6 Notion features that keep my overwhelming to-do list under control

I originally started using Notion as a simple note-taking app, but it quickly evolved into my go-to tool for managing a to-do list that gets out of my control. What started as a knowledge base soon turned into a game-changing productivity powerhouse. Here’s how I use it to stay on top of everything, no matter how overwhelming the workload.

1 Organize projects and tasks using databases

When dealing with a large to-do list, I like to create Notion databases for efficient organization. I will create a database for all the projects in the workspace and another one for their respective tasks. Then I add the necessary properties (eg. Name, Due date, Positionand Agent) and fill them with relevant data.

The best thing about databases is that I can link them using Relationship ownership. This allows me to assign tasks to their respective projects for easier tracking and categorization, as well as sorting and filtering.

2 Manage workloads with filters

One thing I like about databases is that I can easily filter tasks based on specific criteria. I do this to focus on what’s important and manage my workload effectively.

For example, I can create a view on the task database and add filters based on properties like Preference (renamed Choose property) a Project (renamed Relationship property) to see which high priority tasks belong to a specific project. I can even add a date filter to see which ones are due on specific days.

I can also easily sort tasks in ascending or descending order based on a specific property. This is a big help when sorting tasks by criteria like priority and date so I know what to focus on.

3 Track tasks with statuses

When I have an overwhelming to-do list, I label the tasks as Planning, Not started, In progress, In the reviewand Done help Position ownership. This way I can check the status of the task at a glance and move things along.

An interesting way I use statuses is to track task completion based on Done position. In a linked database, this is quite easy. I usually add Rollup property to the project database, rename it to Completionand set it to aggregate all completed tasks and display them as a percentage.

This allows me to see how close I am to finishing the project and keeps me motivated when I see progress on the bar.

4 Manage tasks using kanban boards

Notion has a board view, a card-based system that organizes tasks based on categories like status and priority – similar to a Kanban board. This allows me to easily move tasks through different stages of completion (eg Planning on In progress or from Review on Done).

This is a simple and visual way to improve my workflow and track and prioritize tasks at a glance. This is similar to how Trello allows you to categorize tasks.

5 Manage appointments using the calendar view

I also like adding a calendar view to the task databases and then linking my Notion Calendar to Google Calendar. Not only does it show me my deadlines at a glance, but it also allows me to shuffle them around with other calendar events, allowing me to devote more free time to a huge to-do list. It’s as easy as dragging and dropping tasks across different dates.

6 Ask Notion AI for help

I hate when I need information about a project and have to search through many documents and pages to find it. This can be frustrating when there is so much to go through. Fortunately, I can get Notion AI to scan my entire workspace in seconds, find what I need, and sum it up exactly.

It’s one of the reasons why paying $10 a month for AI is worth it to me, especially when I need to quickly look up things like project instructions and reference what I’ve written in other documents but can’t remember exactly where it is.

Furthermore, I find Notion AI competent when it comes to code and text generation, document summarization, and proofreading. However, you still need to review everything to make sure it’s accurate. But it can greatly speed up your workflow when dealing with low-level tasks.

With these features, Notion helps me improve productivity when the work gets going. In addition to using Notion to manage a large to-do list, there are other interesting ways to use Notion.

Best of all, the free version has most of the features you need, including real-time collaboration when you need help tackling that overwhelming to-do list.