Using Notion to project manage my creativity

We’ve talked previously about the need to plan your creations carefully, so you don’t run out of content.

And recently, I’ve spent a fair bit of time developing my own system to ensure that not only am I practicing what I preach, but also so I know that I have some bits of work in the bank. I’ve recently recorded and edited two videos, so I know I’ve given myself a little bit of breathing space.

Like many creatives, I use Notion as a project managing tool.

What is Notion?

Now I can’t lie, I originally struggled with Notion. I couldn’t get my head around all of the aspects and components of it, and was definitely not using it as it should have been. Now, I’m not saying I’m lightyears better, but I have put some time and effort into developing my understanding, and enhancing it as a tool so it fits what I want to get out of it.

See, the thing is, Notion is not just a productivity tool or note taking app. And I think this is perfectly summed up by Dustin and Thomas below.

With the way things are going, I see Notion as more of a programming language than a productivity app – the possibilities are insane

— Thomas Frank (@TomFrankly) May 30, 2021

Notion can become whatever you want it to be, especially as you can now make it interact with other systems and tools with the Notion API. Again, I’m not completely ‘au fait’ with this, but at first look it looks pretty exciting!

How do I use Notion?

I have heavily used (and even tweaked) Thomas’ Video Project Manager template and have created four different databases for me to use.

Articles, YouTube, Weekly Quote Drops, Twitter Threads

Now, what this means is that I can set up a page for each video, article or thread and use it as a place to store all of the relevant information. Whether that is research, ideas, scripts, pictures, the list is endless.

Each of these ideas can be viewed on their own as a page, or in a database/kanban board/timeline etc. This means you can get an overview of all of the different projects you’re working on, or drill into one specific project for the detail.

And I love it.

It means every piece of work I even think about in a brainstorming session has it’s own place that I can just dump anything valid or relevant and come back to review in due course. I even use some of the checklists in each page (or project) to ensure that I have carried out every step when it comes to publishing said piece of work.

Now the key to all of this is the template from Thomas. My Notion is set for each new idea to use a template that all of the information can be saved. The beauty of a template is that it makes it much harder to miss anything relevant. All you need to do is populate the fields, if relevant.

Like I said, there is no way that I am using this to the full, but it is working for me and not just for the sake of it, but it is making my project management and planning easier, and far more effective.

I must offer the biggest of hat tips to Thomas Frank though, as his website and his designated YouTube channel have made notion far more accessible for me.

Again, there are other tools out there that you can use, but for me Notion is far more adaptable to meet your needs, and I would definitely recommend persevering with getting to grips with it!