THE INITIAL ATTRACTION

In 2013, during my product design studies, the early semesters led me to believe that the design process was a simple, linear journey. I imagined progressing seamlessly from one task to the next until project completion.

However, that initial excitement faded, and reality set in. As school projects piled up, and while working part-time as a UX designer, I discovered that developing a new product—be it digital or physical—is anything but straightforward. It's often intricate, frequently slow, and, I must admit, a tad tedious.

I began my quest for a project management tool to handle my various academic tasks and notes, something that would support me at every stage. Key requirements included:

• Facilitating Communication: As a designer, I interact with numerous stakeholders (product managers, engineers, fellow designers, etc.). Therefore, I needed a collaborative platform that enabled tagging and filtering amid the chaos.
• Managing Conversations: It’s essential to oversee multiple communication threads with quick access to past discussions.
• Tracking Paused Work: Not every decision is reached in a single session; some require time and additional information. I needed a way to monitor tasks that were put on hold for later review.
• Logging Decisions and Actions: Keeping track of dates, deadlines, and task lists is vital, as is reflecting on previous choices and understanding their context. This is where an effective tracking system proves invaluable.
• Prioritizing Tasks: Product designers constantly face decisions: which task to tackle next and which can wait? I needed a reliable method to maintain clarity on priorities.
• Collecting Inspiration: Designers are always on the lookout for ideas and research. While not something needed daily, when inspiration strikes, it must be easy to retrieve.

I could elaborate further, but the crux is that I needed a platform for efficient note storage and management. I explored various popular tools at the time—Trello, Evernote, Apple Notes, Microsoft OneNote—but none fulfilled all my requirements.

Then, in 2018, Notion entered my life.

JOINING FORCES WITH NOTION

I must admit, the most common challenge for newcomers to Notion is its perceived lack of structure. The app presents users with a blank slate and minimal guidance. Although templates are available, it can still be overwhelming for new users. I too found the complexity daunting initially.

In the early months, I tried different organizational strategies until I settled on a hierarchical tree structure, a concept borrowed from traditional file systems.

This structure enabled me to:

• Create My Notion Ecosystem: Even after five years, I confidently navigate my notes and documents. I designed a landing page showcasing my most-used sections, categorized into four groups: Daily notes, Personal life, Professional life, and Idea backlog. This straightforward structure provides guidance on where new notes should reside.

• Meet Diverse Needs: Notion's limitless page hierarchy allows deep exploration. Some pages feature databases, with each project possessing its own intricate structure. For instance, my work database includes an Emplifi project home that categorizes products I oversee or am interested in.
• Enhance Efficiency with Notion's Features: This tree structure is replicated throughout my entire system and can be templated. Importantly, every Notion page can have multiple properties. I commonly use tags, labels, dates, and names to organize my database views in various ways, focusing on "feedback type," "status," "delivery time," and "business value."

I can easily access anything I need through my favorite feature: the keyboard shortcut for searching (cmd+p), which allows swift transitions between pages, projects, and meetings.

A GLIMPSE INTO MY NOTION

Now, enough about structure theory. Let me share how I practically utilize Notion in my daily life.

In my professional realm

Each workday begins with Notion. I quickly access the Emplifi homepage to review my daily and weekly agendas. This system has been instrumental in mitigating burnout and alleviating stress.

My Emplifi page includes several components:

• Project overview, long-term objectives, and quick links: At the year's start, I revisited this section to set new goals and assess successes and setbacks from the previous year. I frequently refer to it throughout the year to maintain momentum.

• Kanban boards and calendar: This feature is my most utilized aspect of the Emplifi homepage. Given our agile work environment, I visit this section daily to adjust priorities for the day, week, and quarter. A particularly advantageous feature is the ability to swiftly transfer cards between weekly and quarterly boards during stakeholder discussions.

• Teams database: The tree structure extends into the sub-sections here as well. Each team page serves as a hub for storing meeting notes specific to that team, organizing feedback initiatives based on business value, and more.

In my personal life

As mentioned, I've also leveraged Notion for personal documentation. This includes everything from year-end retrospectives to tracking my favorite games, films I intend to watch, and quick cooking recipes.

• Hobby Management: Instead of juggling multiple apps for different interests, why not centralize everything in one productivity platform? I maintain pages for tracking movies and games, customized to my liking.
• Film Tracking: For movies, I utilize simple “Watched” and “Want to Watch” columns, where I can include links alongside appealing thumbnail images.
• Gaming Backlog: I maintain a database with list views for my gaming backlog, enriched with custom properties like “genre” or “personal review” to track my experiences. These are just two examples, but I firmly believe Notion can be tailored to any hobby imaginable.
• Culinary Inspiration: Notion’s database views, filterable properties, and browser extensions are perfect for home cooking. If only my mother could appreciate Notion! Especially with the ability to create different views within a single database (like 15-minute meals or salads). Plus, you can access Notion on mobile devices and bring it into the kitchen.

TO NOTION, WITH AFFECTION

And so, this is my heartfelt tribute to Notion, in hopes of inspiring you to organize your own life. As demonstrated, Notion is exceptionally adaptable, and my examples merely scratch the surface. For advanced tips, I recommend checking out YouTube creators like Thomas Frank or Francesco D’Alessio’s Keep Productive channel.

If you feel motivated to explore Notion as your organizational partner, I highly suggest visiting the Notion homepage to give it a try. You can sign up for a free account, so there’s nothing to lose. And if you’re already as enamored with Notion as I am, I’d love to hear about your favorite use cases in the comments.

With that, I wish Notion continued success in the future. Here’s to another five years of a fantastic partnership!