My brain has almost more thoughts than I know what to do with, and storing these digitally in Notion, then organizing them, has been a total game changer. Listed below are the reasons I use the Notion app above all other options.
1. Notion Works Consistently Well Across All Devices
I’ve used tools that are similar to Notion, and while their web and desktop apps were beautifully designed, the mobile versions often were not. This is one reason I recommend switching from Evernote to Notion. I have the opposite problem with Apple Notes: I love the Notes mobile apps, but I dislike the desktop layout.
I use Notion on my smartphone and tablet, and while I previously used the web app in my browser, I’ve since downloaded the full Mac app. The Notion experience is consistent across all devices, and I can count the number of bugs I’ve encountered on one hand.
When the Notion app does get bugs, they are normally resolved before too long.
2. Notion Is One of the Easiest Apps to Navigate
Besides functionality, I also like that Notion’s interface is so easy to navigate. Even if I want to find my shopping list while in the grocery store, it’ll only take a few seconds.
Notion’s hamburger menu lets you reveal and hide your pages at your convenience. I typically hide the sidebar when I’m typing or need to read a specific page. However, I like having it visible when I’m creating new pages, as it allows me to easily organize everything. When using Apple Notes on my desktop, I frequently was unable to close the sidebar with all my other notes.
Notion also has clear symbols for comments, page updates, and more advanced features like changing the font.
3. Notion Makes It Easy to Link Pages
Notes only started to let users interlink effectively in iOS/iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma. Evernote is pretty good in this respect, too, but I don’t like OneNote’s functionality in this area. Count Notion among the apps that make it easy to add page links to parts of your text.
When I use Notion on my tablet or smartphone, I just have to tap part of my text and tap the link icon. Once I’ve done that, I can link to any page within the app. I run a travel website, and this feature makes it easy to interlink my calendar, targets, and more. Similarly, I can link my workout routines and food lists in the same documents.
However, Notion’s primary advantage is that you can make pages within pages. All you have to do is tap / on your keyboard and select Page to make one from scratch. You can also link to existing pages through a menu option.
4. Notion Lets You Organize Everything in Workspaces
While full-scale project management apps like Asana and ClickUp let you make new workspaces, you can’t in many apps that help with your day-to-day life. You can make new notebooks in OneNote and similar tools, but it’s not the same as creating a full workspace. I like to keep different areas of my life separate from each other, and Notion is perfect for that.
Even though I only have a free Notion plan, I can create as many workspaces as I want. I have different places for my personal life and development, along with freelancing, photography work, learning languages, and more. You can use Notion for project management and to just dump your ideas.
I must warn, however, that having too many workspaces can become overwhelming. Only use these when it makes sense.
5. Easily Open Multiple Tabs Within the Notion Desktop App
The biggest reason that I no longer use Notion’s web app is that you can open multiple tabs within the desktop app. I try to keep as few tabs open as possible while working, but this is impossible when you want to access different Notion pages from your browser.
Fortunately, Notion’s desktop app effectively works like its own browser. Tap the + icon, and choose any existing page to open it in a new tab. I should note, however, that this feature isn’t available on mobile.
Once you’ve opened a new tab, you’ll see it at the top of your window.
6. Versatility
I use Notion for blog calendars, planning workout sessions, setting my monthly and annual goals, creating invoices, and much more. The app has so many functions that make it an excellent all-in-one tool: you could honestly run an entire company in the app by creating a wiki, setting guidelines, and more.
If you need to make tables, Notion is a user-friendly alternative to Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Meanwhile, using it as a note-taking app means that you don’t also have to use Apple Notes or Google Keep.
7. Notion Integrates With Several Other Apps That I Use
As great as Notion is for many things, I do have to use other apps for some functions. For example, Slack is my go-to software for professional communication, and Canva is where I do many of my online designs.
Notion integrates with several apps, so it’s quite easy to use it as part of my digital system. For example, it’s one of the best Slack productivity integrations, as I can create tasks within the app.
You can also use Notion with Trello, Pinterest, Google Maps, and several other tools. Many are built into Notion; I’ve embedded a Google Map in a page below as one example.
8. Notion Looks Good
While features and functionality are important, one of the reasons that I still use Notion is its strong aesthetics. The app is beautifully designed yet minimalistic, and you can customize your pages with emojis (without having to copy and paste them from another website).
I wish that Notion had other fonts, but I do like its default, so that isn’t a huge problem. Regardless of whether you choose Light or Dark Mode, everything still looks great.
Notion’s buttons and icons also blend in well with the overall design, and I often use them with the on-page table creation tool when making new reading lists.
9. Notion Has Plenty of Free Templates That Make Organizing Information Easy
Besides its built-in features, you’ll find plenty of free Notion templates to enhance your experience. For example, I manage the blog for my travel website with a template that I picked up from the marketplace. This made it much easier to focus on populating the table with tasks and not worry about creating it from scratch.
I’ve used several other Notion templates, too. These customizable templates include tables and charts for tracking clients and managing my monthly income. For example, I can recommend this personal finance tracker with automations. (You will need a paid plan if you use just one chart with that feature.)
It’s very easy to add and save templates from Notion, even if the duplication option isn’t enabled. Search for them within the desktop app, too.
As you can use the page-linking tools discussed above, I recommend Notion above every other app for keeping everything organized. Switching to Notion to manage my personal and work life was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Even without subscribing to a paid plan, you get countless features that are either unavailable elsewhere or easier to use. Also check out Notion’s web clipper, which is one of the best Chrome extensions.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Danny Maiorca.
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