Here is how I take advantage of Notion to remain on prime of life

As a enterprise proprietor, journalist, and man of many diverse pursuits, I spotted the significance of life-organization instruments early on. I used to be an early adopter of Evernote earlier than I dabbled in OneNote and even hacked collectively my very own web-based options. That’s earlier than I found Notion — a single software that’s turn into central to managing all the things from my companies to chores, writing assignments, studying lists, and even my ideas.

Right here’s how I keep on prime of life due to Notion.

Just like the Room of Requirement from Harry Potter, Notion is a software that may be so simple as a notepad or as complicated as a completely practical consumer useful resource administration system, full with automations and AI-driven workflows.

As a proponent of work-life steadiness, I opted to segregate Notion into completely different workspaces based mostly on the roles I play. My work as a journalist will get a selected workspace whereas my enterprise will get one other, after which there’s one for my private development and life. You may have as many workspaces as you need, and when you run shared group areas for coordinating throughout companies, you’ll be able to also have a workspace to handle groups throughout workspaces. It’s a clean canvas to mildew as you want.

After I first began utilizing Notion, I made the rookie mistake of dumping all the things — notes, hyperlinks, sheets — on one web page. Getting essentially the most out of Notion requires deliberate motion and thought earlier than you begin making a workspace finest suited to your wants.

Right here’s an instance. There are lots of methods to create a to-do listing for chores. Notion will allow you to create a regular guidelines for chores. It’ll additionally allow you to create a database of chores with tags for delegating duties, precedence orders, or some other filter and tag you need to apply to it. You may even apply actions on these databases. So when you’ve ever wished to quantify your effectivity stage in ordering groceries earlier than you run out, you’ll be able to. However, predictably, that may result in over-complication.

To get round that downside, I make use of templates. And there’s no dearth of free or paid choices. Looking for a to-do listing will current you with dozens of well-designed templates to go well with any want.

One other characteristic that I make copious use of is the Kanban board. Whereas predominantly helpful for maintaining a tally of enterprise objectives and roadmaps, it’s additionally been very helpful for monitoring long-term residence tasks. For instance, I’ve been planning out a redo of my lounge and the Notion board is extremely helpful for monitoring distributors, supply timelines, and extra.

But it surely isn’t simply productiveness. Notion could be very useful for maintaining observe of just about something. I take advantage of a private finance template to maintain tabs on money influx and outflow. It’s changed my outdated cash monitoring app and Excel sheet for good purpose — my knowledge isn’t sure to a file, app, or perhaps a single web page. Whereas I’ve a web page detailing enterprise bills, I can simply as simply draw up a chart on a dashboard I’ve created for my companions and workers. There’s quite a lot of flexibility.

I’m a compulsive client of horror and science fiction and hold tabs on fascinating new reads. Beforehand, I’d simply add them to my Amazon Wishlist and overlook about them. Now, I’ve bought a devoted studying web page in my Notion workspace. Furthermore, it may be configured with as little or as a lot data as you need.

Whereas I initially dabbled with the concept of a digital library of books to learn, full with covers, I discovered it pointless for my use case. Enter yet one more database. It offers me an outline of each ebook I need to learn, lets me tag them by studying standing, and filters out books I’ve already learn. This database feeds into my private dashboard the place I can simply look on the subsequent ebook on my studying listing. Fairly cool.

I’m even utilizing it as a substitute for Pocket with the accompanying Internet Clipper. If I come throughout an fascinating article in Chrome, I simply faucet the button, and it’ll routinely save the article. As somebody who’s into Soviet modernist structure, I hold an eye fixed out for fascinating locations and monuments once I’m touring. That’s only one use case, however submitting it below journey and nation makes it a lot simpler to revisit. I may even tag pages by curiosity and discover them in a single spot.

Like I mentioned, the chances are infinite, and simply at present I got here throughout a Notion plugin that may faucet into your Spotify account and create a database of each music you’ve ever listened to. It’s like Final.FM, however infinitely versatile as you’ll be able to take motion on that knowledge and construct issues like your individual Spotify Wrapped or do deeper evaluation. Linking a temper journal with the type of music you’ve been listening to? Yup, it’s doable.

The benefit of constructing a second mind in Notion is that the software itself is continually evolving to go well with diverse wants. Whereas it was beforehand attainable to create varieties utilizing third-party plugins, Notion just lately introduced a built-in kind software. Like Google Kinds, it creates a database of responses. Nevertheless, the benefit right here is that I can use these responses throughout my complete workspace as a substitute of them being locked in a spreadsheet.

I’m already brainstorming methods to make use of it for my enterprise with buyer surveys being a key use case. In the meantime, whereas I’ve lengthy since gravitated to skilled bill administration software program, some templates allow you to generate invoices, observe them, and even output PDF copies — good for freelancers or anybody simply beginning out.

A really cool use of Notion is the power to publish any web page and sub-page to the web. You may even use it as a rudimentary web site when you so select. Splurge for the premium plan and you may also have a customized area. However I digress.

Alongside all the opposite use instances I’ve talked about, Notion can also be the dumping floor for my residence data base. Password for my sensible washer? Examine. entry photograph backups? Examine. What to do if my quite difficult Wi-Fi community goes down? Double verify. That is uncovered to the web utilizing the aforementioned characteristic and my household and shut pals have entry to it. It saves me being the troubleshooter of the group and has turn out to be useful whereas I’ve been touring.

Between the useful templates and web-publishing capabilities, you’ll be able to even create group journey pages or maybe a web page with particulars for a home occasion, full with hyperlinks for Google Maps, instructions, and extra, and share it with a gaggle. It truly is simply restricted by your creativeness.

May quite a lot of what I’ve talked about be accomplished with a notepad, Google Sheets, and even simply maintaining it in reminiscence? Positive. Nevertheless, utilizing Notion as a second mind to dump dates, duties, and actions makes me more practical. You don’t need to decide to Notion, both. There’s no dearth of productiveness enhancement apps starting from Obsidian to Anytype. Nevertheless, simply understand that all of those do have a considerably steep studying curve until you’re a really fundamental consumer.

Nevertheless, the very fact of the matter is that ever since I dived into the world of life organisation instruments like Notion, I now not need to assume onerous about my to-do, to-read, or travel-to listing. I can simply look at names, locations, or dates. A couple of hours of efficient group hasn’t simply made me extra productive and arranged, however calmer as properly. That’s priceless.