Notion had been a somewhat foreign object to me—something I’d heard mentioned on the edges of conversations but never quite understood. While figuring out my next move in an increasingly tech-savvy world, I came across it again. This time, it was listed as a requirement for a course I’d started. So I finally downloaded it.
When I first opened the app, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. Was it a word processor? A website builder? Another online workspace trying to be everything at once?
It’s still slowly sinking in. But after a few sessions of tinkering and clearing out old clutter, I’ve managed to carve out something that makes sense to me—a space where I can see everything at a glance, organized page by page.
It started when I decided to dip my toe into tech writing, but I didn’t want to leave myself behind in the process. So I circled back to an earlier project I had started on the etymology of 愛 (aì, the Chinese character for love), something I had been quietly wondering about. Then we came up with a password management article and a Notion walkthrough as more tech-oriented pieces. I started the 愛 research and cracked Notion open to keep my notes.
From there, I cleared out whatever else was already inside. Then I added my piece on Bitwarden, made some rearrangements, built in more sections, and now here we are. What surprised me was how easy it was to navigate Notion with the right framing once I got there. It’s nearly intuitive with the right guidance. And taking a step back now while looking at the past few days, there is a sense of things clicking into place.
Not in a flashy, fireworks kind of way—more like when you can finally exhale after holding tension you didn’t realize was there. Notion has become less of a puzzle and more of a place. It’s a space that meets me where I am: in the middle of multiple projects, multiple selves, and a need to see everything, clearly and without noise.
Here’s what I’ve set up so far:
Home: A landing page that anchors everything else. From here, I can jump to my current projects without losing track of where I’ve been.
Technical Writing: This holds both the Bitwarden article and my notes on the character 愛. Two different types of writing, but they speak to each other more than I expected—both trying to make something complex a little clearer.
Wending Lines: The quieter, more reflective side of my site work. This section holds drafts, published posts, about pages, and the scattered fragments that may one day become something whole.
Templates: I made one. Just one. For now, that’s enough.
Nothing fancy. But it’s mine.
What I Wish I Knew Before Opening Notion
Honestly? Nothing.
In fact, I wish I had known even less before opening Notion. Sometimes it’s what I think I know that gets in the way of trying something that turns out to be exactly what I need.
What Helped Me the Most
I don’t know. Maybe it was the sense that it was tied to the kinds of ideas I spend most of my time with. Or that it might help me put things together in a way that lived beyond what I could expect or predict.
It wasn’t the promise of anything.
It was more like a What If?
Going Forward
So—yes. What If?
And maybe it’s not the clean or tidy answer I’m after. Maybe it’s about having the space to be surprised in a world that’s already full of answers.
That’s what Notion is doing for me right now. And for now, that feels like enough.
It’s a question I plan to keep asking—and a space I plan to keep returning to.
