How We Organize Our Life in Notion | Second Brain

Writing things down has transformed my business, life, and creative work. Instead of relying on memory for important tasks and ideas, I utilize an app called Notion to organize everything effectively. This approach helps me manage daily chaos while keeping my priorities in focus across all areas of my life.

Over the past two years, transitioning from a solo freelancer to leading a ten-person team has been an incredible journey. Key lessons learned include effective team management, recruitment of skilled individuals, and mastering delegation. Ensuring that all components function smoothly without constant oversight became essential for maintaining high standards in operations.

Developing robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) transformed the workflow when hiring the first employee. Each week, a task was demonstrated and recorded, allowing for creation of streamlined checklists in Notion from those recordings. These SOPs cover various tasks like adding translated articles to blog posts or onboarding customers into Slack channels with clear steps and substeps as needed. More complex projects, such as compiling an ebook from existing content, benefit greatly from documented processes that prevent reinventing efforts every few years. This structured approach enables any team member to execute actions independently without extensive training or guidance.

Managing a household is as complex as running a business, involving bills, maintenance schedules, and various service providers. To streamline this process after purchasing their home in Long Beach, the couple created an operating manual using Notion. They transformed physical documents from previous owners into digital notes for easy access and organization. By capturing information immediately and organizing it later within Notion's database system, they ensure that all essential details about their home's systems are readily available for future reference.

Maintaining a home requires organized information about service providers and utilities. A dedicated page lists reliable contacts for repairs, such as specialized technicians for unique appliances like antique stoves or motorized gates. This system also tracks essential details like account numbers, billing responsibilities, and shared passwords to streamline scheduling repairs among household members. Additionally, with the arrival of a baby necessitating storage organization, a database was created to catalog items by location in closets while tagging them appropriately for easy retrieval later on.

Using Notion as a second brain enhances creativity by organizing writing efforts systematically while preserving spontaneity. It serves as an essential tool for managing blog posts, which are crucial for attracting new clients and promoting courses. By structuring the creative process in Notion, one can streamline content creation without stifling inspiration.

Notion's Kanban boards streamline the blog writing process by visually tracking progress through various stages, from idea generation to publication. Each piece of writing is represented as a card that moves across columns: starting with an initial idea, gathering notes, outlining, drafting, and finally becoming a finished article. This method allows for managing multiple projects simultaneously without overwhelming oneself mentally. By utilizing this system within Notion, it becomes easier to select daily tasks based on mood or inspiration while maintaining clarity in the creative workflow.

Self-judgment stifles creativity, hindering the creative spirit. To overcome this barrier, one must engage in deeper thinking and research to foster a more open mindset.

Self-judgment stifles creativity, but embracing natural curiosity and imagination fosters exploration. A reliable support system, referred to as a 'second brain,' is essential for retaining important ideas and information. Utilizing tools like Notion helps in organizing thoughts effectively, ensuring nothing valuable is forgotten. Engaging with resources on managing creative projects can enhance this process significantly.