I was stuck on improving and perfecting my template on Notions
So I tried to use Google docs/sheets and Apple notes. Instead of becoming Second brain.
It become a dumping zone. Where I just put things and forgot it exist.
Now going back to Notion without the perfectionist inside me. It might not be perfect but it was still good.
If you are a Visual type of person in organization, learning, etc. Notion is still better.
I might try Obsidian in the future.
I will still use google workspace for archiving. If ever Notion becomes too greedy.

I have adhd and notion has been a lifesaver so far. Can’t remember the last time I managed to get shit done and feel good about it. I’m excited about doing my daily habits instead of forcing myself to do them. Would recommend.
But if you’re gonna use it I would strongly recommend building everything from the ground up and only using templates for inspiration and to learn how everything works. The systems should fit you and the only way to do that is to make them yourself.

I use it because it is decent at note taking and related databases are simple to set up and are super useful for organising stuff.
The whole aesthetic and fake productivity you see comes from people who have nothing better to do but organize and reorganise their stuff constantly and influencers who try to sell aesthetic but useless templates.
Notion is a useful and great tool, but by its nature it has a top level issue of pseudo scammers trying to sell people stuff that they don’t need in the name of productivity.

During COVID I really struggled with focus and motivation, and applying to universities at the same time made it worse — especially since I was applying across different states and countries, all with different deadlines, essays, and requirements. What stressed me out the most wasn’t writing essays, but keeping track of everything without feeling like I was forgetting something. I ended up using Notion to build a simple setup where I could see all applications, deadlines, essay progress, and weekly tasks in one place, and that single overview helped me regain a lot of clarity and control. It’s not complicated or over-designed, but it made the whole process feel manageable again. Curious how others here use Notion for large, deadline-heavy projects like applications.