How Notion can help you run your business
Notion has made me considerably more organized and therefore more productive. This is the first system that I have loved enough to recommend to EVERYONE.
Notion has been a game-changer for me. I started using it last summer and it is the entire reason why I can get anything done on the days when my daughter is home.
What is Notion?
Notion’s website describes the tool as “We’re more than a doc. Or a table. Customize Notion to work the way you do.” Which is intriguing but doesn’t actually answer the question.
If your work takes place on a computer, you can do just about everything in Notion. I plan and organize projects and tasks, write content, organize research, take notes on articles and courses, track habits, and keep numerous lists and records all in Notion.
I’ve said it before, productivity is personal, but this system has been a game-changer for me. Everything is in one place, I can personalize it to do what I want, and it makes it easier for me to keep up rather than harder.
Notion vs Pen and Paper
I love the aesthetic of a paper planner. Whenever I go into a bookstore at the start of a school or calendar year, I gravitate toward all the planners. I want myself to be the type of person who thrives in a pen and paper organization system. I tried using the Bullet Journal method. I tried all sorts of designed planners.
The various pen and paper systems have two major flaws for me:
You have to either remember to bring it everywhere you go or else you need a secondary system for taking notes while you are out and about
It isn’t digital:
There are no reminders or alarms - how can there be? It is a book.
There is either too much space or not enough (which the Bullet Journal method does solve)
You can’t easily reference older information.
So as much as I love the aesthetic, it’s just not workable for me. I do keep a paper journal for processing thoughts, but planning and action take place in Notion.
Notion vs Asana and Trello
Asana and Trello are two huge names in the project management space. I know people who swear by it, but it never worked for me. They have a particular system that you have to adopt in order to use their tool. But the bigger problem for me was that they were only a task and project management system.
For Asana or Trello to work, they had to be part of a larger ecosystem of tools. I had to use something else to write in. I could track my projects in the tools and link to the google doc (for example) - and that works for some people. But I would end up just going straight to my drive, cutting out the middle step of opening Trello or Asana and then forget to update the tasks in there.
Plus when I thought I knew what I had planned (e.g. write a post), I would just go do that. But then I would forget about other tasks (even with task reminders). I would end up getting “behind” and having to spend a large chunk of time updating everything.
It is much easier for my brain to have everything in one place in Notion.
Notion vs Evernote
What my Notion system has become is a Second Brain. This comes from Tiago Forte’s writing about ‘Building a Second Brain’. It is a huge deal in online productivity circles. He started writing about the Second Brain before Notion existed and built his system in Evernote.
The biggest difference between Notion and Evernote is the data organization of the system itself.
Evernote is a digital version of keeping pieces of paper in a binder. It is a large step up from the Pen and Paper systems. You can take it anywhere you go as long as you bring your phone. You can get reminders. And you can search through past information.
Notion, at its core, is a database. You have a piece of paper, but you can attach data to each piece of paper that allows you to organize and call up exactly what you need when you need it. Take the example of a content calendar. I can organize all my content by the publish date and then click one button and instead show the date I plan to finish that piece of content. Or I can click again and see the information along a board based on the status.
How I create content in Notion
Let’s use the example of content creation - because that is what I am doing as I type this right this moment.
When I have an idea for a piece of content, I add it to my Content database. I tag it with the status Idea until I assign a publish date, at which point I can update the status to Planned.
Once I assign a publish date, I need to make sure that I add a task. There is a link between my Content database and Task Manager database so that I can quickly schedule when I am going to work on the piece of content. For something small like a social media post or newsletter that I’ll likely do in one sitting, I’ll just have a single task to write or create. For an article, I have multiple steps and I have a template that helps me do that.
Every time I sit down to work, I start with my Organization & Productivity dashboard. There are a few pieces to the dashboard, but the relevant bit is a filtered view of my Task Manager. It shows me only the tasks that are incomplete and due on or before today. I can see my tasks in a simple list, a grid of cards sorted by priority, or a board by priority or time-block (the approximate time I plan to work on the task).
When a content creations task comes up, I just have to click a link in the task and it takes me to the page in my Content database. I write the post right on that page, without having to go to a Word or Google doc.
Once I am ready to share the content, I just copy and paste it where it is going to go. I use Later for social media posts, WordPress (SiteGround) for my main biz, and Substack for this newsletter. All the work happens in Notion, and then it goes out into the world wherever it belongs.
Bottom Line
I love Notion. It has made a huge difference in my organizational ability. And I swear I wouldn’t get half as much done without it - especially on days (like today) that I’m squeezing in work while my child is napping.
I have my Complete Notion System up for pre-sale, and I’ll also be selling individual components as templates as I finish each piece. If you are interested, go check that out!
If you found this helpful, consider leaving a tip or becoming a supporter on my Ko-Fi.
Until next week, -Samantha