5 tips for getting started in Notion as a neurodivergent babe
if you ever thought Notion wasn't for you, try it this way one last time
It seems like Notion is all the rage lately in the productivity scene (deserved, tbh) and with 2025 on its way, lots more neurodivergent babes are looking to get organized—without buying another planner.
If you think Notion is gonna cure your organization woes, here are 5 tips for getting started in Notion so you can actually stick to the plan this time.
skip the templates
Seriously. Don’t do it 😭
Notion templates are notoriously over-engineered, Notion has so many ways to use it, and you’re still figuring out your own productivity — it’s a rough combination!
do a brain dump. in Notion
After you sign up for your Notion account—or revive your dead one—open a new page.
It’s gonna look scarily blank, but that’s what we want!
You’re gonna brain dump all your thoughts from the following list. Don’t worry about typos, grammar, or making it pretty. We’re just getting it out of your head for now. And be honest with yourself about what you want out of this. Forget the ‘shoulds’.
brain dump about these in no particular order
What do I wanna get organized?
How do I work right now?
How do I feel about my organization as it is right now?
How do I feel about Notion right now?
When do I do great work?
When do I feel most productive and efficient?
What does being organized look and feel like for me?
I’ve created a guided brain dump to help you get started! Available in Notion workbook, Google Doc and PDF printable. Get started with your brain dump right now, without thinking about how to design it 💜
start small. smaller
Choose one thing from this brain dump. One thing. Open a new page, and start brain dumping your ideas about that one thing into there. Is it a space to track your cycles? A space to organize your million and 1 brain dumps?
Whatever it is, brain dump in here.
play! experiment!
Some Notion users report that Notion isn’t intuitive but I beg to differ. Because Notion has so many uses, there’s bound to be a way to use it that hasn’t been tried or found yet.
Once you start experimenting and playing around with how things can be organized to suit you, you’ll see how Notion fits in!
If you’re scared of fucking up catastrophically, ctrl+z has never led me wrong, and you can always retrieve things from the trash or in the updates section of a page. You can also be doubly safe and duplicate your page and play with the copy!
Fun fact: I learned Notion almost entirely by playing and experimenting with it!
remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is your Notion workspace gonna be. Start thinking of it as a living thing that grows and changes with you, and have the patience to intentionally nurture it and yourself while you both grow 🪴
Dead Notion account owner here 🙋🏾♀️
This post came at great time for me actually: I've just started flirting around with the idea of giving Notion another go. Loving the idea of just starting with a blank page and a brain dump. Thank you!
This has been on my list of Things to Try, but part of me is scared I'll get so distracted by creating systems/notions that I'll abandon all the things I need to do. Paradoxical because Notion might actually help me do The Things.