How to structure your Notion workspace with our Content Management System approach

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The most effective approach to building powerful Notion setups is to mimic the architecture and user experience of a website. This involves using databases as CMS and dashboards as the front-end. Just as you would do with your Wordpress website. Here’s how it works.

In our experience as a Notion consultancy agency, with many of us coming from web design, software consultancy, UX design and digital marketing, the most effective approach to developing powerful Notion set ups is to create a workspace that mimics the architecture and, especially, the user experience of a website. While this may sound as pretty obvious to many of those who are familiar with the platform, there’s one implication of this logic that might result less obvious: the way it works and the way it’s structured, can also mimic a website and a typical website backend. This can be achieved by using databases as a Content Management Systems (CMS) and dashboards as the “website” front-end. By following this approach, you can create a system that is easy to navigate and can effectively manage all the data within your workspace.

As an example, a typical application of this approach consists of creating a "Media" database where all your media assets such as images, videos, and documents can be stored and then retrieved from other places within your workspace respecting the single source of truth approach, just as a Wordpress based website would do. Along with the properties needed for file name, type, description, etc. the Media database will have relations to each database that contains items which might have media attached to them (just as web pages do). Among other things, this will make it easy to update the media asset across all your workspace just by replacing the source instance of that media so that it’s used appropriately and consistently across all your workspace, again respecting the “single source of truth” that’s paramount in every set up we develop.

Another great advantage of working with a media database is that items can now be seen in many different contexts at the same time, without any need for duplication (which always ends up resulting in “contradicting” versions of the same item).

A stark example of this approach lies in the “Me Pages” (or “My Dashboard”), where users can see all items that have been assigned to them, or even just brought to their attention, all in one place. In this set up all it takes for your media to be even more accessible and relevant is a “Watched by” property of the ‘Person’ type that will allow the “recipient” to see all his media inside his “Me Page”. By tagging items this way across your workspace, you can allow users to keep track of all the relevant content while ensuring accountability across your system.

Another example of a database that can be created is a "Log" database. This database is similar to a journal or diary, where you can log all activity within your workspace that has a date in the past. This database can include fields for date, time, event name, description, and user and normally comes with a handy calendar view to allow for a comprehensive view of all items.

At this point you might be wondering? “Does this mean that I have to arrange all of my content into databases?”, which is a variation of a question we constantly get from our clients, usually along the lines of “why do I have to use databases all the time”. Enter the “database first approach”.

The Database First Approach

The best way to approach Notion is to use a database first approach.

A database first approach means that you start by creating a database for each type of information you want to track. For example, you might create a database for your contacts, a database for your tasks, and a database for your projects.

Once you have created your databases, you can start adding information to them. Each item in a database will have a set of attributes, such as the item's name, date, and status.

The benefits of using a database first approach with Notion are numerous. First, it makes it easy to find the information you need. Because all of your information is stored in databases, you can easily filter and search for the information you're looking for. Or you can view the same content in many different contexts, just by displaying filtered database views that make content accessible in many different places without having to duplicate it. This assures that your information is never siloed or hidden within sub-pages of sub-pages.

Second, a database first approach makes it easy to keep your information organized. Because each item in a database has a set of attributes (in the form of properties), you can easily see how each item is related to the others and any database item can come with a lot of context attached to it.

Third, a database first approach makes it easy to share your information with others. If you have a database that you want to share with someone else, you can simply give them access to the database.

Fourth, Notion’s databases work amazingly well with page templates thanks to their dynamic filtering feature, which allows for relevant information to automatically re-surface in the context where it’s most needed.

If you're looking for a way to organize your information with Notion, the best way to approach it is to use a database first approach. This will make it easy to find, keep track of, and share your information.

Conclusion

By adopting this approach to building your Notion workspace, you can create a comprehensive system that is easy to navigate, manage, and customize, just like any website or portal you would set up with Wordpress or any other content management system. This approach will ensure that your workspace is organized, efficient, and effective in managing all your company knowledge.