We love spreadsheets. For budgeting a holiday or planning a project timeline, nothing beats a spreadsheet for customizability. But when it comes to the physical act of packing—whether for a ski trip or a full house move—we could feel how the "spreadsheet method" was silently killing our productivity.
So, we put it to the test.
We conducted a timed experiment to compare the two most common ways people track their gear: the "old school" spreadsheet versus the "voice-first" SmartStow app. The results surprised even us.
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The Experiment: The "Ski Boot Bag" Test
To keep things fair, we set up a controlled environment designed to give the spreadsheet every possible advantage.
You can watch the full test here: https://youtu.be/AoNVZj77PQo
- The Subject: A standard ski boot bag containing typical gear: boots, helmet, goggles, gloves, snow pants, etc.
- The "Spreadsheet" Setup: We placed a laptop on a big table right next to the bag. The tester had perfect ergonomics—no balancing a laptop on their knees or typing on a tiny phone screen.
- The "SmartStow" Setup: The tester used the SmartStow app on their phone, utilizing the voice-to-text logging feature.
The Goal: Unpack the bag and create a fully searchable inventory of every item inside.
The Results
- Spreadsheet Time: 3 minutes, 20 seconds.
- SmartStow Time: 1 minute, 47 seconds.
The Verdict: SmartStow was almost 2x faster. And remember, this was with the spreadsheet user having a perfect desk setup—a luxury you rarely have when you're kneeling on the floor of a garage or rummaging through a closet.
Why The Difference? The "Stop-and-Type" Friction
The data revealed a hidden friction point we call the "Stop-and-Type" cycle.
When using a spreadsheet (or even a notes app like Google Keep), the workflow looks like this:
- Pick up item.
- Identify item.
- Put item down.
- Clean hands/move to keyboard.
- Type item.
- Repeat.
Those micro-pauses add up. With SmartStow, the workflow is continuous. You pick up the item and say, "Ski boots, main compartment." You never stop moving. You never put the item down until it's packed.
Never Lose Track of Your Items Again
SmartStow uses voice recording to help you organize everything hands-free. Perfect for busy movers and organizers.
Try SmartStow Free →30-day free trial • No credit card required
The Extrapolation: What This Means for Your Move
Saving 2 minutes on a ski bag is nice. But what happens when you scale this up to a 3-bedroom house?
The average 2- to 3-bedroom home contains roughly 70-100 boxes worth of stuff, each taking 15 minutes to a whole hour to pack. If you use the spreadsheet method to inventory your move, you can double the packing time:
- 100 boxes x 15 minutes per box = 25 hours of just data entry.
This is why you can never find your stuff during a move. By switching to a voice-first system, you could potentially reclaim 25 hours of your life during the most stressful week of the year, and actually locate your stuff. That's 25 hours you could spend sleeping, saying goodbye to friends, or just not packing.
The Honest Truth: When to Use Spreadsheets
To be clear, SmartStow isn't trying to kill Excel.
- Use Spreadsheets If: You are sitting at a desk analyzing 10,000 SKUs for a retail business, or if you need to create complex pivot tables of your assets.
- Use SmartStow If: You are physically moving, packing, or organizing. If your hands are busy, your inventory tool needs to be hands-free.
Don't let data entry slow you down. Pack at the speed of speech.
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