Finals week can already be very stressful on its own. Add being disorganized to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a hot mess. But have no fear, Notion is here to help.
Notion is a free mobile and desktop app that provides users the opportunity to work with elements including notes, checklists, agendas, calendars, reminders and more. It’s great because instead of having multiple apps for specific tasks, Notion is all-encompassing. Which warms my neat freak heart.
At first glance, Notion can seem overwhelming, but you get the hang of it pretty quickly. I would recommend beginning by writing up a list of pages you would like to include in your Notion. A couple of basic pages include a daily agenda, journal, goals, calendar, checklist, habit tracker and more. You can even link these pages on your home page, which I find to be very efficient for easy access.
The very first step to add an item is to select forward slash and a list of commands will dropdown. The first thing I added to my home page were headings to organize where my different pages would go. I clicked the forward-slash and chose a heading from the dropdown menu. Afterward, I was able to add the pages I wanted underneath my headings. Once I felt comfortable with the basic outline of my home page, I started messing around with background colors and icons. Notion lets you add quotes and images as well to personalize your space.
My favorite feature in Notion when it comes to staying on top of my finals week work would have to be the “Board” component. This element allows you to write up a list of tasks and judge their status. For instance, you can list assignments that you need to get done and as you complete them you can move each of them from “not started” to “in progress” and finally “completed.” It is really helpful to see which tasks I have yet to complete.
Another element that I find particularly helpful in Notion is the calendar. This is great for staying on top of deadlines and making sure I don’t forget any events or assignments coming up. In the calendar, I have added everything from my class times, hangouts with friends, to exam dates, just to make sure I don’t forget anything I have planned. The calendar option even allows you to filter different activities. For example, you can sort assignments by priority or even filter out the ones you have completed.
Lastly, creating a daily list of tasks has really improved my academic productivity. By having a checklist written down for the major tasks I need to complete each day, I have realized how much more I have been able to get done.
Notion has honestly changed my life this past semester and I don’t know how I got anything done without it. If you are feeling hesitant to start using the app because you don’t know where to begin creating, Notion offers free templates for all its users. You can also find a bunch of online templates that people have created as well. Good luck on finals week and happy organizing!
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