How To: Use Notion to Organize Your Entire Life

When I first discovered Notion in college, I was immediately hooked. The amount of templates, capabilities, and ability to design everything you need was exactly what I was looking for. Since then, I have used Notion to plan my days, my vacations, my meal prep, budget, and so much more.

I split my main Notion between Pages, Guides and To-Dos. I’ve also included some additional tips below for organizing work tasks through Notion To-Dos, which I always did from a new account.

Here’s a glimpse at my personal Notion.

Pages

The pages I implemented cover a wide range of aspects in my life, ensuring everything is organized and easily accessible. Here’s a breakdown of what each page includes:

Long Term Tasks and Goals

This page contains detailed descriptions of both my personal and professional goals, along with specific milestones and deadlines to keep me on track. I use it for progress tracking, incorporating motivational quotes to stay inspired, and include resource links and related notes for easy reference.

Monthly Bills and Expenses

I have a monthly budget breakdown on this page, where I list due dates for all my bills. It also includes an expense tracking section and details about my subscription services and their renewal dates.

Professional Contacts

This page holds contact details and professional titles for my network, along with notes on their expertise and past collaborations. I also link to their LinkedIn profiles and other relevant links, and keep track of the dates of last contact with reminders to follow up.

Health and Appointments

Here, I keep my medical history and current medications documented, along with upcoming appointments and reminders. It also includes my fitness goals and workout schedules, as well as meal plans and dietary notes.

Friends and Family

This page is dedicated to personal information such as birthdays and important dates. It contains addresses and contact information, gift ideas and records of past gifts given, as well as notes and reminders for event planning.

Job Documents and Details

On this page, I store my employment contracts and job descriptions, project details and deadlines, meeting notes and agendas, and performance reviews and feedback. This helps me keep all work-related documents organized and easily accessible.

Guides

The Guides section of my Notion homepage is a treasure trove of useful information and personal reflections. I reference this section the least, but it is invaluable when I need it. Here’s what it includes:

Travel Recommendations

This page contains itineraries and tips for destinations I've visited, along with details about my favorite restaurants and attractions. I also keep packing lists and travel hacks here, as well as photos and memories from my trips.

Memories

Here, I document journal entries from significant days, include inspirational quotes and affirmations, and store photos and mementos from special events. I also keep gratitude logs to reflect on positive experiences.

Habits

This page features a habit tracker for my daily routines, goals for personal growth and self-improvement, and progress logs with motivational quotes. I also list books and resources for developing new habits.

Shopping Wishlist

On this page, I list items I plan to purchase, along with links to products and stores. It includes budget estimates and saving goals, as well as notes on why I want each item.

Free-Form Writing

This section is where I do a brain dump for random thoughts and ideas. It also includes creative writing exercises, personal reflections and diary entries, and space for planning and brainstorming.

To-Do Lists

In my last job, I had tasks that would be repeated daily or on certain days of the week, so I organized that to-do list into daily, weekly, and quarterly tasks on one side and my daily to-dos on the other side, allowing me to copy and paste recurring tasks into my more specific, time-bound daily tasks.

I showed just about everyone at my job how to use this method of organization for to-do lists. It ensured that any repetitive tasks were not forgotten and could also be fit in if they needed more prep time.

In meetings, I would have open the agenda for that call as well as my Notion list. Action items coming out of the meeting would be immediately put into my Notion list and attached with a date. If there were any additional notes needed for that action, I would put them into the agenda and save down my own copy. This helped me be able to track my own tasks and not need to circle back for additional details that were already covered on the call.

For personal to-dos, such as picking up dry cleaning, grocery shopping, and so on, I would often attach a date to that to-do and have Notion send me a reminder. This kept tasks that were not work-related on track as well.

Using Notion has truly transformed the way I organize my life, making everything more streamlined and less stressful. Whether it's professional tasks, personal goals, or just keeping track of daily chores, Notion has a place for it all. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly recommend giving it a go – it might just change your life too!