Notion and Asana + Bullet Journaling
Tags: projectmanagement, webdev, productivity
Published: 2020-02-26 19:11:39

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title: Notion and Asana + Bullet Journaling
published: true
date: 2020-02-26 00:34:01 UTC
tags: project-management,web-development,productivity
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cover_image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1488998427799-e3362cec87c3?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1350&q=80
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#### To get things done, there has to be an organization system. The best approach is to try out what people say what works. I found out about Notion in its early days, before it had all the hype it has now. There is also bullet journaling. I have been doing this since 2016. Now after years of trying different software and management tools, I have figured out what works for me.


#### What is Notion?

Notion is an all-in-one workspace. It allows you to note take, have a hub for information that you collect, tasks and projects, and databases and spreadsheets. It’s everything rolled into one application, so that you won’t have to search for more.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*YZ6roBLCnbeumzPk)<figcaption>Screenshot of Notion</figcaption>

#### What is Asana?

Asana is a project management tool for teams and individuals. Asana helps with goal tracking and task management. It offers a way to communicate professionally with your team.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*E0ZtoISI32CCxrOA)<figcaption>Screenshot of Asana Board</figcaption>

#### What is a Bullet Journal?

> **_Though it does require a notebook, Bullet Journal is actually a methodology. It’s best described as a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system. It’s designed to help you organize your what while you remain aware of your why._**

> **_— Ryder Carroll_**

### Combining Methods

At first, I was using Asana before I knew about Notion. It worked until Notion came along and disrupted everything. I tried hard to use both of them. Notion came as an all in one management tool. At first, it was great. The only problem was the limit on blocks. So this limited my usage. Now Notion was just a note taking and reminders.

Bullet journaling has always been strong. A way to break away from technology to plan your life. Then I thought, this could be done in Notion. I created a page as the index. Anything on this page acts as a collection. But for daily tasks, Notion isn’t quite what I want. So my bujo has the small things. Daily to-dos, ideas, habit tracking, doodling, etc.

Then there were the tasks and projects. I put these into a database. There were so many properties and ways to use the database. But there was one thing missing, an calendar integration. The calendar in Notion is not one calendar. So if you have more than one database, there is more than one calendar.

Now that brings me back to Asana. Tasks can be on multiple projects and integrate into Google Calendar. Asana works for projects. Notion work for goals. Notion is more detailed. Asana is task and project based.

Notion also acts as a hub of information. Bookmarks that I don’t want in Firefox, but I want to use in the future. Resources to projects, tasks, and goals. It is an easy and more organized way to keep up with resources and links instead of saving them as bookmarks in the browser.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*q-u4O1kgvYU0RdDZ)<figcaption>My Notion Hub for goals and projects</figcaption>

My bullet journal is where I log tasks daily more than anything. I put goals in it and projects but, it’s not where most information about a project or goal would go. My bullet journal keeps up with my daily to-dos and helps me remember what I did last week or last month.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/512/1*CS7pruxr5Vn6e0Zc0SOeVw@2x.jpeg)<figcaption>Screenshot of Asana on Mobile. An image of My Tasks and another image of projects on a board.</figcaption>

Think of it this way, the bullet journal is the short term to-dos. Asana is the overall tracking and planning of projects and goals. Notion acts the wiki hub that holds all this information together. In Notion, things are in more detail. Notion no longer acts as a project planner, but more of an overview of what’s to come and notes that are more than just bullets. In my bullet journal, I can brainstorm and be a little creative with the layout. I can take ideas and put them into a visual that’s more fun to look at.

#### To learn and know more about the Notion, Asana, and Bullet journal, use the resources below.

- [Bullet Journal](https://bulletjournal.com/)
- [Asana](https://asana.com/)
- [Notion](https://www.notion.so/?r=a53a72d5d9554584856a4beb6309ded7)

#### Here are a few articles that go into detail on each method:

[Hey Asana!](https://medium.com/jmspaceblog/hey-asana-9f2502d4141b?source=your_stories_page---------------------------)

[Why Notion, But Why Not?](https://dev.to/jmspace/why-notion-but-why-not-35ia)

[Start A Bullet Journal](https://dev.to/jmspace/start-a-bullet-journal-145o)

[My Life Since Bujo](https://medium.com/jmspaceblog/my-life-since-bujo-e49d472f9bd8?source=your_stories_page---------------------------)

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