Do you struggle with everyday organization? Is it difficult for you to find the motivation to keep a calendar? If you said yes to both of these questions, welcome to the club sis. I’ve noticed throughout this entire year in quarantine that I’m not as organized as I thought. I don’t really know why I thought I was organized, the last time I wrote in an actual calendar was in 2018. I usually just buy calendars because I think the cover is pretty. Anyway, around October of 2020, I decided this was my year to get organized. I decided the time of confusion and stress when it comes to my schedule was over, I wanted to get my life in order. I didn’t really know where to start, considering regular calendars have NOT worked for me in the past. So one day, I was scrolling through TikTok, you know ignoring the list of things I have to do, when I came across a video introducing this downloadable system called Notion. Notion combines your calendar, notes, to-do lists, education organization and so much more all into one place in order to provide you with a completely organized schedule and a new outlook on life. Not only do you have access to every organized tool you’d need, but you’d also have complete control over the personalization. You can add links to your favorite Spotify playlists, you can add photos, inspirational quotes to get you through your day, watch lists to keep track of what entertainment you’re watching, organize checkmark lists of your morning and nighttime routines. Notion is completely yours, for free.
I’ve been using Notion consistently since November of 2020. I originally downloaded it in October but to be completely honest it was difficult for me to get into it. Going from barely organizing my schedule to organizing every single aspect of my life was definitely an adjustment that took time to get used to for sure. However, once I took the time, two hours, to sit down and organize Notion to fit every organizational need I had, it changed my life. Not to be dramatic, but it took a lot of stress out of my everyday routine. I had become so accustomed to trying to remember every appointment, zoom meeting and assignment that once I wrote everything down on Notion, my life became 100 times easier. I started being able to balance a career as well as my education so much better. On my Notion I was able to write down every class I have this semester and also include every single assignment. I even set an alarm for when the assignment was due. This helped me to get to where I am educationally right now which is ahead in multiple classes. I’m taking 18 credits this semester so I knew I was going to need extra support in the organized schedule department. Notion really came through for me. I created a completely separate page for Her Campus which allows me to write the best content I can between being a contributing writer and on the social media team. By having all the different aspects of my life displayed all in one collective space, I noticed my time for myself increased significantly. I am able to see every assignment, article, presentation and project due in one joint place, decreasing anxiety when it comes to submitting projects on time. By decreasing this anxiety, my time for myself increased as well as time for the important people in my life.
I’d have to say the aspect of Notion that I love the most is how personal you can choose to make it. You can start with a completely blank slate and create something that is entirely you, something that fits your personality as well as your organizational style or you can go on the internet and find a template created by a fellow Notion user and duplicate it and alter it to fit your unique design in a way that’s still aesthetically pleasing. On TikTok, people have gained fame by sharing the template to their Notion designs. One popular Notion template was created by designer @Rijhaaa. She has multiple different color schemes, the most popular ones being lavender, neutral and sage green. All you have to do to copy someone’s Notion template is to pick the “duplicate” button in the top right corner then you can get to altering the template in a way that fits your organizational techniques as well as personal style.
One thing I’ve been wanting to keep up with consistently since the pandemic started was journaling. I love the aspect of physically writing with a pen and paper; however, sometimes it’s easier to keep all my thoughts organized in one online space. So, in order to keep up with my love of journaling, I created a location on Notion for me to do so. Every night before I go to bed, as I go along with my nighttime routine, I make time to sit and write two to three sentences in the “Journal” section on my Notion. This is a great space for me to just release the stress of the day before without leaving the organized location I created for myself on Notion. Having my calendar and my journal both in the same arranged space is really strengthening my mental health. Having my calendar open while reflecting on my day makes it easier to remember the day behind me and move on to the next day, planning my activities and arranging a schedule that allows for productivity.
In such an uncertain time, it’s so easy to ditch schedules and calendars and just do things whenever you have the time. I’ve been so guilty of just putting things off until the last minute. I’m sure some of you’ve been guilty of this as well, that’s totally okay. Now that we’re at a year of living through the pandemic, take this time to reorganize your state of living. Approach midterms with your courses in order and ace those final exams, all because you’re following a schedule. Use Notion to balance your time and give enough attention to family, education, relationships, friendships and self-care. Trust me, after giving enough time to Notion and your schedule, you’ll quickly start to feel the positive effects of organization.