Welcome to Issue #43 of Dave’s Productivity Newsletter where I share 1 Big Idea & 3 Little Updates to help you work with more focus and intention.
No software is perfect. Don’t let that limit you.
Two-plus years into Notion consulting, I’ve never gone this far into the weeds on any one digital product.
I distinctly remember binging YouTube content from Notion masters like Marie Poulin, Reg Gregory and August Bradley. I was amazed, and hooked.
I still find myself tinkering with my own workspace, exploring new formulas, experimenting with buttons, and sharpening my AI prompting skills.
But with as much as we can customize in Notion, like every product, it has its limits.
The most glaring one of all has been the difficulty in having a shared database (like tasks for example) and sharing portions of it with others. In Notion, databases are an all-or-nothing game, which is fine for teams, but hampering for agencies or consultancies working with clients.
Trying for hours upon hours to find a solution left me back where I started. I wouldn’t say it was a waste, but trying to make tools do something they inherently can’t is a fool’s errand.
There’s a better, and more productive alternative:
Don’t start with the solution. Start with the problem.
As gratifying as it is to solve a workflow issue in Notion, it’s critical for any problem-solving process to be tool agnostic.
As much as we may try to make tools our do-everything app, there’s always a catch. Instead, this problem solving approach has been super helpful in getting to the right solution, then figuring out the best way to build it.
Define the Problem Clearly: Start by articulating the issue you're facing in as much detail as possible. What is not working? Why is it a problem? Who is affected by it? This step is crucial because a well-defined problem often points towards the solution.
Gather and Analyze Data: Collect information related to the problem. This can include feedback from your team, data on where the workflow breaks down, and insights from previous attempts to solve similar issues. Analyzing this data helps in understanding the root cause of the problem.
Brainstorm Possible Solutions: Brainstorming helps generate as many solutions as possible, without evaluating them yet. This is where creativity and innovation shine. Consider different perspectives and don't limit your thinking to just digital solutions.
Evaluate and Select Solutions: Once you have a list of potential solutions, evaluate them based on criteria like impact, feasibility, scalability, and alignment with your goals. This step benefits from thoughtful discussion and might involve shortlisting a few options to explore further.
Prototype and Test: Before fully committing to a solution, create prototypes or conduct small-scale tests to validate your chosen solutions. This can save time and resources by ensuring that the solution effectively addresses the problem before a full-scale rollout.
Implement and Reflect: After testing, implement the solution that best addresses the problem. It's important to monitor the implementation closely and gather feedback to ensure the issue is resolved. Reflecting on the process and outcomes can provide valuable learnings for future problem-solving endeavors.
NOTION UPDATE
🏠 A New Home
You may have noticed a new Home page in your sidebar. The update provides a nice starting point for your workspace, and most importantly, allows you to surface tasks from different databases.
Though I do appreciate the update, not having the ability to create locked database views is still a huge challenge, especially for agencies. Real world example: you still can’t show clients a filtered view of their project, while protecting all other data in that database. We got into the weeds on this on X (Twitter) this week.
ps. if you don’t see it yet, it’s rolling out over the next few months, fyi!
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
@ZikiDoesNotion
Ziki has been publishing tons of super useful Notion content, especially around Make automations. Ziki’s latest YouTube Video – Generate Invoices From Notion in Seconds – is a masterclass on taking a multi-step workflow and accelerating it with automation. Great stuff!
FREE LIVE SESSION
🎥 Launch Your Notion Consulting Side Hustle
MARCH 19TH 12 PM EST
If you're growing a lifestyle business, and help clients implement tools or workflows, this one’s for you!
We're diving into Notion consulting—a space with huge demand and immense potential for creative and entrepreneurial creators.
I'm also sharing my own journey, leaving my full time teaching role to build a consulting business. Fun fact, it all started as a side-hustle!
Attendees will also get a few resources to help you build your side-hustle. :)
NOTION CONSULTING CORNER
🎓 Notion Consulting Bootcamp 2.0 Confirmed!
ENROLLMENT OPENS MARCH 31 | COURSE DATES: APRIL 22ND - MAY 17TH
I am super excited to finally share our second cohort is kicking off in April! Our first cohort, which took place last October, was an amazing experience. 35 people were part of the first group, many of which have already shared their planning on enrolling in cohort 2!
Most importantly, we’re making a huge change with this cohort. We have FOUR guest speakers secured. All top-level Certified Notion Consultants, this course is going to be jam-packed with resources, models, and frameworks to help aspiring Notion consultants launch their businesses.
If you’re interested in staying up to date on the launch, join the waitlist below!
🙌🏼 That’s it for this week!
I’d love to hear what you think. What content resonates? What do you want to see more or less of? Just hit reply to let me know!
And if you’re loving this newsletter, I’d love it if you helped spread the word!