WHY WE USE NOTION FOR EVERYTHING

So it’s no secret that we’re huge fans of Notion here at Paper + Word. Our entire business runs through it, but so do our personal lives. We’re going to break it down for you with our favourite ways to use Notion, and why it is perfect in all situations!

What is Notion?

Notion is like a giant online notebook with AI, automation, formulas and so much more. It allows you to set up multiple workspaces to suit your needs, including features like calendars, databases, galleries and outsourced widgets. It’s a tool designed to make whatever you do more streamlined, aesthetically pleasing and productive. The fully customisable interface means you can shape your space to suit you, and that’s one of the main reasons we love it!

Top 5 reasons to use Notion for your small business

1. Personalisation - First things first, Notion is incredibly flexible. Every small business has its own unique quirks and workflows, right? Notion gets it. With its user-friendly design and drag-and-drop interface, you can mold it into whatever shape you need. Whether you're tracking inventory, managing projects, or organising supplier or stockist data, Notion can be your trusty sidekick.

2. There’s a template for that! - Managing a small business means you're juggling a million things at once. Notion to the rescue! It's got all the usual favourite tools you need to keep your projects on track. Kanban boards, Gantt charts, to-do lists, CRM’s—you name it. And the best part? You can integrate your Google calendar and set up reminders so you'll never forget an important deadline or meeting again.

3. Teamwork Makes the Dream Work - Collaboration is the name of the game, and Notion makes it so easy (and fun!). You and your team can edit documents together in real-time, and with comments, mentions, and notifications, everyone stays in the loop. No more digging through emails or dusty spreadsheets. Notion also plays nice with other communication and file-sharing tools, and we choose to integrate it with Slack and Google Workspace!

4. Everything in one place - Raise your hand if you've ever felt overwhelmed by information scattered across different platforms. 🙋🏻‍♀️ Notion is here to save the day by being your one-stop information hub. Whether it's notes, customer data, product guides, or marketing plans, you can stash it all in Notion's organised structure. Plus, you can link, embed and bookmark related info for easy access.

5. It’s basically free! - Last but not least, we all know that small businesses have to watch their pennies. Notion gets that too. It starts with a free tier that's already pretty darn good. And as your business grows, you can upgrade to a paid plan for only $24 that offers even more features. That's scalability without breaking the bank, my friends!

Top 5 reasons to use Notion for your personal life

1. Hobby tracker and planner - Create a database in Notion to track all of your wild and wonderful hobbies and interests. Include fields for details like the name of the hobby, materials or equipment needed, progress, goals and more. You can also create linked databases for tutorials, resources, and inspiration related to each hobby.

2. A virtual library/TBR: Okay we know this is why you’re all here… You can create a database with fields for the title, author, genre, and your rating/review. Categorise them using tags or properties, and use filters to sort them by priority, genre, status, release date etc. Yep, we’re obsessed too.

3. Goal setting and tracking: Use Notion to set and track personal goals related to your hobbies and personal life. You can do this all in one, or create a page for each goal, outlining the specific steps, deadlines, and resources needed to achieve them. Use checkboxes and progress bars to monitor your progress (we freaking love a pie chart). Notion's reminders can help keep you accountable and motivated.

4. Travel planner: A personal favourite of our resident traveller, Beth, who plans all of her near and far travels in Notion! Include pages or databases for different trips, with details such as destinations, itineraries, accommodation options, packing lists, distance and budget tracking. You can also add maps and images to make it extra cute!

5. Journal and reflect: Abby loves using Notion as a digital journal to record thoughts, experiences, and gratitude. Create daily, weekly, or monthly journal templates and write about as much or as little as your heart desires. You can also embed photos, links, and other media to make it feel more like a bullet journal, if that’s your vibe!

So there you have it. Do you use Notion for anything obscure? We’d love to know!

If you haven’t used Notion before, you can create a free account with them and get started immediately! These are affiliate links, so if you sign up they know you came from us! 💜