Last semester, I discovered something that changed the way I kept my life in order. Notion is an application that allows you to take notes, jot down reminders, keep track of all your assignments, create a calendar, budget, and so much more. A few months ago, I would’ve considered myself a Notion amateur. I designed it to be simple and easy to use because all I needed it for was to take notes and keep an agenda. But this semester, I’ve completed changed the way I use Notion in order to maximize the benefits, and I’ve never been happier. Here is quick glimpse into my Notion and how I am staying organized this semester, along with a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way!
I have my Notion sorted into a home page, which serves as a directory for all the separate pages I have created, such as assignments, recipes, habit tracker, wishlist, etc. I have a lot of pages/features on my home page that I haven’t set up yet (ex: morning/night routine, money diaries, fitness), but it is best to just to create sections that are best for you! A few of my favorite pages to use include assignments and recipes because they help me to stay organized with school but also with my weekly meal prep.
If you keep scrolling down on my home page, I have a focus section that helps me prioritize my goals for the week and future goals as well. Additionally, I have more general things such as a to do list, my assignments page, and a daily agenda. It may seem a bit overwhelming, but like I mentioned earlier, it is best to organize your Notion in a way that works best for you! If you want to be extra like me, you can include pages such a reading directory, wishlist, watch queue, etc. but if it’s too much for you, just incorporate pages that best accommodate what you want to get out of Notion.
My absolute favorite part of my Notion is my academia page because it has done wonders for my organization skills. On this page, I have created separate pages for each of my courses for the current semester. I make sure to put the course name, professor, and all those little details within each individual page. Below my courses is my list of all my assignments for all my courses, color coordinated and sorted by due date. My biggest tip with to do lists or assignments is to create it in a table view. That allows you to create different views of it, such as “to submit” or “completed”. Another amazing thing you can do with a table view is that you can sort it my due date and course, which is so helpful in prioritizing what work needs to get done first.
The last stop on my tour is the individual course page itself, which includes details such as course name, professor, meeting days, syllabus, and office hours. Within each page, I also have created tables for whatever notes I take for the class. I also love that I am able to embed a pdf into the page itself because then I am able to have my syllabus right there and read all the details about that course. I know I just spurted out a bunch of Notion lingo, but if you start using it, you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.
I want to quickly that I did not make this Notion template by myself and I got it from twirlingpages on Youtube. I highly recommend checking out her videos to learn more about Notion and how to get the most from it! The link to her Notion youtube video is here. I hope this tour of my Notion has inspired you to get into using it too because trust me, it’ll change your life.