or any other distracting features. In a simple courier-style font, on a basic background, iA Writer forces you to concentrate and just get down to writing.

Useful features

• Focus view. iA Writer removes visual distractions. You’ll no longer have to look at a screen with seven menus up top, a sidebar on the side, a footer at the bottom, and sundry clutter in the middle of the writing pane.
• Show syntax. Turn on a special setting to show adjectives and adverbs in distinct colors. You can also show verbs, nouns, and conjunctions, each word type in its own color. This coloring lets you scan through your writing to identify weak sentences or overused modifiers.
• Run a style check. iA Writer gives you the option of having it show you filler words, cliches, and redundancies in your writing. Turn it off if you don’t want to see your writing’s weaknesses spotlighted.
• Multiple languages. Built-in support for English, French, and German.
• Show stats. Optionally, see not just word and character count, but also the number of sentences and estimated reading time.

iA Writer is not for you if you . . .

• Assemble complex docs with equations, charts, and images pulled from multiple sources. If so, you may prefer Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
• Need specific design elements, like special text alignment or columns.
• Lean heavily on software plug-ins like Zotero, a superb free tool for citations.
• Rely on a Track Changes feature and multiple document versions for collaboration.

What it costs