With millions of users hooked to its features, Notion has become synonymous with productivity. Its stellar UX and versatility makes it the go-to tool for planning and managing everything from personal to professional lives.
However, because Notion is so versatile, there are no fixed rules on how to use it. There are as many unique Notion workspaces as the people who signed up with it. With that comes the challenge of using Notion to its fullest and actually improving productivity by using its features, instead of being overwhelmed by it.
In this article, we will explore different ways in which you can use Notion’s wide range of features for greater efficiency.
Here are 14 tips for using Notion for productivity:
1. Use Notion as a Content Management System (CMS)
You probably already know that you can make Notion pages public and share them with anyone. But most are unaware that they can use Notion as a CMS. Or more accurately - as a headless CMS.
What is a Headless CMS?
A headless CMS allows you to store, organize, share, and retrieve content efficiently but it does not offer capabilities you need to create a functional website that looks professional, is optimized for SEO, and is primed for conversions.
This means you need a cutting-edge tool like Super to create Notion websites. Super provides sleek design features and allows you to optimize your content for search, and create custom domains, and navbars while seamlessly integrating with your favorite tools.
By using Notion as a CMS, you get more productive by converting your content into a website and generating leads for your business. Even if you do not intend to generate leads, a website can help you build a brand. With Super, you can quickly create the website that you are proud of, one that brings out your personality and style.
2. Attract clients with portfolio built on Notion
A portfolio website can set you apart from the competition by establishing your personal brand. It can showcase your work professionally and give potential clients a thorough understanding of your skills and personality.
By creating a Notion portfolio, you can set up a marketing funnel to guide visitors to your contact page. Now that your portfolio takes care of finding new business, you can focus on your current clientele and invest time in building your core skills.
However, for your portfolio to be effective, it must be optimized for search and conversions while also reflecting your personality and style. Your portfolio is essentially your digital clone that is available 24x7. It is your most efficient salesperson.
Even though Notion offers many features for creating a portfolio, you need Super to design an attractive, professional portfolio that actually sells. You can fast-track website creation by starting with one of its Notion website templates - each of which is professionally designed, optimized for search, and customized for mobile users.
You can set a custom domain name without the .notion.so extension. Super allows you to also set up a custom navbar and footer, and add links in them to relevant subsections of your portfolio. Super enables you to create CTA buttons on Notion which can help you direct visitors to relevant pages.
3. Speed up content creation with Notion AI
Notion AI is a new feature that speeds up content creation and helps overcome writer's block by generating an initial draft that you can build upon.
It combines the power of ChatGPT3 with Notion blocks and helps you execute mundane content-related activities in no time. By using Notion AI, you can create blog outlines, write summaries, create tables, translate text into 10 languages, and do so much more in minutes.
It may not create the perfect copy - one that sounds human, but Notion AI does the groundwork for you. It also alters the tone of the text based on your prompts and seamlessly adds more content on top of the copy it generates, if you ask it to. This means you get a quick initial draft that you can edit and transform into the final version.
4. Act on repetitive tasks with nested template buttons
Freelancers have a ready-to-use pitch that they customize and send to potential clients. However, the pitch can have multiple sub-sections, not all meant to be shared with each client, and having to edit pitch takes time. For example, a freelance writer would want to send only relevant samples that align with the niche specified in the gig description, even if they specialize in other niches.
With Notion template buttons, freelancers can set up nested templates to streamline the pitch. They can load the draft with the click of a button and pull up sub-sections relevant to the gig by clicking on nested template buttons within the draft.
The image below shows an example of a designer's pitch with nested templates.
Every time the designer clicks on the Custom client pitch template button, Notion pulls up a generic email copy without the portfolio images. On clicking on the Venue Niche Design button, Notion pulls up a gallery of images specific to that niche, within the current copy.
5. Move content faster with synced blocks
Synced blocks in Notion simplify content projects that involve multiple stakeholders. Here’s how it works:
- Create a synced block where you want the final output to appear.
- Add content that needs input from others and share it.
- Other users can update the content in the synced block.
- Notion updates the content on every page that uses the same synced block.
Here is an example of that:
Content writers require the design team's support to edit screenshots. Instead of spending time on a call to discuss details with the designer, the writer can easily add a synced block at the location where the screenshot should appear on the page and share the link with the designer.
The designer can download the image from the synced block, make changes and upload the edited image back into the same synced block. With that, Notion updates the page with the new image in the appropriate location.
Synced blocks can improve productivity by avoiding confusion and saving time for you and your team.
6. Save time with Notion shortcuts
Notion offers numerous keyboard shortcuts to help you work faster. Right from something as basic as creating a new page to switching between the dark and light modes, you can use shortcuts for various actions.
7. Avoid building up content from scratch by using Notion templates
Notion provides standard templates for the most common use cases. You can import and customize them, or create one from scratch. Templates can help you save time and reduce effort by allowing you to create a standard format once and keep using it time and again.
For example, content marketers can quickly create a calendar template with relevant columns and settings. Every month, while creating the editorial plan, they can simply import the template into a page and add topics.
It saves a lot of time and energy that would otherwise go into designing a calendar and its columns. And since templates are editable, marketers can quickly add or remove columns from their editorial calendar format.
9. Get a bird’s eye view of your workflows with Notion Dashboards
Notion is a popular tool for individuals and businesses to manage various workflows. However, with many stakeholders using the same space, it can be challenging to keep the content organized. From sorting documents into relevant folders to finding them quickly, managing content on Notion requires effort.
However, by creating a Notion dashboard, you can make sure that people find important documents easily. For example, you may want your employee to quickly access the leave policy, current company goals, and other organizational documents easily. With Notion, you can add them to the dashboard and share it within your company.
Notion is a powerful all-purpose tool that can significantly improve your efficiency. Its flexibility, versatility, and customizability make it ideal for personal productivity and business effectiveness. You can streamline your workflow, stay organized, and accomplish more in less time by utilizing Notion's features to their fullest.
10. Stay on track with your deadlines by setting reminders in Notion
One of Notion's powerful yet underutilized features is reminders, serving a crucial role in project management. They send notifications at the date and time you choose to alert you about imminent deadlines.
For instance, suppose you plan to write a blog in Notion by the end of March. While tracking progress through your content planning database is possible, a helpful notification can be set for mid-February to draw your attention to the impending deadline.
This often-overlooked feature can significantly enhance your productivity by helping you stay on track with your project tasks.
11. Take notes in Notion
While it may sound easy, taking notes during a class or a meeting is a skill. You need to keep everything organized so that when you access the notes the week-after, you are still able to make sense of it.
Whether you're a professional or a student using Notion, you need an established note-taking structure that you can replicate using the template buttons feature. This way, you can save yourself a lot of headaches every time you take notes.
Additionally, you require features such as the ability to create columns, dividers, and embed content from different sources for enhanced note-taking — all available in Notion. Furthermore, the easy-to-use Notion markdown enables effective structuring of your notes. The combination of these Notion capabilities helps you create notes with minimal effort.
12. Get granular with subtasks
Managing projects can be daunting with numerous activities associated with each task. Keeping track of everything while meeting deadlines can become cumbersome.
By creating subtasks in Notion, you can manage project activities at a more granular level. For instance, if you plan to create a website — which can be quite an extensive project — managing a Notion task that reads "Design the website" can be super-expansive. By setting subtasks like creating a navbar and footer, adding buttons, deciding the font style, etc., you can break down a large task into smaller, more manageable units.
This makes handling your projects much easier!
13. Stay organized with Notion folders and subfolders
In the era of social media, the attention span is the lowest ever recorded. If someone takes too long to search for a file in Notion, there's a good chance they will procrastinate. That's why it's essential to keep your Notion workspace organized and clutter-free to stay productive.
The best method to maintain a clean workspace is by organizing Notion pages under folders. This way, you'll intuitively know where to look for a page based on the theme.
14. Save time with recurring tasks
Creating recurring tasks in Notion significantly enhances personal productivity by automating task management. By setting up recurring tasks, you can effortlessly track and schedule activities, minimizing the risk of forgetting important deadlines or tasks.
This automation reduces the manual effort needed for routine tasks, as they automatically populate on the calendar at specified dates and times. This feature is particularly beneficial for tasks requiring regular attention, such as meetings, deadlines, or weekly planning sessions.
How to use Notion for personal productivity?
Here are some common methods to enhance your personal productivity with Notion:
1. Create a habit tracker
While personal productivity depends on personality and external factors, being efficient becomes easy and intuitive if you turn it into a habit.
Using Notion for tracking habits can help you turn your goals into routine practices, fostering consistency and productivity in the pursuit of personal development.
The habit tracker in Notion provides a structured and visually intuitive way to monitor daily activities, serving as a constant reminder to stay committed even on days when motivation wanes.
2. Create a reading list
Are you someone who equates reading with productivity? Consider centralizing and managing a curated reading list on Notion. This way, instead of leaving interesting articles in open browser tabs that often get forgotten, you can track them and plan for reading later in the day.
This ensures that users don't miss out on valuable knowledge and insights that are important for you.
3. Make a weekly planner
Crafting a weekly planner in Notion elevates your productivity by tackling the challenge of effective time management amidst distractions. Notion enables you to set up a calendar view containing all your weekly tasks.
This holistic perspective empowers you to optimize your week strategically, avoiding burnout by maintaining a balanced workload. With Notion's user-friendly interface, you can prioritize tasks and set realistic goals.
4. Time your activities in Notion
Integrating a timer into Notion significantly enhances personal productivity, particularly for activities such as working out and spending time on social media. Beyond mere functionality, timers can also add a visually appealing touch to your Notion pages.
