Draft without drafts

Those of you who play fantasy football know how crucial the draft is. The decisions you make in August can have you jumping for joy on Sunday or tearing your hair out on Monday morning. I'm a fantasy football addict and I love the game - but not the paperwork. Unfortunately, before using Google Docs & Spreadsheets, there was a lot of paperwork.

Like most leagues, my buddies and I relied on lots of email with scores of attachments. The commissioner would create a league spreadsheet and send it to each of us in an email. Then we'd fill it out and send it back to him. The poor guy would tirelessly compile everyone's draft picks and send it out again. This awful cycle would begin anew each week as the commissioner tallied the scores and updated the standings. Thanks be praised, the olden days are gone, and this drudgery is over.

My league now uses Google Docs & Spreadsheets to compile and compare the information for that all-important draft. Now my commissioner creates an online spreadsheet and invites each league member to collaborate. Each of us enters our information online, in one place. Nobody ever has an out of date version and we can see everyone else's changes as they happen. With Google Spreadsheet's integrated chat feature, we can even trash talk in real time.

Since switching to Google Docs & Spreadsheets, I have a lot more time to research my draft picks, my league commissioner has his life back, and the world is a better, more collaborative place. Now I just need Frank Gore to put up some serious points.

(Docs & Spreadsheets user Dave Kaufman also shared his experience with the draft.)