Why Notion is My Favorite Project Management Tool as a Designer
As a small business owner, I get it. Getting organized is hard, especially with so many options out in the market. When I started my business back in 2019, I was overwhelmed by the options. So much so that for a few years I hopped around from platform to platform. Asana, Trello, ClickUp, Airtable, Notion, Basecamp...I’ve tried them all. Ultimately though, the platform that I ended up sticking with was Notion. In this post, I’ll outline why I like Notion the best, what sets it apart from other platforms, why it’s specifically good for designers, and how I use it across my business.
Why Notion Stands Out as a Project Management System
For me, the biggest factor that sets Notion apart from its competitors is price. Notion has a 4-tier pricing plan set at free, $4/month, $8/month and $20/month under their yearly plan. This is significantly cheaper than other project management systems, such as Asana, which starts at $10.99/month for their premium plan. Running a business can be extremely expensive, so being able to save a bit on software can make a huge difference in overhead costs over time.
The thing about Notions pricing that makes it so great is that even under its cheapest plan you get access to all of Notion’s features. I personally use the Personal Pro plan and do not feel like I’m missing out on any features from Notion’s other, more expensive plans. This is not the case with other tools, like Asana again, for example. With other tools you may have to upgrade to different plans to gain access to features that you’re looking for in a project management tool. I was extremely frustrated when I was using Asana because I wanted to use a timeline feature, but that wasn’t available unless I upgraded to their business plan at $24.99/month.
Some of the features that I love in Notion include:
A fully customizable database system
Relation databases
Ability to create To-Do Lists
Unlimited pages
Synched blocks
Unlimited Pages
Why Notion is Particularly Good for Designers
I think Notion is an amazing solution for designers who manage a variety of different types of projects. One of the main things I use Notion for these days is client portals, and Notion makes it very easy for me to customize and edit my portals depending on the project type I am working on.
In my case, I have 4 different main services, including Brand Intensives, Template Customizations, Brand Strategy & Design, and Custom Web Design. This means that with those 4 core services I already need 4 different types of client portals. And from there, I have a variety of other project types that come up. From random graphic design projects that come through to website intensives, I need to be able to edit my portals in a flash depending on what I am working on. With Notion, setting up these customizations to my client portals is super easy.
Furthermore, I’ve found that my clients have an easy time using and understanding Notion as a project management system. I previously was using ClickUp to manage my projects, and I was dealing with a lot of headaches from my client’s not knowing or willing to learn how to use it throughout the duration of our projects. Notion is so easy and straight forward that as long as the portal is set up for them and I provide them a quick training video, they don’t have issues using it throughout our project.
Another thing that makes Notion great for designers is that you can do so much more than just manage clients using the platform. As most of you will know, being a designer means having to know and understand a variety of different tools. From Adobe CC to invoicing software to Squarespace, there are so many different platforms that you use on a regular basis to manage your work that it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming.
For me, being able to simplify things and keep a lot of things housed in Notion has made managing my business easier and made my workflow faster.
How I use Notion Across my Business
Some things that I love using Notion for that are design specific:
Saving screenshots of my favorite websites in a database
Saving links to fonts I may want to use in future projects in a database
Planning my week
Creating a code library for easy access during website builds
Content planning across all my social channels
Saving screenshots of my client projects for easy access across team members
Note: One thing I don’t use Notion for is contracts and invoicing. For me, I’ve found that using Notion in conjunction with Honeybook has been the best solution I’ve found to date to manage my client projects. I strictly use Honeybook for contracts and invoicing and do everything else client facing in Notion. It works for me, and if you’re interested in learning more, feel free to DM me on IG with specific questions about my setup!
I do also use Notion for things outside of my business. For example, I have a Notion reading hub where I write mini book reports for any books I’ve read. I also habit track and meal plan in Notion and I even have a Course Hub where I take notes for any courses I’m in. As I work to continue simplifying my systems, I continue to find new and creative ways to use Notion.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in learning more about my specific Notion build and how I use it, I recommend checking Method and Means by my business strategist & design partner Maya from M.Spring Creative. Maya helped me make the transition from ClickUp to Notion last year when I was extremely frustrated with ClickUp. She has taken the best layouts from all the Notion builds she’s done and compiled them into templates that you can implement right away and use in your own design business. Not only are some of my favorite personal templates included in the bundle (like my website inspiration database) but so are templates from other client builds she’s done over the last year.
I honestly love Notion so much and think it’s the best project management solution out there for designers. I hope you check it out, and let me know if you end up liking it!
Take care and talk soon,
Alex
