Why you need to use Notion.
I first started using Notion in the summer of 2020 – having been recommended it by my fiancé who had been using it for a while. To begin with, I was sceptical. Was it worth the investment to learn another new software? What made Notion any different to what had worked for me in the past, Google Workspace, Trello etc.? Well, here I am a year later writing a blog encouraging others to use it. It’s fair to say it was worth it.
Notion is on the rise. The company recently gained $67 million in funding, reaching a $2 billion valuation during the pandemic. The company has been increasingly active in pushing out updates, responding to customer complaints and inquiries and producing tutorials and templates to enable new users to pick it up relatively quickly.
With the pandemic pushing us all into an online environment, Notion has become part of that transition, now serving as the main workspace for students and professionals.
Notion is now an invaluable tool in my working life.
Here’s just a few ways I’m currently using it:
Task list
I capture everything across all aspects of my work in the task list, big and small. Previously, I would focus exclusively on a certain type of task, and I wouldn’t want to include too many things for fear of my list getting out of control. But with Notion, a key feature is the ability to create many views of the same content/data. In the case of my task list, I’m able to filter the same board view to show and hide different tasks. You can also transform the content into tables, galleries, and timelines. For example, I have a calendar view for date-sensitive tasks.
Adding tags, categories, statuses, comments, and assigning people is more work than simply writing down “review accounts”, but I’ve found that this extra work has been hugely worth it. Everyone is clear on what they are doing, and all the notes are in one place.
It’s also been great to link to other items (e.g., linking to a Notion page I’m sharing with a client listing our objectives for the week).
With Notion, things are no longer slipping between the cracks.
CRM
Notion’s structure allows me to create just enough CRM to keep me clear on our current workload, giving me a place to keep info and notes about each client, as well as providing me with a window into what things could look like financially.
Project Management
Working with multiple clients, it has been vital to have a clear system for storing info, notes, links, and resources. Instead of having these scattered around in lots of different Google Docs and spending time retrieving info, everything is now linked to the same Notion page. I enjoy having a hierarchical structure for my projects that keeps all of my notes and info in one place.
In summary, what are the main benefits of Notion?
Flexible structure - Notion provides a variety of tools, but it allows you to pick what works for you. Therefore, it’s the right blend of structure and flexibility that allows the user to choose what works for them. It does take some time to set up a database or board, but once it’s in place you can focus on entering and managing the content knowing it’s a structure that suits you.
Minimalist design – it’s a powerful tool, but the creators have managed to keep a clean design. The emoji has become a practical part of the interface and there is the option to personalise each page with cover images.
The ability to share and quickly duplicate templates - it’s great that people can publish pages and templates for others to use. I regularly use the duplicate template feature as we work with multiple clients, often requiring the same format for each one.
Parity between mobile and desktop experience –the Notion mobile experience is on par with the desktop experience, I regularly use the mobile app and find switching between the two works well for me.
Room to level up – while Notion provides lots of tools and features, it’s also possible to start small and simple. This was something that drew me in from the very beginning. I appreciate how a balance is struck between offering powerful features and making things feel accessible and simple.
I know there’s so much more to discover with Notion. There are integrations into other tools like Slack and Google Calendar that I’m looking forward to checking out.
If you’re yet to give Notion a go, I say go for it! It’s changed the way I work for the better.
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