In our quest to streamline work wherever we can, we actively look for tools to help us carry out our mission and smoothen processes to ensure the quality of our work.
At SUMSUM, we have been using such a tool - Notion - to oversee projects and collect documentation for a while. So, when we spotted that our business group, Raccoons, needed a breath of fresh air in regards to tooling, we decided to start an internal migration process to Notion. If you want to know more about this migration process, click here. We explain in-depth why we made this decision, how the process went, and what the final result was.
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Simply put, Notion is an "all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases." For me, Notion is the tool that allows me to manage all kinds of things in a simple, centralized, and organized way.
As I already stated, SUMSUM uses Notion very intensively. So, once I had found my way of working in Notion, I also started using the tool in my private life. For example, I put together an overview of restaurants I have already visited or want to try out in the future, along with some interesting information.
You can even go further. I, for instance, plan and document everything needed for my summer vacation in Notion. And this is just a start. In my opinion, you can use Notion for anything related to planning or documentation. Of course, the big questionremains: why Notion?
This blog lists several reasons why I think Notion can help you as an individual or even a business. Below, you can find five reasons why I think you should startusing Notion.
Notion offers a massive variety of ways to store and display information. You can easily create a new page where you can easily display text in various ways. Besides the standard layout options like bold, italic, color, and so on, you can add headings, lists, code-blocks, quotes,highlights, and many other ways of visually representing text.
In addition to the simple notebook, you can use databases to keep track of different kinds of information. These can also be displayed using additional properties such as filters, sorting, and diverse rules that you can attach to the database to show or hide specific data.
For example, tasks like project management, budget calculations and management, Kanban board and task management are efficiently executed in Notion. It is also possible to use relationships between databases and mathematical calculations to display different kinds of analyses.
Cooperation and Notion go well together! The tool provides easy-to-use control access for every page in your workspace. At SUMSUM, we can easily document everything about a project and only share a couple of pages with our customers. This way, we can effortlessly divide the things we share with our customers and stakeholders.
💡 An added bonus: It's free to grant access to guest accounts on a couple of pages in your workspace!
Learning and starting to use a new tool can be a considerable challenge. With Notion, it is no different. However, to get started more quickly, you can use the enormous number of existing templates Notion offers. There's a template for almost anything you can do with Notion: blog posts, meeting notes, budget calculations, CRM systems, FAQ pages, mood boards, agendas, and so on.
Notion offers a massive platform for all types of support. For example, you have the possibility of contacting an employee at any time. At the bottom of each page, you have a button with a question mark. If you click on it, you can look for help in different ways: go to the help/support page, live chat with a support employee, or contact sales.
It is also possible to go and find help with a Notion Ambassador. Notion calls them "passionate, volunteer enthusiasts who teach and share Notion with others. They leadlocal communities, organize online and offline events, produce courses and tutorials, create templates, share translations, and much more." As a Notion Ambassador, you'll be able to share your templates and other content with a built community of followers. Anyone can apply to join the group of ambassadors and help the platform's growth!
The title of this paragraph speaks for itself. Notion is entirely free for personal use! The most significant limitation of the free plan is how much data you can upload and the version history of a page.
It is possible to switch to the paid version of Notion for a small price, where you also have different types of packages.
Moreover, Notion does not push you to choose a paid version. You do not encounter advertising, get promotional emails, see banners, or be required to upgrade to a premium version at any point.
When do you start paying? When there are 10.000 'blocks' in your workspace (the unit Notion measures with). But once you get there, you'll probably know if you want to pay for it or not. 😉
Notion is not only a great tool because of the features it offers. It is effortless to embed other programs or tools and thus expand your Notion workspace. You can easily integrate tools like Google Drive, Twitter, Google Maps, Miro, Slack, Zoom, etc., to make your workspace even more complete.
It is not only possible to add external things to your workspace, but you can also add other pages and databases. For example, you can easily add a Kanban board from another page and by adjusting the filter and views, make a calendar out of it!
Why do I think we could all use Notion? The main reason, for me at least, is that Notion helps me create structure through flexibility and accessibility. There is almost no limit to how organized you can become. The fact that they constantly launch new features and the unlimited possibilities of Notion, combined with the vast community and support platforms, makes Notion a fascinating tool to try out!