Getting Started with Notion
Workflow is the sequence of steps, tasks, points of measure involved in moving from the beginning of a project through to its completion. Workflow refers to functionality, productivity, progress, to systems, processes, things that arrive to and revolve around your desk, your store, your laptop, your laboratory, your mailbox, your commitments. Here are 5 books that have helped me explore and evaluate my own workflow:
5 BOOKS TO EVALUATE WORKFLOW
Workflow: A Practical Guide to the Creative Process by Doron Meir (2018)
The Focus Project: The Not So Simple Art of Doing Less by Erik Qualman (2020)
Do the Hard Things First: How to Win Over Procrastination and Master the Habit of Doing Difficult Work by Scott Allan (2021)
Keep It Moving: Lessons for the Rest of Your Life by Twyla Tharp (2019)
Work Clean: The Life-Changing Power of Mise-en-Place to organize your life, work, and Mind by Dan Charnas (2016)
YOU CAN FIND THESE & MORE WORKFLOW BOOKS AT MY BOOKSHOP PAGE HERE.
WORKFLOW + TIME
The first way to understand and evaluate your own workflow is time. In these #workfromhome times, tracking time spent on your projects or on your laptop or mobile is crucial to planning and progress. How long does it take to complete a task? Tracking time helps with establishing healthy boundaries and realistic milestones for any project or team. Clear boundaries and solid planning create the conditions for real presence. When you are truly present and prepared, you can bring focus and flexibility to dynamic deadlines and goals. You can start tracking your time with Harvest or Toggl.com.
WORKFLOW + TOOLS
THE SECOND WAY TO UNDERSTAND YOUR WORKFLOW IS TOOLS. WHAT ANALOG TOOLS KEEP YOU GROUNDED IN THIS ERA OF THE ULTRA-TECH-SAVVY? WHAT DIGITAL TOOLS SURPRISE YOU WITH EASE, AUTOMATION AND COMMUNITY?
ANALOG TOOLS VS DIGITAL TOOLS
I still find good use for a clipboard, a dry erase board and a battery operated dual timer at my desk. There are many digital tools out there. A lot of these apps and programs fall short, creating more stress as we try to adapt them to projects in motion. Asana, Evernote, OneNote, Monday, Trello, Clickup are just some of the note apps and project management platforms trending now, hoping to be your all-in-one solution. There is a huge need to streamline systems, cultivate communication and create accountability. Recently, I started using the note app called Notion. I tried many but I have stuck with Notion for its versatility, simplicity and its sharing features. I have found it to be a really amazing tool! Here is a brief introduction and tour for getting started with Notion for your projects.
How I use Notion
I first heard about Notion from Squarespace Designer Katelyn Dekle in a blog post titled, Why you should ditch your PM tool for Notion. Then I took an online course with Squarestylist.com Designer, Rache De Luna and received course materials from a Notion page. After that, I decided to learn more about Notion. I learned how to set up Notion pages, find templates and build my Notion workspace. I began to use Notion pages for online lessons and website projects. Notion pages can be updated daily, weekly and easily referenced during an online lesson for links, documents and demos. Its a really great time-saver to have one Notion page that can combine so many file types and the visual look of the workspace is very clean. Often, I have many file types for a single project —png, jpg, pdf, mp4, docx. During a meeting where I need to screen share—it helps to have all my links and files in one spot.
NOTION 101 TOUR - jump to the recipe
This is a from scratch Notion introduction, if you are proficient in say..spreadsheets, you will find this step by step Notion guide, a bit elementary. Ready for something more fancy for your new Notion workspace? Scroll to the end of this blog post for my list of Notion resources from the best guides out there. Let’s get going and dive in for the super beginner friendly, Notion 101 tour! Go to my demo Notion page to view here. You can click duplicate at the top right corner to copy the page and start your own Notion workspace. You can also click Try Notion to create a new account or go to Notion.so to begin. When you are at your new page, follow these ten steps to explore your new workspace.
Notion 101 Tour
Follow Along- Steps One through Ten here
Step One
Select new page from the bottom left corner or work from the demo page. See your new page in the view. See the headline area and your sidebar. To hide the sidebar, you can click << the two arrows at the top left. (When to hide the sidebar? Screen sharing or focus time. ) On the demo page, you will see a lite peach cover, a black moonrise logo and a blue sofa icon.
Step Two
Choose a page title that you would like for your new page or write Notion 101 tour.
Step Three
Hover like a hummingbird, a hawk or a helicopter, hover to see the six dots and a plus that defines each block. The definition of hover is to remain in one place in the air, to float or linger.
Step Four
Press the slash button on your keyboard and explore your block options. Look for the feet emoji on the Notion 101 page. What is a slash? A slash is a stroke or slanting line in print or writing that represents alternatives or dual functions. The slash is paired with the question mark on your favorite keyboard. For Notion, a slash / opens up all your cool block options on any Notion page.
Step Five
Slash to select the Toggle option. Enter the text “my toggle option here” and click to open the toggle area below.
Step Six
Slash to select any image file to upload (under 5MB), then close the toggle to see image view close as well.
Step Seven
Click to the area below the toggle and slash to select bullet points. At your first bullet point, write today’s date.
Step Eight
Continue to area below bullet point, slash to select “embed pdf” and type out the spelling for e-m-b-e-d-p-d-f to see the selection show up.
Step Nine
Continue to area below your embedded pdf. Slash to select your choice of inline calendar, add a file, emoji (palm tree) or a divider line.
Step Ten
Time to customize your page. Go back to your page title-either the title you chose or Notion 101 tour. As you hover at page title area, see add icon. Change the icon of the sofa or default icon to a laptop, bike or globe. Change the cover behind the icon by hovering on the area of the page title to see the words “cover”. To change the cover, you can choose from over 30 Notion covers or upload you own Canva-made cover image. To make your own Notion cover in Canva, use the custom size feature for the dimensions 1500px by 600px. You can buy a cool pack of Notion cover images at Gumroad here:
How to Notion : Extras for Getting Started
The seeds of Notion have been planted. You have completed the super beginner-friendly Notion 101 tour. You have a Notion workspace and your very own Notion page. You can write text or make lists, add documents or images, embed pdfs or videos. Bear in mind that like a good latte, this page can be further customized…and celebrate progress!
NOTION FOR TEAMS
A Notion page can act as a dashboard for any project. For collaborations, Notion pages can be shared as a web page or by email invite. For example, I am a research contributor for a true crime podcast in development, the Notion page for the podcast is a hub for new episode notes, script changes and the production schedule.
SHARING YOUR NOTION PAGE
If you want to share your Notion page, here is a link to the sharing and permissions guide. You can select the permissions type for any email invitee (edit, view only, full admin access). In the top right corner, click Share to send email invite. You have the option to make any Notion page a public web page. When your Notion page is a public web page, others can choose to copy it as a template to their own Notion workspace. If you share your Notion page via email invite, keep in mind there is an email verification step as they will need to confirm their email address to access the page.
NOTION TEMPLATES + RESOURCES TO LEARN MORE
You can make templates from scratch or you can access many pre-built templates by going to your Notion sidebar and selecting templates. Browse by topic or industry to see many, many options. To learn more about Notion templates and all the ways to use your Notion workspace, check out the resources listed here. Notion is a free tool. The only limit is 5 MB per file upload on the free version. The pro version is $5 a month and it is unlimited. For Notion support, here is the link to many tutorial videos and the email for Notion support is team@makenotion.com
NOTION FOR DESIGNERS WITH SARA LORETTA, 99 & SAINT CLAIRE ($67)
NOTION MASTERY WITH MARIE POULIN (ONLINE COURSE $750)
NOTIONEER MEMBERSHIP WITH DANI SCHNAKENBERG ($13 MONTHLY)
#NOTIONNERDSTORIES
If you are a small business owner, a graduate student or writer, give Notion a try to organize your projects. If you are a website DIYer, Notion is a super way to keep accurate updates for all website maintenance. You can put screenshots, code snippets, restyle notes all on one page that can be quickly updated, referenced and shared with others. Want to learn more about using Notion for your projects? Intrigued by the #notionnerdstories shared here? Website clients can schedule a power hour with me to set up your Notion workspace.