Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Notion is that one tool you can go down the rabbit hole of and discover things that even the makers of Notion probably wouldn’t know existed. Meanwhile, on the other extreme, you can use it as a barebones task manager with simple checkboxes, dates, and times. And that’s the beauty of it — you can make it as complex or as simplistic as you like.
I’ve found my own niche with Notion. I use it to track my book reading, for all kinds of personal long-form writing, and to keep track of my random ideas. Over time, I’ve built a system that helps me stay organized and actually be productive — instead of wasting time fiddling with the app itself.
Here are some of the systems I’ve built, which have worked well for me and might for you too.
Are you team Notion or team something else?
3 votes
Notion all the way
33%
Evernote/Obsidian/OneNote/others
67%
Just pen and paper
0%
Archival system
One of the best things I’ve done with Notion is also one of the simplest. No automation or complex database syncing — just a straightforward archival system that works.
My workspace is divided into multiple categories, which appear in the left pane: writing, reading list, random ideas, and so on. Each of these categories has its own Archive page nestled within. Once I’m done with a project or no longer need it, I just drag and drop it into the Archive. And as those archive pages get cluttered after months of dumping, I sort them further by month and year for easier retrieval.
And the act of archiving gives me a small sense of closure too, which I like.
This setup does two things for me. One, it satisfies my need to safe keep everything — even if I may never look at it again in my entire life. Two, it declutters my main workspace while still keeping everything accessible. And the act of archiving gives me a small sense of closure too, which I like.
Time-blocked week layout
Karandeep Singh / Android Authority
Sometimes tasks take longer than expected. Sometimes new, unexpected ones pop up midday. And at the end of the day, you just feel worse for not ticking off everything. So, instead of micromanaging my day, I use a time-blocked layout in Notion that’s far more forgiving — and realistic.
It looks impressive to have your day planned down to the last minute — and that productivity high is real — but to be honest, things rarely go as planned.
The idea is simple. I divide my day into four broad blocks: morning, afternoon, evening, and whenever (for super low-priority stuff like changing the TV remote’s battery). My tasks go into these blocks instead of rigid time slots now, giving me a relaxed structure without boxing me in. And it’s easy to reshuffle things if plans change.
Time-bound meetings still go into the calendar, but for everything else, this rhythm-based system works much better for me.
Creating your own templates
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
I often found myself setting up the same kind of pages again and again — project files with nested sections, or my weekly task layout, for example. I’d either rebuild everything from scratch for each new entry or duplicate an old page and spend time clearing it out to start afresh. Both options felt unnecessarily time-consuming.
That’s where Notion templates come in — and yes, you can create your own. I resisted creating mine at first, assuming it would be a lot of effort for very little payoff. But once I made a few, I realized how much time and mental effort they saved.
Now, whenever I start a new project, I just select the relevant template, and the skeleton is ready to go with the required layout and even pre-written prompts in some. You don’t need to make them complicated either; they can be as simple or minimal as you like.
Notion Web Clipper
I didn’t even know Notion had a kind of read-later feature built in. Sure, I could have created one manually, but the built-in Web Clipper made it too easy to not jump on it. It’s now my go-to Pocket alternative, and as a bonus, it works offline, doesn’t cost anything, and lives right inside the same workspace as my notes.
I use it through my phone’s share menu or a browser extension, and my saves go straight into my “Read Later” page, where I can access it clutter-free. I’ve also added tags to sort articles into various categories for personal and work use. And since Notion saves the content for offline use, it’s perfect for spotty network days or when I just want to be unreachable for a bit.
And it’s one less app on my phone just to save links!
Notion Enhancer
This one’s just for the fun of it. Notion Enhancer is a third-party tool that lets you customize the look and feel of Notion, which, let’s face it, can feel a little too clean and monochrome at times. I found it while searching for ways to break the visual monotony after staring at the same black-and-white layout for months.
You can add custom fonts, keyboard shortcuts, link previews, window stacking, and more. But my favorite use is for focus. Notion Enhancer can auto-hide the top and side bars, giving me a clean, distraction-free writing space. It’s perfect when I’m deep in the writing mode. And on slower days, I’ll sometimes just play around with the font or theme for a small visual reset. It’s surprising how much that helps when you spend hours staring at the same screen.
Notion either works brilliantly for you or doesn’t work at all — there’s rarely an in-between. It’s such a customizable tool that it’s always interesting to see how others have adapted it to fit their needs.
These were just some of the ways I’ve made Notion work for me. I’ve got a few more personal setups, but for now, I’d love to know how you’ve made Notion yours. Drop a comment below and let the rest of us steal a few tips.
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