It has been six months since I started using Notion to organize my tasks, to-dos, educational stuff, notes, etc. As a computer science student, I encounter dozens of new concepts daily. At that moment, I feel that I have got the concept and it is straightforward but when a couple of days pass. The concept fades out like it has never crossed my way. Development is a daily part of cs students. Before notion, when I used to start a complex project – I never finished it because whenever a complex problem or development part came on the way I used to quit. But then I started making development tickets (tasks) with the implementation approach, and setting up their deadlines on the notion and guess what it helped me a lot.
So, you might be thinking, what is notion and how can this make a change in my life? In this blog post, you will learn what the notion is and how it can help you become organized and productive. After reading this post, I’ll make sure that you see a change. So, let’s get started.
What is Notion?
Notion is a versatile, popular, and free single-space software that includes templates, databases, wikis, charts, notes, kanban boards, calendars, and many others. It is a workplace where you can brainstorm, plan, write and collaborate. Think of it, as note-taking software but it can turn from a basic to-do list to a company wiki at a glance.
Notion has its own AI (Notion AI) – available for everyone to use for free. The best part is its beginner-friendly interface. When I started using it, I had a fear that this software would be tough and take enough time to manage but literally, it’s so easy to use. For students, the free version can do the job but if your requirements need more power then definitely go for its premium version.
How it can change your life?
Whether you are a student, employee, boss, or teacher – it can help you to achieve what you want to. Change in life depends on a person’s desire to alter. Back then, I was stressed about my irregular routine so I decided to make a change in the routine and notion helped me in this change. Discipline is a key to healthy change in your life. It provides you with the opportunity to make it disciplined.
Taking notes, keeping track of daily to-dos, managing upcoming events, making flowcharts, planning, or collaborations – it has made it easier for us. Whatever your role is, it does not limit you from using it. If you mark off daily tasks in advance, you’ll get at least 80% done, but if you don’t know what to do, you’ll waste time scrolling reels.
How to use Notion?
The process of using the notion is pretty simple. When I started, I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials to learn how to use it but here is a simple guide to it.
How to add a blank page?
To create a blank page, click on the top-left pencil icon or add a page on the sidebar.
You can add content to your page just like Notepad. Blocks are a major component of page content – there are over 500 blocks. Just using / – (slash), you can see all the blocks.
- /text – to add a paragraph
- /list – to add numeric or bullet list
- /table – to create a database table
- /image – add image or paste its link, same for video
- /calendar – to insert a calendar
- /page – to insert a new page
- /code – a section to write the code
How to create a workspace?
To create a workspace click on the (+) icon shown alongside the workspace on the sidebar.
How to add collaborators?
To add collaborators, go to your page or workspace where you want to add and then at the top-right side, click on the share – enter the email and give general access to a person.
Personalised template
There are dozens of different categories of templates on the notion. Select the template which best suits your needs. To set a personalised template, click on the template option on the sidebar. Explore the templates and select one of them.
You can check more here: Notion
How do I activate Notion AI?
Notion AI is a free AI functionality available in notion. To activate press space, it will be activated. Now, ask anything related to your work. It can write more relevant content, add lists, create flowcharts, create tables, brainstorm ideas and many others. Initially, I avoided using AI because I didn’t like AI intervention but when I started using it, I was amazed.
Notion Shortcuts
The notion is loaded with dozens of keyboard shortcuts for Mac and Windows. List of popular shortcuts for both operating systems.
| Action | Mac | Window |
| Find/Search | cmd + F | ctrl + F |
| Select current block | Escape | Escape |
| Copy a page’s link | cmd + L | ctrl + L |
| Access all blocks | / – slash | / – slash |
| Toggle theme | cmd + shift + L | ctrl + shift + L |
| Notion AI | space | space |
| Emoji’s | : name | : name |
Want to know more shortcuts: Notion Shortcuts
Integration with other platforms
Notion is a powerful tool but what if we can add other platforms’ powerful features too? Don’t you think that this will make it beast? Yes, it will. Its integration with other platforms makes its workflow automation, data synchronization, and collaboration much more user-friendly. Currently, I am working on a product and have integrated Slack and GitHub in the notion which has made my workflow much more manageable. Through this, team collaboration has been pumped up.
List of Notion integrations
- Everhour
- Jira
- Slack
- Github
- Make
- Trello
- Google Calendar
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- Qonto
There are more than 30 platforms available to integrate.
Comparison
| Features | Notion | Evernote | Trello | Google Docs |
| Popular for | single-space software | Note-taking | Kanban boards management | Document collaboration |
| Pricing | Free & Paid ($10/month) | Free & Paid ($10.83/month) | Free & Paid ($5/month) | Free |
| Collaboration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customization | Yes | No | Moderate | No |
| Database support | Yes | No | No | No |
| Kanban boards | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Markdown support | Yes | No | No | No |
| AI support | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Download Link:
Windows or Mac: Download
Android or Apple: Download
Conclusion
Notion is a powerful and popular workplace, yet undiscovered by many. Especially by the students who need to use it most. From basic to-dos to complex business management, from collaboration to integrating third-party software. It provides what you wish to have in software. The experience I have with it – I have already shared with you. As It has made a major change in my life it can do in yours too. Just, start using it – download it from the link provided above.
Tell in the comments whether are you excited to use it or not. If need help just contact me at faizan@appsolucion.com