sometimes you're naked, sometimes you're not

Study of Flowers, 1720

It has been asked and I finally have enough things to do for this to make at least some sense. This is going to be long so strap in.

I used to have way more things on notion, but I have really pulled it back to just the essentials that I actually use and need, because I felt like if I was trying to use too many pages, I ended up using none of them. My number one rule for notion is to just try everything out and do what works for you

September is upon us and in an effort to be more active in the studyblr community I decided to share with you my Notion set up.

Hello everyone!

I hope you are well!

For this weeks #Microbiologynerddweeklytips post, I shall be sharing my university note taking and organisation system using Notion.

I have been using Notion for roughly 1 year, and have used it to organise my second year university studies, in addition to my voluntary position as the VP of my society.

So below is a very BASIC and EASY to use format you could adapt for yourselves! Enjoy😊

Contents

As a directory to everything I need at university, I have a contents page. Here I have each of my modules, as though they were chapters of a book. Each leading to a separate page of their own.

After this I have the required ‘modules’ for my placement year. I have arranged this slightly differently to my regular university notes - more details on this later.

Below this you can find pages for my summer microtalks hosted by SFAM. I attend these weekly and make notes in that subsection.

And finally I have a section for Taekwondo, to organise tasks I have to complete as the VP of Taekwondo.

Module pages:

So i have tested 2 different methods for module layout, each only having a slight twist.

- Please click the photos to enlarge -

In the photos above, I visualise the 2 different systems. Each of the systems involves having a new cell per lecture. However, in the first 2 photos (from left to right) I have separate pages for my lectures vs my lab notes. Whereas on the right, I have my lectures, labs, extra reading and questions all formulated into one table. Clicking the See All button at the top left of the table, above the search bar, you can choose to view classes by type i.e. just see my lectures or just see my lab notes for example.

The second system I have found works best, otherwise you are just clicking too many buttons to get to the area you need. However, in future I shall implement the ‘breadcrumb’ at the top the page, like i did with the first and second photos. (Breadcrumb = univeristy/ BMS2037:cellu../lecture below the page titles). Breadcrumbs make it easier to shift between pages instead of clicking the back button all the time. They are essientally hyperlinks to other pages.

Tip: to insert a breadcrumb simply put /breadcrumb and a breadcrumb will appear. This works for anything you are trying to insert e.g. a table

You can also choose to insert materials e.g. any lecture slides or resources you used within that lecture. Personally I dont find this helpful, as our VLE is clearly laid out with our lectures. But it might be something worth trying, as you can also insert pictures or any sort of media you require.

I also use the tick box function to keep track of whether I have written the lecture into Anki cards (flashcards)/ attended the lecture.

Side note: Please ignore my spelling/ how I label lectures, they make sense to me, they dont need to be 100% correct - right?

Internship/Placement Page:

I have recently been dabbling in the layout I would like to use for my internship year, however, I shall update you at a later date with any additional details, as due to COVID-19 the formate of the year and my assessments has changed. I also will find out more when I start my internship... which is soon - yay!

I’ve decided to have reminders at the top, which I inserted using /callout - you can change the emoji to anything you would like. This is for me to know instantly any important documents or tasks that I need to complete.

The external work to that provided by my internship is included in the table. This is essientally the coursework I have to complete on the side of the placement. Here i decided to note the deadlines and percentage of the year that it is worth. This is just to help me grasp the format of this year, since as mentioned above, it is slightly different.

Underneath this I have a selection of details to do with the company. This includes my acceptance letter and any insurance forms I need to send off. I just wanted to have them at hand so i can reference them at any time.

Summer 2020/Taekwondo pages:

These pages I format the same as the ‘Module’ Pages, so I haven’t included any pictures etc.

Miscellaneous things:

- NOTION IS FREE FOR STUDENTS - if you have an educational email, you can sign up for free! If not, packages start at $4 a month, which isn’t too bad for something you use frequently!

- This service is avaliable on tablets and computers, so anyone can take advantage of this organisational software!

- You can change the cover and icon at the top of each page. They include emojis and a standard image database, but you can also upload your own unique images if you desire.

- There are also template designs for pages, with different themes for different needs. So if you don’t want to start one from scratch you have lots of options to choose from. Use those as a base and edit them from there! For example, there are calendars, habit trackers, resume trackers and whole load of other things.

- Using a device for notes, such as notion, allows you access to any notes you have made at ease. It is organised, and you are unlikely to lose your notes. Paper is great until you scrunch up that important sheet, or it rains and the paper gets wet, or you are carrying every single note you have ever made - that can become heavy. Just something to bear in mind, especially if you can afford a laptop/ note taking device of some kind.

- You can create multiple pages for different aspects of your life (photo below). For example I have 2 additional pages, 1 for personal things and another for blog post ideas - to keep you guys entertained... haha! 😆

Conclusion :

What I have shared here is a very BASIC overview of how I use notion. If you desire a detailed in depth report of how notion works, it might be worth checking out Ali Abdaal, who can give you this information. As for me and what I require from the service, Notion has been working really well, keeping me organised with all my notes in one area. Knowing what I am doing, when, and being able to keep up with the speed of lectures - considering my writing speed is questionable. 😂

When you first download notion and look at all the templates, it can be a bit overwhelming/ exciting. Start with what you need, and then explore new ideas that you want to incorporate. There is no point setting up hundreds of pages if you aren’t going to use them, just like writing out pretty notes doesnt help you learn content - but more about that in a future post. Start small, being organised involves consistency, you can’t be consistent if you have given yourself too many things to do daily. Or at least you are unlikely to be.

One word of warning, Notion is not compatible with the Apple Pencil, so if you like writing notes on your iPad, this may not be the best software for you. As well as this, if you are a faster writer than you are typer, DO NOT USE NOTION. The whole basis of this app or at least how I use it, is to stay organised and write notes productively and efficiently. If you prefer writing, keep at it! Don’t just switch because suddenly you hear lots of tapping on keyboards in the lecture theatre.

Play to YOUR STRENGTHS , enhance what you are good at, not what everyone else is doing. As always, you’ve got this 💪

Let me know if you have any questions, or whether you’d like any further posts/details about my notion workflow. I’m happy to answer any queries you have.

Speak soon,

my current take on goal setting with value checks, milestones, and habits!

some other posts that might interest you: 12 block time management in notion | my holistic notion setup

hope this is helpful! 💛🌸💖🧠 i feel like what I’m doing is more related to what I want now :) text under the cut!

ta da! after many renovations, trial and error, i finally got notion down to something that works, is effective, and looks pretty bc who doesn’t love that!!! this is how i use it :D also thank you to @acadhr​ for the idea!

enjoy!

my sidebar

i don’t need too many pages because you can have pages inside pages, and that’s what’s going on here! i have my “home” which is my main thing for everything personal, my “school” for school, and my “social” for managing content. 

home

this is basically my dashboard! the minute i get on my computer to start my day, i go here. 

i go to agenda to see what is on the priority tabs for the day, and goals for what i should get done for bettering myself. 

my routines page is kind of a reminder of my organized day, i don’t match it exactly, but if i ever feel lost and confused, that’s a help.

bills are bills, i don’t want to fall behind on things. 

hiking has a supply checklist for getting our bags together, and trips i have planned. i’m excited for cooler fall weather and it’s the perfect time to start getting in the outdoors more!

as i said before…

my agenda is for major tasks of the day. i have the “task” section for a broad thing to do, and then the “notes” section is specifics on what to do for that thing to do.

my goals are separated my daily, weekly, and monthly. the daily and weekly parts are the short term things i want to achieve, and the monthly are long term things i want to achieve. 

school

this is where all i keep my academic stuff.

homework, school calendar, and clubs all stay at the top. i also visit homework everyday….because, you guessed it, i have it everyday.

first semester overview has all my classes, and i have the second semester overview below it, but i’ll just bump it up when the time comes. in those classes, i have unit overviews and syllabi.

social

finally, my social page! i have everything i need to manage my accounts on all sites.

my ideas and things to do are at the very top because they have things for all three sites i use (YT, tumblr, and insta).

then for each individual page, i have this layout. i just drag and drop pages when i’m planning or they’re in the process of being made. not the final layout, but it works for now. i also have plan templates and a checklist. 

back at it again with another notion post! this one’s about what I use every day in my personal workspace. hopefully this gives you all a bit of inspiration!

my other notion posts: goal setting and tracking | notion for time management and prioritization

hope you enjoy :) 💖💛🌻 full post below:

~ studyblr 2020 quarantine challenge ~

week 1 - monday, march 23: have you made a study schedule to help you study at home?

today i made my study schedule for the week. i use google calendar to remind me of the periods i set to work, nap, and exercise. notion is a great app for notes, to-do list, reading lists - anything really - would highly recommend!

i promised i would update this from last year, and decided to do a walkthrough for @sleepanon!

i’ve taken my school bujo-ing digital for the past year, so i’m going to create a mini-series of how i’ve tinkered with notion to make it work for me! there’s a fair learning curve to it, so my inbox is open for questions if you have any from my posts (not notion in general. ..i’m not an expert lol).

step 1: start a new page! under database, select table

step 2: rename the labels to assignments and class (leave Files alone) for now. you can also title the page and add icons/covers

step 3: select the files label, then under ‘property type’ change it to ‘date’ (this is for deadlines–i start with my official syllabus dates)

ALSO a part of step 3, but after changing to the deadline property, add another one! click that next label, and follow the same menu as above, but select checkbox to give you an option to ‘complete’ your tasks:

step 4: in the ‘class’ row (the first blank after the label), type in a course name to create a tag. once you do so, you can select the tag to edit it or change colors // you can repeat this step as many times as you need to for your assignments. i like to do my entire semester at once since i work ahead of the syllabus, but it might be good to take it month by month!

step 5: now, let’s add the calendar view. on the lefthand side, ‘add view’, name it, then select calendar (not just highlight like me, but click it!)

step 6: you should now see your assignments on the calendar. on the right side (top) of the calendar, click ‘properties’ and turn everything on!

you can also filter the calendar to only show completed/non completed tasks or by class:

and you can click on any assignment to open it, and add further properties:

👏🏾Education 👏🏾is 👏🏾a 👏🏾right,👏🏾 not👏🏾 a👏🏾 service 👏🏾

127 Calorie Noodle Stir Fry

1 pckg shirataki noodles - 30 cal

½ cup broccoli - 15 cal

2 tbsp low sodium teriyaki sauce - 30 cal

1 tbsp sweet and sour sauce - 35

4 shrimp - 47 cal

Scallions - 0 cal

Garlic powder - 0 cal

Thaw and dry shrimp well, peel shells

Drain shirataki noodles and rinse well

Dry noodles well

Cut broccoli to size of choice

Cut choice amount of scallions

Heat pan with small amt of oil

Combine teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour, and garlic powder in small bowl and whisk

Add noodles, broccoli, and scallions in hot pan and toss for 1 min

Add sauce and toss for 3 mins

Add shrimp and cook until pink and no longer transparent