The fall semester of my third year in university threw me for a loop. To be clear, I’ve never been the perfect student. Procrastination and I go way back. This semester, I hit an all-time low. I took tests about books I’d never read and handed assignments in late. I kept thinking, this isn’t me. I used to have routines, habits, and goals; I romanticized my life, especially school, and I had a strong sense of self. However, various stressors and uncertainties led me to gasp for air while trying to fulfil my most basic responsibilities. Needless to say, I was relieved when the winter break came. The break gave me time to think about who I am, who I want to be, and how to bridge the gap between those two versions of myself. That’s where Notion came in.
If you haven’t heard of Notion, it’s a platform where users can, as the Notion website states, “think, write, and plan.” On Notion, you can create pages using various tools, such as text, images, tables, to-do lists, and calendars. Notion has many free page templates, from a weekly to-do list to a thesis planner. If you’d prefer, you can start with a blank page and customize it to your heart’s content. The possibilities are endless. If you are a foodie, you can make a Notion page of your favourite recipes. If you love movies, you can use a Notion table to write your reviews.
Notion is the perfect tool to help me reinvent my life; it allows me to plan the comprehensive approach to self-improvement that I clearly need. Before I got to planning, I made a list of New Year’s resolutions. Then, I created Notion pages that would help me reach these goals. On the homepage of my Notion, I made a table of contents with four main headings: productivity, school, health, and personal. I decorated my home page with pictures from Gilmore Girls and a Rory Gilmore study playlist to evoke productive and cozy vibes. Under each heading of the table of contents, I have links to pages to help me stay organized, motivated, and accountable while reaching my goals.
Since I set a goal to maintain morning and night routines, I made a daily routine page located in the productivity section of my home page. I want to return to the gym and cook healthy meals this year, so I filled the health section with three pages: my workout plan, grocery lists, and meal ideas. One of my resolutions is to keep track of my money, so I created a budget page under the productivity heading. No matter my goals, Notion allows me to track my progress and stay motivated.
I know I’m in for a hard semester this winter, but I am not going to let it tear me down like it did in the fall. I am going to use Notion to stay on top of my necessary tasks and become my best self this year. If you are looking for a way to get organized and maintain your resolutions, perhaps try Notion!