Notion, a modular productivity app, is witnessing a surge in its user base, as noted in its recent valuation. Initially, Notion made the software free of cost for teachers and students. And now, the San-Francisco based startup is making Notion free for personal use. Earlier, the free plan allowed up to 1000 blocks and file uploads up to 5MB. The software’s unique approach to organization and the use of built-in templates for creating a personal organizer to even hosting a blog has attracted several users across the world. Notion offers three unique functions over the rivals – Blocks, Commands, and Templates. The whole software is designed to move blocks around the pages which makes pages-based projects easier to setup. As for Notion commands, check our collection of the essential Notion keyboard shortcuts to pump up your productivity. Notion outshines its competition with Templates. If you look at its rich templates library, you’ll get at least one template usable in nearly every scenario. And if you have any problem finding the relevant template then you can go to Notion template gallery which consists of ready-to-go templates made by community members. However, looking for the right one can be overwhelming for new Notion users. So if you want to use Notion for your projects, then we shall help you get the top eleven Notion templates for personal use. Note: When you open a template in a new window, you’ll have to sign in to your Notion account and click on the Duplicate button at the top-right corner of the window to ‘Duplicate’ (Control + D on Windows and Command + D on Mac) that particular template to your account.
1. Task List
Do you know Notion claims to replace Trello? Even though the Task List template would ideally interest startups and organizations, you can customize it to track long-term tasks, issues, habits, and more. It provides a Kanban-style dashboard in which you can customize all the block elements. Duplicate the template to your Notion page, add relevant column names, add sections, and use drag and drop as you progress. For instance, I use this template to track the TV series and movies that I plan to watch, currently watching, and list the completed ones. Get Task List Template
2. Personal Planner
Personal Planner template can help you organize your ideas and goals for a week, month, or a year. You can also reflect on what went wrong and how you can improve from your learning in the future. You can customize the template to your preference. For example, I added two-week check-in to add thoughts and on-going progress for the month. Get Personal Planner Template
3. Mood Board
If you know about Pinterest and how it works, then the Mood Board is an essential template for you. It is designed to collect photos from the internet. You can organize the collected photos via categories such as Food, Venue, Sky, Abstract, and more. Notion has partnered with Unsplash to provide you with over 95,000 copyright-free images. You can create clusters of your ideas and moods along with images for inspiration, ideas, and projects. Get Mood Board
4. Journal
Notion can replace Journal apps as well. The Journal template lets you create daily entries with tags, dates, and times in Notion. The entries tab opens the blank canvas to let you create journal entries. While the template might not replace the dedicated journal apps like Day One and Journey, but it can give you adequate functions to start your Journal journey. Get Journal Template
5. Habit Tracker
Want to track habits using Notion? Say no more. You can track habits using the built-in habit tracker template in Notion. You can add day name, date, habit activities, and a checkbox to complete habits. The template also allows you to add device screen time during the day. At the bottom of the column, you will find total stats for the habit. I have started using this template to track some of my habits, such as writing 1000 words daily, brushing teeth twice, getting up early in the morning, and watching at least episode of Madam Secretary on Netflix. Get Habit Tracker Template
6. Life Wiki
The Life Wiki template lets you organize the week or the month in advance. After you duplicate this template, you can further duplicate a weekly or monthly template from your Notion account and customize it for the succeeding week or month accordingly. And hey, don’t forget about adding a motivational quote on the page. Every Sunday, I duplicate this template and categorize my to-dos and use the weekly view to plan the tasks. Get Life Wiki Template
7. Book Tracker
Book lovers, this one is for you. Notion lets you track the number of books that you have read over time. The Book Tracker is the perfect template to start your reading journey. It offers a list view with book cover thumbnail. While adding a book, one can add image, category, date, comment, and more. Of course, you’ll have to take the pain of removing the dummy blocks of books and replace them with the ones you’re reading or planning to read. Get Book Tracker Template
8. Minimal Dashboard
As the name suggests, Minimal Dashboard is a perfect template to give your Notion workspace a minimal and professional look. You can neatly organize the main Notion pages in Notes, Work, Personal, and Life category. Yeah, those icons are difficult to spot in the dark mode, my bad. After creating pages in Notion, I create another Minimal Dashboard page and integrate all the Notion pages in it. If you have added several templates, then you can inter-link them to make a custom dashboard. Get Minimal Dashboard Template
9. Finance Tracker
There are dedicated expense tracker apps out there. If you want a stripped-out version, you can use the Finance tracker template in Notion. The template lets you add date, category tags, account type, amount, spending type, and even comments. At the bottom of the amount column, you can calculate the sum of expenses. Before you start with a dedicated expense app, I would advise you to go with Finance tracker template in Notion to test out the consistency. That’s better alongside using a personal finance tracker and maintaining records for family expenses. Get Finance Tracker Template
10. Subscription Tracker
This template helps me to track all the subscription services with the total cost and renewal date. Also, I know when to expect renewal and then take a call whether I want to continue using the service or not. Get Subscription Tracker Template
11. Contracting Proposal
This template is best suited for your freelance and contractual work proposals. You can build a bank of your previous proposals and take inspiration for future gigs. This ready-to-go proposal can be your key to the next project from the client. You can perfectly organize the proposal with different sections such as the scope of work, pricing, previous work, terms and conditions, and more. Get Contracting Proposal Template
Start Your Notion Journey
Notion can replace several apps on your device using the templates. Go through the templates list above and start your Notion journey like a pro. While you are at it, do let us know about your favorite and most-used template in the comments section below. Next up: Notion aims to replace Evernote for many users out there. Read the comparison below to find the perfect service for you. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
