My Top Uses For Notion

I use Notion every day and I wanted to share some of the templates I have made and use all the time. From daily journaling, to bucket list goals, to learning logs and much more. For me, Gallery View makes looking at data… well, fun! So I try to make use of it as much as possible.

Daily log:

This is the feature I use every day. It takes only a few minutes to complete and helps me keep track of things like my mood, my exercise, my diet, and my health. It also offers me the opportunity to reflect on the events of the day. I’ve been running a daily log on my Notion for nearly 900 days and it’s fun to skip back in time to see what past-me was up to. Journaling or diary writing is a great habit and my Notion template allows you to keep it up to date wherever you are.

Library:

Cataloguing all the books in your house might not seem like many people’s idea of fun, but it is mine! Immensely satisfying to have it all set out before you to search and explore. My library template allows you to log your books and audiobooks (it can be modified to add other media like games, movies, and music) and assign status to them (‘ready to start’, ‘current reads’, ‘finished’) to help you keep track of your reading. You can also see, using the wonderful gallery view, what you’ve read in a given year.

Bucket List:

In the back of my mind I’ve always had experiences or things I have wanted to do, achieve, or possess in my life. Sure, you can write them down in a list, that’s easy enough, but I’ve made a very simple template that makes use of gallery view (of course!). A list with pictures? That’s much better!

Learning Log:

We’re always learning, and sometimes we forget to take notes or log what we learned so, inevitably, we forget. My learning log template allows you to quickly note some learning, be it for example, a TED talk, a lecture, or a tutorial, and assign tags, store reference information to go back to later, and make notes about what you learned and what your next steps will be. It’s simple, easy to complete, and it might just come in handy one day.

Reflections:

It’s that gallery view again! This one is really simple but, for me, really effective. Pictures of your favourite people and notes about why. To see a page of your favourite faces is inspiring. They could be friends, family, sports stars, authors, movies stars – anyone who you feel an affinity to or that has inspired you. I often go and just look at this part of my Notion system and smile. It’s a curated collection of goodness that can be a great pick-me-up or motivator. It helps me remember who I am and what my values are. Pretty powerful for a very simple template.

Show & Tell:

This is where I log all my children’s achievements. Of course, it makes use of gallery view and the kids and I enjoy scrolling though the gallery at all their past momentous moments. The database uses a master tag system and you assign tags to your kids. You then tag them when you create an entry. What could you include? Well, anything that you feel is worth celebrating. First day of school, artwork, first tooth, first steps, the school nativity… It’s a digital scrapbook to share with your children.

Quotes:

You’re reading a book and something jumps right out of the page at you. You want to remember that, those words meant something to you. My very simple template allows you to collect all those wonderful quotes in one place for when you need them most. I have made two templates. The first is very simple, with it you create a long list of quotations that you can add to and read over and over. The second is more structured, allowing you to add filters, store more information and build up a proper reference if you want to be more specific or you are perhaps preparing for an essay or project.

And there we go. A whistle stop run through of the ways I use Notion. I genuinely use Notion for these tasks all the time and find it incredibly rewarding and useful. If you are interested, you can head over to my Notion templates and duplicate these for yourself. If you do, I hope you find them useful.

If you do, you can always buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/andyexperience