I have tried to use Notion four times. The first three times, I abandoned the system within three months. The fourth attempt is now in its second year. The fourth is the one that stuck. The fourth is what I want to share.
Here is what failed, what worked, and the system that finally survived.
The three failed attempts
A short history.
Attempt 1 (2020): The Productivity Porn Phase. I built an elaborate Notion setup with databases, relations, formulas, and views. The setup took 20 hours to build. The setup was beautiful. The setup was also unused within a month. The unused was because the setup was more work than the tasks it was supposed to organize.
Attempt 2 (2021): The Second Brain Phase. I tried the “Second Brain” methodology. The methodology is about capturing everything in Notion and organizing it by projects. The methodology is popular for a reason. The reason is not what makes it work. The methodology requires significant daily maintenance. The maintenance was what I did not have time for.
Attempt 3 (2023): The Mimic the YouTubers Phase. I copied a setup I saw in a YouTube tutorial. The setup was for a different work pattern. The pattern did not match mine. The mismatching was what made it fail.
The three attempts failed for the same underlying reason. The reason was that I tried to build a system that worked for someone else. The building was the issue. The issue is what produced the failures.
What changed for attempt 4
The shift in approach.
Started with what I actually do. I spent a week just observing my work. The observation revealed: I write in long form, I manage 3-5 active projects, I track tasks by context (today, this week, someday), I save articles and ideas, I keep notes on meetings. The observation was the data. The data was the foundation.
Started small. The first week was just a single database for tasks. The single database was not pretty. The pretty was not the goal. The goal was to use it every day. The daily use was what I tested. The test was what mattered.
Added complexity only when needed. I did not add a database until I needed one. I did not add a relation until it solved a problem. The solving was the criterion. The criterion was what kept the system simple.
Made it forgiving. The system does not require perfect tagging. The perfect is the enemy of done. The done is what I optimized for. The optimization is what kept the system usable.
The system that finally stuck
The setup after two years.
Task database. The core of the system. The fields are: title, project (relation), context (select: today, week, waiting, someday), status (select: todo, doing, done), due date (date), notes (text). The task database is what I use every day. The every day is what makes it the core.
Project database. The projects I am working on. The fields are: title, status (active, paused, done), tasks (relation to task database), notes. The project database is what I use weekly to review. The weekly review is what keeps the projects current.
Notes database. The notes I take in meetings, calls, and ideas. The fields are: title, date, project (relation optional), type (meeting, idea, reference), content. The notes database is searchable. The searchable is what makes it useful.
Reading database. The articles and books I want to read. The fields are: title, type (article, book, podcast), status (queue, reading, read), source, notes, rating. The reading database is what I use to manage my reading list. The list was the second thing I added.
Daily journal. A simple page for each day. The page contains the date, three priorities for the day, and a reflection at the end of the day. The journal is what produces the habit of reflection. The reflection is what makes the system useful.
The workflows that emerged
What I actually do every day.
Morning: Open the daily journal page. The page is the day’s anchor. The anchor shows the three priorities. The priorities come from the task database filtered by “today” or “this week.” The three priorities are what I focus on.
Throughout the day: Add tasks as they come up. The tasks go into the task database with the appropriate project and context. The context is what I use to filter when reviewing.
End of day: Review what was completed. Mark tasks as done. Move unfinished tasks to tomorrow or this week. Add a brief reflection to the daily journal.
Weekly (Friday afternoon): Review all active projects. The review is 30 minutes. The review moves paused projects forward or marks them as done. The review clears completed tasks. The review is what keeps the system current.
Monthly (first Sunday): Review the reading list. The review moves finished items to read. The review adds new items from the past month. The review is what prevents the list from becoming a graveyard.
What I do not do
The things I tried and stopped.
Time-blocking in Notion. The time-blocking feature is built into Notion Calendar. The feature is what I tried. The try did not work for me. The work requires a different tool. The tool is what I use now.
Goal tracking. I tried using Notion for OKRs and goal tracking. The tracking was too detailed. The detail was what produced anxiety. The anxiety was what I avoided. The avoidance is the right answer for me.
Habit tracking. I tried using Notion for habit tracking. The tracking required daily entries. The entries became the habit. The habit was logging, not the actual habit. The actual habit was what I wanted.
Reading the entire Notion template gallery. The gallery is inspiring. The inspiring is what produced the productivity porn. The porn is what I avoid.
What I learned
The lessons from the four attempts.
Your system must match your work. The most important lesson. The system must be built for what you actually do. The actual work is what the system organizes. The organization is what produces the value.
Complexity is the enemy of consistency. The more complex the system, the less likely you are to use it. The less you use it, the more it becomes a graveyard. The graveyard is what produces abandonment.
Use it for one month before adding anything. The month rule is what I now follow. The month is enough to see if the new piece is actually needed. The actually-needed is what I add. The not-needed is what I skip.
The best Notion setup is the one you use every day. The use is what matters. The mattering is what the setup is for. The setup is what you build for yourself.
Notion is a tool, not a system. The tool is what Notion is. The system is what you build with the tool. The system is what matters. The mattering is what the tool is for.
The honest summary
Notion failed me three times. The failures were my fault, not the tool’s fault. The tool is what I tried to use in the wrong way. The wrong way was what produced the failures. The right way is what I am using now.
The system that finally stuck is small. The system has 5 databases. The system has 5 daily/weekly workflows. The system has been used for 2 years. The use is what makes it valuable.
The recommendation, if you are trying Notion:
- Start with one database. The database is for tasks. The tasks are what you do daily.
- Use it for 30 days before adding anything. The 30 days is what produces the habit. The habit is what makes it work.
- Build for your work, not for the YouTube aesthetic. The work is what matters. The aesthetic is what you skip.
- Keep it simple. The simple is what you will use. The use is what makes it valuable.
What I would tell my past self about Notion
A short list of things I wish I had known before my first attempt.
Stop trying to recreate someone else's setup. The setups you see in YouTube videos are designed for the YouTuber's work, not yours. The setup you build from scratch for your actual work will be better. The actual work is what the system is for.
A ugly database that gets used beats a beautiful database that does not. The aesthetics are not what matters. The mattering is what the use is. The use is the value.
You do not need a “second brain.” You need a task manager, a project list, and a notes app. The three things are what most people need. The need is what Notion can satisfy. The satisfaction is what the simple system is for.
Treat Notion like a notebook, not a system. The notebook approach is forgiving. The forgiving is what makes it work. The work is what produces the value.
You will abandon it. Plan for that. The abandonment is what happens. The happening is what you plan for. The plan is the backup. The backup is what you export monthly.
The four attempts failed for predictable reasons. The reasons were: too complex, too generic, too rigid, too aspirational. The fourth succeeded because it was: simple, specific, forgiving, and focused on daily use.
The fourth attempt worked because I started small, built for my actual work, and resisted complexity. The resistance is what I learned. The learning is what produced the success.
Notion is the right tool for some people. Notion is the wrong tool for others. The right answer depends on your work and your willingness to maintain a system. The willingness is what the success depends on.
The system is what matters. The system is what you build. The building is what you do daily. The daily is what produces the value.
