Organize Your Entire Business in One App
Your tasks are in one app, your notes in another, your project plans in a spreadsheet, and your meeting notes in a Google Doc somewhere. You spend more time switching between tools than doing actual work. Here's how to consolidate everything — tasks, docs, projects, wikis, and databases — into one workspace.
Tools You'll Need
| Tool | What It Does | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notion | All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, project management, databases, and wikis | Free for personal / $10/month per user for teams | Get it → |
| Claude or ChatGPT | Creates your Notion templates, workspace structure, and standard operating procedures | Free | Get it → |
The Walkthrough
Step 1: Sign Up and Set Up Your Workspace
What to do: Go to Notion and create a free account. The free plan includes unlimited pages and blocks for personal use. Team plan ($10/user/month) adds collaboration features.
Why you’re doing it: Notion replaces your notes app, task manager, project board, wiki, and spreadsheets with one tool. Less context-switching = more actual work.
What to expect: 5 minutes for setup. You’ll see a blank workspace ready to build.
Step 2: Build Your Core Pages
What to do: Create these 5 starter pages: (1) Dashboard — your daily home base with links to everything. (2) Tasks — a database with status, priority, and due date. (3) Projects — a board view for tracking active projects. (4) Notes — a running log for meeting notes, ideas, and references. (5) SOPs — a wiki for standard operating procedures. Use AI: “Create a Notion workspace structure for a [type of business] with [X] employees.”
Why you’re doing it: Structure before content. These 5 pages cover 90% of what any small business needs to stay organized.
What to expect: 1–2 hours for initial setup. Start simple — you can always add complexity later.
Common mistakes: Overbuilding on day one. Notion’s flexibility is both its strength and its trap. Start with the 5 core pages and add more only when you feel a real need.
Step 3: Create Databases for Repeating Work
What to do: Turn your Tasks page into a proper database with properties: Status (To Do / In Progress / Done), Priority (High / Medium / Low), Due Date, and Assigned To (if you have a team). Set up different views: a board view for visual tracking and a list view for quick scanning.
Use this prompt to design your Notion workspace: Ask Claude: “Design a Notion workspace structure for a [business type] with [number of people]. I need to track: [list what you manage — e.g., client projects, content calendar, finances, team tasks, SOPs]. For each area suggest: the database type (table, board, calendar, or gallery), the 4-5 most important properties to include, and the single most useful view to set up. Keep it simple — I need something I will actually maintain.”
Why you’re doing it: Databases are Notion’s superpower. A single database can show up as a board, calendar, table, or gallery — depending on what you need at that moment.
What to expect: 30 minutes to set up your first database with multiple views.
Step 4: Write Your SOPs
What to do: Document the processes you do repeatedly: how you onboard a new client, how you process an order, how you create content. Use AI: “Write a standard operating procedure for [process] at a [type of business]. Include step-by-step instructions, responsible roles, and common pitfalls.”
Why you’re doing it: SOPs in Notion mean any team member (or you, when you forget the steps) can follow the exact process. This is how you scale without chaos.
What to expect: 20–30 minutes per SOP with AI assistance.
Confidence Level
This workflow is Beta — Based on Best Available Knowledge. Notion is one of the most popular productivity platforms with millions of users. The setup process is flexible and well-documented through Notion’s guides and a massive community.
What to Do If It Doesn’t Work
- Feels overwhelming: You’re trying to build too much at once. Use only the Dashboard and Tasks pages for the first week. Add more as you settle in.
- Team isn’t adopting it: Make it the single source of truth. If tasks only exist in Notion, people will use Notion.
- Need more help? Notion Help Center or email us at hello@thenewsbakery.com.