How Notion Keeps Me Sane

Every Saturday morning, after a quick walk and shower, I sit down at my desk and fire up Notion. I open a tab labeled ‘weekly checkpoint’ and dive right in.

The process is comprised of 15 questions — or prompts for reflection.

The ritual itself is extremely meditative. It provides an outlet to review what went right or wrong over the past week and take action by refocusing my intention.

Put simply, it gives me clarity.

Prior to quarantine, I would haphazardly make use of this framework, but it lacked purpose. Now, I prioritize this routine like my life depends on it.

The Basics: 15 Q’s

Am I closer to freedom?

What did I ship this week?

Is my calendar optimized for flow?

Where am I trying to be too clever?

Does my calendar reflect my priorities?

Was I going too fast, too slow, or just right?

What 20% of actions drove 80% of results?

What’s giving me energy? What’s dulling me?

Can I intentionally slow down to move faster?

What am I putting off? What if I just did it now?

Did I let other people dictate how I spent my time?

Am I calm? Am I fit? If not, what's in place to change that?

What can I remove, digital or physical, to improve coherence?

Am I sticking to the schedule, or am I letting life get in the way?

What’s the real goal here? Is there a better way to accomplish it?

Priming Yourself for Action

Here, James Clear clarifies the difference between motion and action.

“When you’re in motion, you’re planning and strategizing and learning. Those are all good things, but they don’t produce a result. Action, on the other hand, is the type of behavior that will deliver an outcome.”

This checkpoint exercise is a cerebral one — almost academic. Motion is an inherent part of the process. However, it sets the stage for next steps.

More importantly, it primes your mind and body for immediate action.

Cutting Through the Noise

If correctly leveraged, your answers will yield a handful of Aha! moments where you finally crash through a web of tangled thoughts and find true clarity.

After unbundling my reflections on the week prior, I’ll return to those handful of breakthrough moments and take action. In my own workflow, this entails adding a calendar batch, updating my to-do list, or sending a follow-up email.

This ritual doesn't take long. But, it forces you to honestly confront what’s working and what isn’t — while priming yourself to take swift action.

Critically, it doesn’t just clarify your thoughts.

It changes how you move through the world.