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

As a enterprise proprietor, journalist, and man of many diversified 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 device that’s grow to be central to managing the whole lot 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 device that may be so simple as a notepad or as advanced as a totally useful shopper useful resource administration system, full with automations and AI-driven workflows.

As a proponent of work-life stability, I opted to segregate Notion into completely different workspaces primarily based 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’ll be able to have as many workspaces as you need, and in case you run shared workforce areas for coordinating throughout companies, you possibly can actually have a workspace to handle groups throughout workspaces. It’s a clean canvas to mould as you would like.

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

Right here’s an instance. There are a lot of methods to create a to-do record 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 every other filter and tag you wish to apply to it. You’ll be able to even apply actions on these databases. So in case you’ve ever wished to quantify your effectivity stage in ordering groceries earlier than you run out, you possibly can. 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. Trying to find a to-do record will current you with dozens of well-designed templates to swimsuit any want.

One other function 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 dwelling tasks. For instance, I’ve been planning out a redo of my front room and the Notion board is extremely helpful for monitoring distributors, supply timelines, and extra.

However it isn’t simply productiveness. Notion may be very helpful for conserving monitor of just about something. I take advantage of a private finance template to maintain tabs on money influx and outflow. It’s changed my previous cash monitoring app and Excel sheet for good motive — my information 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 staff. There’s a whole lot of flexibility.

I’m a compulsive client of horror and science fiction and hold tabs on attention-grabbing 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 info as you need.

Whereas I initially dabbled with the thought 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 summary of each e book I wish 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 e book on my studying record. Fairly cool.

I’m even utilizing it as a substitute for Pocket with the accompanying Internet Clipper. If I come throughout an attention-grabbing 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 a watch out for attention-grabbing locations and monuments once I’m touring. That’s only one use case, however submitting it underneath 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 stated, the chances are countless, and simply as we speak I got here throughout a Notion plugin that may faucet into your Spotify account and create a database of each tune you’ve ever listened to. It’s like Final.FM, however infinitely versatile as you possibly can take motion on that information and construct issues like your personal 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 device itself is consistently evolving to swimsuit diversified wants. Whereas it was beforehand potential to create varieties utilizing third-party plugins, Notion lately introduced a built-in type device. Like Google Varieties, it creates a database of responses. Nevertheless, the benefit right here is that I can use these responses throughout my total 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, monitor them, and even output PDF copies — excellent 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’ll be able to even use it as a rudimentary web site in case you so select. Splurge for the premium plan and you’ll actually 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 dwelling data base. Password for my good washer? Test. How you can entry photograph backups? Test. What to do if my somewhat sophisticated Wi-Fi community goes down? Double verify. That is uncovered to the web utilizing the aforementioned function and my household and shut pals have entry to it. It saves me being the troubleshooter of the group and has come in useful whereas I’ve been touring.

Between the helpful templates and web-publishing capabilities, you possibly can even create group journey pages or maybe a web page with particulars for a home get together, full with hyperlinks for Google Maps, instructions, and extra, and share it with a gaggle. It truly is simply restricted by your creativeness.

Might a whole lot of what I’ve talked about be completed with a notepad, Google Sheets, and even simply conserving it in reminiscence? Certain. Nevertheless, utilizing Notion as a second mind to dump dates, duties, and actions makes me more practical. You don’t should 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 actual fact of the matter is that ever since I dived into the world of life organisation instruments like Notion, I not should assume laborious about my to-do, to-read, or travel-to record. I can simply look at names, locations, or dates. A number of hours of efficient group hasn’t simply made me extra productive and arranged, however calmer as effectively. That’s priceless.