Welcome to Issue #39 of Notion Creators Weekly, where I share 1 Big Idea & 3 Updates to help you work with more focus and intention.
💡 What makes a great workspace?
Most of us have been there.
We dive into building a new workspace, dashboard or database with intense excitement. We throw in custom views, advanced formulas, and intricate relations.
But somewhere along the way, our pristine workspace devolves into chaos.
The problem is exacerbated when we’re looking at shared workspaces for bigger teams.
The frequency in which I’ve seen workspaces completely unravel highlights the challenge of building a great Notion workspace:
Unlimited Customization + Different Work Styles = Chaos
Digital workspaces can help teams run like well-oiled machines, or they can breed frustration. For early-stage teams, where employees are likely wearing many hats, a well-structured Notion workspace isn’t just a luxury; it’s a necessity.
The Five Pillars of a Great Workspace:
This is by no means comprehensive, and I’m sure I’ll revise this as I give it a few more edits, but these are the top five areas that come to mind when imagining a pleasant, high-performing workspace.
01 | Apply Layout and Design Principles
Consistency is Key: Ensure that dashboards and team spaces follow a unified design for intuitive navigation. This consistency helps new members to adapt quickly (you’re likely to get some pushback and feedback, but this is what the last step is for).
User-Friendly Interface: Design a workspace that is easy to navigate and pleasant to use. Use headers, callouts, and informational toggles to help guide team members through the workspace. Assume your teammates are using Notion for the first time. A cluttered or confusing interface can deter team members from engaging with the tool effectively.
Branding in Design: Workspaces that feel consistent with other brand assets feel more intentional. Use your company’s brand guidelines and graphic standards to design page and dashboard layouts, creating a familiar and professional look.
02 | Structure Databases for Scalability
Curate the Complexity: Databases can manage large amounts of data without feeling overwhelmed, if you take an essentialist approach. Start with a simple layout, hiding advanced database properties or metadata by default. This prevents information overload, keeping the workspace clean and focused. Treat database views as a ‘frontend’ and the full table view as a ‘backend.’
Tagging and Categorization: Databases are magic. You get the power of a spreadsheet with the aesthetics of galleries, boards, and lists. Use tags and categories to organize information logically. This organization makes it easier to sort, find, and understand data.
Leverage Filtering: Every database view should have filters applied by default. Show only the most essential information by default. Use filters to manage the visibility of data, preventing overwhelm and keeping focus on priorities.
Database Guidelines: Provide clear rules for adding pages to databases, including what information to include and how to avoid clutter. This ensures databases remain organized and relevant.
03 | Streamline Communication
Setting Communication Norms: Your team is likely to communicate on various platforms (Notion, Slack, email, text). Comments in Notion can help accelerate work, but they can also bog down important information. Establish and document norms for internal communication – determining the preferred channels, formats, and frequency of updates.
Integrating Communication Tools: Incorporate team communication tools within Notion, such as linking to Slack channels or embedding email threads, to centralize communication. Integrations have to serve a clear purpose, and clearly streamline work.
Collaborative Spaces: Create dedicated areas in Notion for team collaboration, brainstorming, and feedback. This encourages open and ongoing dialogue among team members. If you go this route, communicate which pages/spaces are collaborative vs. static documentation.
04 | Leverage Automation
Identify Automation Opportunities: Are you repeating the same manual task often? This is a tell-tale sign that it can be automated. Examples are setting reminders, updating statuses, or creating recurring tasks.
Implement and Test Automations: Use Notion’s built-in automation tools or integrate with external automation platforms. Test these automations to ensure they work as intended.
Document Automation Processes: Clearly document how each automation works, its purpose, and who it benefits. This transparency helps team members understand and trust the automated processes. Everyone doesn’t have to understand how the automation works, but they should have an understanding of how it helps them work.
05 | Optimize Regularly
Regular Workspace Reviews: Most workspaces unravel because of either a lack of norms or a lack of maintenance. Conduct monthly or quarterly reviews to assess the effectiveness of your workspace structure. This includes reviewing database and teamspace structures, as well as sharing and permission settings.
Embrace Change: Encourage team members to suggest improvements. Be open to experimenting with new layouts or structures. This will help get and keep buy-in from your team.
Training and Collaboration: Use areas of improvement identified during reviews as opportunities for team training or collaborative sessions to refine workspace practices.
Final Notes
Reflect on these five areas in your current workspace setup. Are they optimized for maximum efficiency and scalability? A well-structured Notion workspace is a powerful asset for any high-growth team, fostering organization, clarity, and productivity.
The last rule that applies throughout the workspace: Create Clear Guidelines.
Develop and provide templates for common tasks and documents. This standardization helps maintain consistency and speeds up the creation process. As team members work off of these guidelines, you’re likely to get some feedback, which will ultimately increase buy-in and make the workspace feel like a truly collaborative space.
Sidenote: if you’re curious about how we audit client workspaces, you can download our comprehensive framework here.
NOTION RESOURCES
🧙🏼 Formula Fundamentals 2.0 by Notion Mastery
It’s amazing to see how much activity there is around Notion formulas. The massive changes from the Notion team have made formula creation more customizable, while also simplifying the process. No small feat!
I got a chance to explore Notion Fundamentals 2.0 from Ben Borowski (all-around Notion wizard), and not only is it masterfully organized, but you can immediately tell that the Notion Mastery workspace is a finely-tuned machine, with loads of resources that make learning & exploring new ideas effortless.
Definitely check out Formula Fundamentals 2.0 if you want to gain a comprehensive understanding of formulas, or just want to explore how they work and how you may use them. And if you’re looking for an all-encompassing learning program, you can’t go wrong with Notion Mastery.
FROM THE COMMUNITY | @ASIMPLENOTION BUILDS A COURSE DASHBOARD
👩🏫 Building A Course Dashboard in Notion
As I’m prepping for two new courses next year, I’ve been exploring the best ways to manage course content in Notion. I absolutely love Madison’s approach to organizing her client’s course workspace.
From intuitive menus to clever uses of toggles and callouts, this definitely got some ideas going for our next courses!
If you’re curious how it works, or want to follow Madison’s journey as a Notion consultant, definitely give her a follow!
TOOLS WE LOVE | ARC BROWSER
📝 Default to Notion for New Notes in Arc Browser
Since Arc Browser launched earlier this year, Notion users have flocked to the highly customizable browser. With split views, customizable sidebars, and nested bookmarks, you can set up themed spaces for more focused work (or play).
Notion users will especially like Arc’s latest update, which allows you to default to Notion for quickly creating a new note. Pressing Ctrl+Shift+N
quickly opens up a new private page in Notion, allowing you to jot down a note, and hopefully move it to the right area of your workspace.
FREE WEBINAR | DECEMBER 14TH, 2023 12 PM EST
🏗️ Building High-Performance Workspaces
Leading up to our Workspace Builders Bootcamp (Kicking off January 8th!), we’re hosting a live session, covering the essentials for building team workspaces that are: 👨🏻🎨 Inspired | 🧐 Intuitive | 💁🏽 Informative
This session is specifically for you if you’re a Notion creator exploring building workspaces for clients, or if you’re the de facto Notion wizard at your company, and could use actionable tips for managing your company’s workspace.
Don't miss our last one of the year; there will also be a few Notion freebies and a special promo for those of you interested in the bootcamp!
Building High-Performance Workspaces in Notion
December 14th, 12 PM EST
🙌🏼 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 Notion Creators Weekly, I’d love it if you helped spread the word! 😀