Ali Abdaal
September 17, 2019
Getting Started with Notion: The Ultimate Productivity App for Students
TL;DR
Notion is a flexible, all-in-one productivity app that combines note-taking, databases, and content management, offering free access to students and costing just $4/month for others, with customizable templates and organizational tools.
Key Takeaways
- 1Notion is a hybrid app combining note-taking, databases, and content management systems, allowing users to build custom organizational structures rather than following rigid hierarchies
- 2Students with .edu email addresses get Notion completely free; others pay $4/month, with 1,000 free blocks available on the free plan
- 3The app features pre-built templates for various use cases including the Cornell note-taking system, which combines active recall keywords with detailed notes
- 4Content blocks are the core feature of Notion, allowing users to add text, images, headings, call-outs, databases, and breadcrumbs to customize their workspace
- 5The 'value of delight' through customizable icons, cover images, and colorful emojis encourages consistent use and makes studying and productivity more enjoyable
- 6Notion's database feature enables complex organizational systems like hierarchical knowledge trees, useful for categorizing course materials and tracking progress
Notable Quotes
“I would describe it as a sort of hybrid between a note-taking app a database app and what's called a content management system”
— Presenter
“notion it's like you're building your own house and you can build it with whatever building blocks you want”
— Presenter
“the value of delight a notion is just such a delight to use like you can have these little icons you can have these cover images it just makes all sorts of notes just look a little bit nicer”
— Presenter
“it's the best four dollars a month I ever spend on any software ever”
— Presenter
Chapters
1. What is Notion?
An introduction to Notion as a flexible hybrid between note-taking apps, databases, and content management systems. Unlike rigid apps like Evernote or OneNote, Notion allows users to create custom organizational structures without predefined hierarchies.
2. Core Features: Workspaces, Pages, and Blocks
Overview of Notion's fundamental building blocks: workspaces contain pages, and pages contain content blocks. Demonstrates creating a medicine page with icons and cover images, then converting items into separate pages to build custom hierarchies and breadcrumb navigation.
3. Pricing and the Student Plan
Notion's pricing structure: free plan with 1,000 blocks, $4/month personal plan, and completely free access for students with .edu email addresses with unlimited blocks. The presenter endorses it as excellent value.
4. Templates and the Cornell Note-Taking System
Exploration of Notion's extensive pre-built templates for students and professionals, with focus on the Cornell note-taking method template that combines recall keywords on the left, detailed notes on the right, and a summary section for active learning.
5. Real-World Medical Student Use Case
The presenter demonstrates how they personally use Notion to study for the MRCP medical exam, organizing neurology and hematology/oncology by topic with toggle boxes for questions and notes, using icons and hierarchical structures to build 'knowledge trees.'
6. Diverse Applications Beyond Studying
Overview of the presenter's other uses for Notion including email newsletter management, video planning, weekly reviews, online course tracking, idea logging, life wiki, gym tracking, podcast ideas, and book reviews.
Key People & Entities
- Notion
- Productivity and organization app combining note-taking, databases, and content management
- Evernote
- Traditional note-taking app with rigid organizational structure compared to Notion
- OneNote
- Microsoft note-taking application with predefined hierarchies
- Unsplash
- Free image library built into Notion for adding cover images and content
Glossary
- Blocks
- The primary content units in Notion that can be added to pages, including text, images, headings, databases, call-outs, and breadcrumbs
- Content Management System (CMS)
- A backend system used to build and manage websites, which Notion mimics but without the technical complexity
- Cornell Note-Taking System
- A study method that divides notes into three sections: recall keywords (left side), detailed notes (right side), and a summary at the bottom to facilitate active recall and studying
- Database
- A Notion feature allowing users to organize information in structured formats like tables with filterable and referenceable fields
- Toggle
- A collapsible element in Notion that hides content until clicked, useful for organizing notes and keeping pages clean
- Breadcrumb
- A navigation element showing the hierarchical path of where you are in the Notion structure (e.g., Medicine > Cardiology > Atrial Fibrillation)
- Call-out
- A highlighted text block element that makes content stand out visually for emphasis
- Active Recall
- A study technique of retrieving information from memory without looking at notes, proven to be highly effective for learning
- MRCP
- Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, a medical qualification exam discussed as the presenter's study subject