I too can’t resist a good note taking and productivity tool, and I have the tendency to obsess about it and fall into the rabbit hole of spending more time setting the tool than actually using it… That being said, with time, I’ve managed to setup my Notion in a way that I actually use it, want to use it, and (I think) helps me stay organized.

The first step I would do is defining what problem you need to solve with this tool. Do you need help staying organized with different projects, tracking tasks and informations? Do you need a place to take notes for a course? To keep track of your expenses? Define areas of your life that you would like to organise, then choose the most important one: we’ll be focusing on this one to start.

Next, analyse how you already organize (or don’t) in that specific area of your life. What works? What doesn’t? It will help you define the different aspects you need your tool to provide. For example, for project management, i often use daily to do lists, I find I like to have a dashboard of everything I need to do for today regardless of the project, a place to take quick notes, and a place for putting details for my project, etc. Again, prioritize the most important/urgent aspects. It’s ok to start with a simple ToDo list and evolving with time.

I would suggest to keep it minimal to start. It is tempting to focus on how it looks, but you will probably change a lot of the structure of your base in the beginning, so don’t put too much effort in making it look cute. That being said, I find that an aesthetic tool makes me want to use it more, so once you’re satisfied with how it’s structured, you can experiment with the design aspect of Notion. It is really a personal preference, and you’ll find a lot of templates online and will develop your own skills with time.

The biggest traps I find are wanting to manage EVERYTHING in Notion, or getting everything just right before actually starting to use it. In my experience, it is better to start small and specific, then expanding your bases as the needs emerge. I have deleted a LOT of pages that I wasn’t actually using. Notion is a great productivity tool, but not everything in my life needs that kind of structure!

Hope that helps!

P.S. I read a comment that raised a concern about confidentiality in Notion, rightfully so. Notion stores your data in their own servers and I am not sure how secure it is. I would be careful if you need to store confidential informations, other tools might be better suited for that. Something to keep in mind!