Does anyone else feel that Word and Google Docs are the most difficult tools to use?

Why do I always feel a slight sense of despair when creating documents?

“I only needed to make a simple one-page report, but before I knew it, an hour had passed...”
Have you ever had that experience?
For many people, Microsoft Word was likely the first software they bought along with Excel, or it was already on the computer they first used. Combined with Google Docs, I believe it is the most familiar software that desk workers touch almost every day.
The world is overflowing with guidebooks and strategy sites, and there is even an atmosphere that suggests it should be easy to use. However, when you actually try to use it, you are met with a series of things that don't go as planned, such as the start of lines not aligning for some reason or mysterious blank spaces appearing.
If it were Excel or PowerPoint, you could resign yourself to the fact that “these are specialized tools, so I can't use them without studying to some extent.” But because these look like software just for typing text, we approach them without mental preparation. I believe this hides a trap that makes it easier to feel stressed, thinking, “Everyone else is using it normally, so why am I the only one struggling so much?”
First, let me say this loudly: I am certain I am not the only one who finds this software “difficult.”

Unraveling the “3 Major Frustrating Barriers” through common experiences

Now, I will introduce the “despair” I have actually faced while getting used to these programs over the past 20 years.

The first is the “automatic bullet points” that meddle without permission. The moment you type “1.” at the beginning of a line and press enter, it shifts the text to the right without being asked, and the overall layout becomes jagged. I don't know how many times this unwanted kindness has made me sigh.
The second is the “image placement panic” where it refuses to listen. I only inserted one image for explanation, but the text that was neatly aligned until then flies off in all directions in an instant, and the layout collapses as if it exploded.
And the third is behavior where I don't know if it's a helpful design or a supernatural phenomenon: centering when I just type “Ki” and press enter, “Keigu” appearing right-aligned when I type “Haikei” and even changing the font size, or borders appearing on their own when I type “----” (half-width hyphens) three or more times and press enter.
Like this, the software reacting excessively to minor operations was the cause of my frustration.

A prescription to avoid frustration: 3 ways to “not be pushed around by tools” starting today

I realized that the shortest path to getting along well with stubborn software that doesn't speak your language is to change how you approach it. I'd like to introduce the “3 resignations” I can start today that seem to have helped me overcome this.

The first is to “turn off meddlesome features first.” Automatic functions that create bullet points or shift text on their own can be disabled from the software's settings screen. I turned off the feature that automatically turns email addresses into links right away. By sealing off these unauthorized movements, let's create a state where you can control things with your own hands.

The second is to “fix the layout last.” If you tweak the appearance while writing text, it will inevitably collapse. I found that focusing only on entering text first and fixing the overall shape at the very end was the faster way in the long run.

And the third is the method of “writing text in a different place altogether.” If you are so distracted by decoration and placement that your writing stops, just complete the content of the text first using simple text software like Windows Notepad. Then, paste it into Word or Docs at the end to decorate it. Actually, this is a solution I finally found after suffering for many years; if you sympathize with this, please give it a try.

Summary: It is normal to feel it is difficult. Let's get along with it in moderation

“Aren't Microsoft Word and Google Docs the most difficult tools...”
Although I have been touching this software for over 20 years and have become able to use it to some extent, I still face moments where I go “Hmm.”
At such times, I try to remind myself that it is a “super high-function monster software” disguised as a text input tool.
Because it is a tool we use naturally every day, we tend to think, “I must master it perfectly.” However, what is important is not to fight every single function.
Turn off automatic functions that move on their own, and if you get lost in the layout, escape to a simple notepad. I want to continue to get along with the software with a moderate sense of distance, where I can laugh off its stubborn habits by saying, “It can't be helped.”