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 organize 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 specialized 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 knowledgebase.
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 organizes our knowledge, helps with documentation and facilitates collaboration, but specialized tools for design, planning or technical implementation remain.
One disadvantage is the limited visual customizability. 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.
The powerful databases are our absolute favorite feature. They may seem complex or even intimidating at first - but after the first few experiments, they open up a universe of possibilities. They allow us to display data and content in different views in any use case - whether as a table, Kanban board or list. We use them to organize projects, customer information, editorial plans and much more.
How do we use Notion's databases for project tracking?
Databases are at the heart of how we use Notion. We use them for a wide variety of use cases:
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
Thanks to the flexible views and filter options, we can customize databases, reuse them in many places and use them for different workflows.
Our team spaces and page structure ensure that documents not only exist, but are also meaningfully linked. Each team has its own space, there is a general area for everyone and personal note spaces help with individual organization. In connection with databases, we also have project-related areas - some of which we also use as shared spaces with our customers, more on this below.
How is our Notion Space structured?
Our Notion Space is divided into different areas: We have dedicated spaces for customer projects, some of which are also shared with customers. Standardized project templates ensure consistency and efficiency here.
There are also team spaces for our various specialist areas, 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 such as people, culture and strategy and store internal agency details such as access, tool FAQs and how-tos.
And since Notion also offers the option of creating private pages, everyone can also use Notion for individual notes and to-dos.
This structure ensures that everyone can quickly access the information relevant to them and collaborate efficiently - whether on projects, knowledge transfer or the organization of internal topics.
The simple and intuitive content styling options are also a game changer. Headings, toggles and markers can be used to clearly structure information, making content easier and quicker to grasp. This helps immensely in keeping documentation or meeting notes lively and highlighting important content. At the same time, there is not too much scope for design, so that everything remains clean and consistent.
Another underestimated yet indispensable feature is the search function. It is now AI-supported and makes it possible to find information at lightning speed - a great advantage in an agency where knowledge is constantly growing.
Last but not least, the possibilities for collaboration make Notion valuable for us. Commenting, working together on pages and adapting content in real time, assigning responsibilities, tracking changes - all this facilitates coordination within the team. The ability to share individual pages with customers for viewing or editing is also very practical for our work and reinforces the single source of truth aspect.
Now we've talked about many favorite features, but what about the "smartest" feature? Notion now has an integrated AI that can help to summarize 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 so far does not come close to specialized AI tools such as ChatGPT. Nevertheless, we appreciate that it is seamlessly integrated and can be used without any additional hurdles.
Notion is not a tool for creative gimmicks - and that's a good thing. It relies on a clear structure and a fixed order that prevents you from getting bogged down. Nevertheless, it offers a high degree of adaptability: if you take the time, you can optimize (and even automate!) workflows and link information together in a meaningful way.
The decisive factor for us is that Notion is not just used by one department, but across the entire company. This creates a shared, company-wide knowledge management system that is not isolated in individual departments.
Another plus: Notion works for superficial use - for meeting notes, for example - as well as for power users who build complex databases with relations, automation and filters. So everyone can find their own individual workflow.
For us, Notion is much more than a simple note-taking tool. It has become an indispensable part of our day-to-day work because it helps us to structure knowledge, make processes more efficient and maintain an overview. Despite certain limitations - particularly in terms of integrations and visual customizability - it offers huge added value for our agency. Even if Notion - fortunately - does not (yet) replace our thinking, it relieves us as a digital memory and is therefore indispensable for the time being.