Notion complements and replaces many of our previous tools, including Confluence for documentation and knowledge management, Google Docs for text creation, Google Sheets for spreadsheets and Dropbox for filing structures. Thanks to its versatility, Notion has become a permanent fixture in our toolchain, as it makes data and content easier to find, edit and share than many specialized solutions.
Notion is particularly strong in its combination of structure and flexibility: it offers a clear and uncluttered interface without getting lost in countless formatting options. Compared to Confluence, its use is more intuitive, nicer and somehow also lower-threshold.
At the same time, it makes it possible to organise content as databases, which supports us in many work processes. Timelines, editorial plans and any other large data sets can be created easily and clearly – even if Google Sheets remains our tool of choice for complex use cases.
Compared to tools such as Miro or Pitch, Notion is not a pure creative or presentation tool - here we continue to rely on specialised software. Jira also remains essential for project-related task management and ticket management. Instead, Notion is our hub for all accompanying information, documentation and organizational processes.
However, integration with other tools is still limited for our needs. We link documentation from Jira or Figma to Notion, but there is no deep integration with tools such as HubSpot or Slack, Miro or Google Sheets. It would probably be possible to dig deeper here, but the integrations simply don't work that smoothly in our eyes and for our use cases. Nevertheless, this is sufficient for our workflow - Notion serves us primarily as a structured knowledge base.
Notion can do a lot, but not everything. It won't completely replace tools like Google Sheets, Miro or Pitch for us, but that's not what it's intended for. We see Notion as our digital brain – but not as our entire body. It organises our knowledge, helps with documentation and facilitates collaboration, but specialised tools for design, planning or technical implementation remain.
One disadvantage is the limited visual customisability. While other tools shine with sophisticated design options, Notion remains deliberately simple. However, this can also be an advantage: The reduced design options keep the focus on the content and eliminate the temptation to get lost in design gimmicks. It also keeps our Becklyn workspace clean and uniform.
In our opinion, the aforementioned integration of other tools is also still a shortcoming. In an ideal notion, Figma could be integrated smoothly to collect feedback, etc. However, as long as even the integration of files and images still appears to have room for improvement, Notion remains primarily the hub from which links to other tools are created.
01 – The Databases: Flexible, Powerful, Essential
The powerful databases are our absolute favorite feature. While they might seem complex or even intimidating at first, after initial experimentation, they open up a universe of possibilities. They allow us to display data and content in various views for any use case – whether as a table, Kanban board, or list. We use them to organise projects, customer information, editorial plans, and much more. We employ them for various applications:
Project overviews: for the entire team
Module overviews: for internal and external documentation
Kanban boards: for tracking strategic measures
To-do lists: for individual task management
Benefit Overview: as a structured overview for our team
People Overview: with profiles for each person
Editorial plans: for our magazine and social media
... and many more
Through flexible views and filtering options, we can customise databases, reuse them in many places, and adapt them for different workflows.
02 – The Spaces and Page Structures
Our team spaces & page structure ensure that documents don't just exist but are meaningfully connected. Our Notion space is divided into different areas: We have dedicated spaces for client projects, some of which are shared with clients. Standardised project templates ensure consistency and efficiency here.
Additionally, there are team spaces for our various departments where teams can store cross-project resources, share knowledge, and save notes or documentation. Of course, we also have a general Becklyn area for all employees. In our shared Knowledge Base, we provide an overview of topics like People, Culture, and Strategy, and store agency-internal details like access information, tool FAQs, or how-tos. And since Notion also offers the ability to create private pages, everyone can use it for individual notes and to-dos.
This structure ensures that everyone can quickly access relevant information and work efficiently together – whether on projects, knowledge sharing, or organising internal matters.
03 – The Content Formatting
The simple and intuitive content styling options are also a game-changer. Through headings, toggles, and highlights, information can be clearly structured, making content easier and faster to grasp. This helps tremendously in keeping documentation or meeting notes alive and highlighting important content. At the same time, there isn't too much design flexibility, ensuring everything stays clean and uniform.
04 – The Smart Search
Another underrated but essential feature is the search function. It now works with AI support and enables lightning-fast information retrieval – a huge advantage in an agency where knowledge constantly grows.
05 – The Collaborative Features
Last but not least, the collaboration possibilities make Notion valuable for us. Commenting, working together on pages and adjusting content in real-time, assigning responsibilities, tracking changes - all of this facilitates team coordination. The ability to share individual pages with clients for viewing or editing is also very practical for our work and reinforces the aspect of single-source-of-truth.
We've talked about many favorite functions, but what about the "smartest" feature? Notion now has integrated AI that can help summarise content or create intelligent database fields. In practice, this is often useful but not revolutionary – for us, it's more of a practical add-on than a must-have. Notion AI is a gentle introduction to the world of AI-supported productivity but doesn't yet match specialised AI tools like ChatGPT or Manus. Nevertheless, we appreciate that it's seamlessly integrated and can be used without additional hurdles.
Notion isn't a tool for creative experimentation - and that's a good thing. It relies on a clear structure and fixed organisation that prevents getting sidetracked. Nevertheless, it offers high adaptability: Those who take the time can optimise (and even automate!) workflows and meaningfully connect information.
Crucial for us is that Notion isn't just used by one department but interdisciplinarily throughout the entire company. This creates a shared, company-wide knowledge management that isn't isolated in individual areas.
Another plus: Notion works both for surface-level use - such as meeting notes - and for power users who build complex databases with relations, automations, and filters. This way, everyone finds their individual workflow.
Notion is far more than a simple note-taking tool for us. It has become an indispensable part of our daily work because it helps us structure knowledge, make processes more efficient, and maintain overview. Despite certain limitations – particularly in integrations and visual customisation – it offers tremendous value for our agency. Even though Notion – fortunately – doesn't (yet) replace our thinking, it relieves us as a digital memory and is thus indispensable for now.