Notion: Artfully combining aesthetics and academia
As a procrastinator to a ridiculous degree, I often scoff at the ads tailored to my internet browsing history of how I can get my school work done without doing any school work.
Now, the browser (and app) I am about to suggest unfortunately doesn’t do the work for me, but it does make it more enjoyable.
To preface, I like to take notes, but I hate writing them. I like color-coding, but I hate going back into my written work and highlighting. I like drawing, and I spend too much time in class with a pencil creating lines and shading rather than scribbling words.
In order for me to study the traditional way, I begrudgingly do all of the above and end up hating the material and learning out of spite.
Ironically, I found the app via TikTok as I was sitting in front of my open laptop on my phone not doing my assignment displayed on one of the many web tabs open.
Notion, an “all-in-one workspace for note-taking, knowledge and data management, project and task management,” along with the ability to add pictures, visual hyperlinks and even links to personal google docs seemed like the best thing to ever grace my For You page.
I’ll admit, the gimmicks of this browser were not my initial attraction. It was the range of colors, text styles and other aesthetic features that actually made me put down my phone and begin organizing my coursework. I began deciding which color represented each class, which classical art I could make a header or a symbol and all my online textbooks were soon hyperlinked with a description on every class page of notes.
The app has a list of “commands” you can use to create a specific style for your text, including to-do list functions that cross off the list when you mark the box as completed, a toggle list that hides text under a header (I use it for links), a call-out box that makes information stand out, and various text sizes, colors and backgrounds.
Overall, it is a procrastinator’s aid and an aesthetic academic’s dream.
While in class, I take notes on my laptop, and when it is time to review or just revisit, I allow myself to make the notes look as clean as possible so that it is easy to read and visually pleasing. I don’t like things to look clustered, so I can add as much variation to my pages as possible. I can’t handle writing with pencils if I can’t get it to feel right in my hand or on paper, so I use my laptop to actually focus on what is being said in class and actively listening rather than getting frustrated on not being able to write “right.”
I actually revisit my course-work and have (so far) maintained a schedule, something I have not been able to consistently do or even attempt throughout my entire college career.
I could wax poetic about Notion, but I’ll leave you with this: You can also do everything on your phone. Yes, it has an app.
Images taken from personal Notion as an example of features available.
