The Importance of Organization

Are you effectively managing your personal documents like tax receipts and utility bills? I certainly wasn’t. My data was scattered across various spreadsheets and websites, making it nearly impossible to maintain an overview of my financial situation.

In more stable times, this chaos was manageable. With low inflation and a general sense of stability, planning wasn’t a priority. However, with inflation on the rise due to COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions, I realized that a more structured approach was necessary.

To address this, I aimed to enhance my information management system, hoping that Notion could serve as a comprehensive dashboard for my life. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous obstacles along the way.

A look at Notion's new table feature and how it can simplify data management.

Chapter 2: Initial Attraction to Notion

In an ideal scenario, I wanted to effectively organize all my financial data for easy updates and analysis. For instance, linking bills to bank accounts would help me monitor my income and expenses more efficiently. Notion’s database feature seemed perfect for this purpose, allowing for relational data management without duplication.

For example, having a separate table for authors linked to a books database simplifies updates and enhances understanding. While spreadsheets can achieve similar results through functions, they can quickly become complicated and prone to errors, especially with larger datasets.

Combining Notion's data modeling capabilities with its dashboard feature initially seemed promising.

A guide on how to create visually appealing statistics in Notion, enhancing your data presentation.

Section 2.1: My Migration Journey

My first step was to recreate my spreadsheet tables within Notion. While this worked temporarily, I soon faced challenges, particularly with tracking our electricity usage.

The key metric in this table isn’t just the readings but the differences between them. In a spreadsheet, this calculation is straightforward—simply subtract the previous value. However, Notion does not allow referencing prior records directly.

I created a workaround using a shortcut that retrieves the last reading whenever a new one is entered, which was manageable but not ideal.

Section 2.2: The Graphing Dilemma

To my surprise, Notion lacks built-in graphing capabilities, an essential feature even in basic spreadsheet applications. Many users praised Notion for its dashboard functionalities, which I assumed included graphs.

Instead, graphing in Notion relies on third-party widgets, which proved challenging to implement. As a user of an M1 iPad Pro, I faced compatibility issues and spent excessive time troubleshooting. Although I found a suitable widget eventually, I struggled with trust issues regarding third-party integrations.

I had accepted Notion’s reliability, but could I trust the widgets? What happens if a widget becomes unreliable or is removed?

Section 2.3: Attachment Management Concerns

While setting up a table to include scanned receipts, I discovered that Notion only allows linking to external storage for images. Although Google Docs is likely secure, it adds complexity to my workflow, requiring me to manage two platforms for data storage.

Back to Spreadsheets

After evaluating my options, I realized that Notion's limitations—especially with graphing and image storage—made me long for the simplicity of spreadsheets. While Notion has its strengths in database management and dashboards, I found that combining spreadsheets with iCloud offered a more secure and straightforward solution.

Spreadsheets allow for easy graphing and image embedding, and with recent updates in Apple Numbers, it's simpler than ever to create reports and dashboards. Sharing is also seamless via iCloud, providing an extra layer of security.

Final Thoughts: Rethinking Notion

Notion is a powerful tool that has transformed many users’ workflows. However, for my personal needs, its lack of essential features led me back to spreadsheets. If your primary goal is to manage personal information effectively, investing time in designing a robust spreadsheet may be the better choice.

Numbers, being free, offers excellent data analysis and dashboard creation capabilities. If you require more advanced functionalities, consider exploring Office 365, which provides great value.

Ultimately, I embraced the world of spreadsheets, and they have served me well without the complications that arose with Notion.