Notion at Work: Manage Projects

TL;DR

Build an “Actions” database with workflow statuses (New → Next Up → In Progress → In Review → Done) so work progresses consistently.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

Project management in Notion is built around one idea: structure work as a database with multiple views, then standardize the “how” with templates so teams can move tasks forward without losing context. The core setup is an “Actions” database that tracks every project or action item through a shared status pipeline, assigns clear owners, and uses timelines and reminders to make workload visible. Instead of relying on scattered email threads or one-off spreadsheets, teams can filter to what matters—like “assigned to me”—while still keeping a single source of truth for history and accountability.

The walkthrough starts with a practical workspace design: a top-to-bottom database that includes a description for onboarding, plus views that match different working styles. A board-style view supports left-to-right progression (new → next up → in progress → in review → done), while a table view helps scan everything at once. A calendar view ties items to due dates and durations, letting teams see what’s coming and when. There’s also a dedicated “unassigned” filter so incoming work doesn’t stall—items can be given a timeline, team, and owner so they immediately disappear from the backlog of unowned tasks.

Statuses are treated like sprint-style stages: “new” for items needing more detail, “next up” for planned work not ready to start, and “in progress” and “in review” for active execution and feedback loops. Each action item can nest additional pages or even other databases, which means a single card can hold deeper project context rather than forcing teams to open separate documents. Timeline properties go beyond a single due date by supporting durations (e.g., a week-long span) and reminders (day-of or one day before), which reduces last-minute surprises.

To prevent teams from rewriting the same project paperwork repeatedly, the session leans heavily on Notion page templates. A “Project brief” template preloads fields like goals, objectives, target audience, timeline, and budget, plus inline discussion and to-do subitems. A “Weekly team huddle” template provides recurring prompts (what got done, roadblocks, wins, birthdays/recognition), and a “Team member onboarding” template acts as a checklist with embedded videos and links to tools like Slack and Notion apps. Templates also support notification workflows: assigning a reviewer (e.g., a team lead) triggers a comment-based review loop directly inside the page.

After building the database from scratch, the Q&A adds operational details: views are team-wide, but filters control what each person sees (e.g., “assigned to me” uses an owner filter so each member sees only their items). The session also demonstrates relations—linking action items to brands, contacts, and pipeline stages—so teams can navigate from a task to the account it supports and back again. For email-driven workflows, a “Save to Notion”/“Notion Later” Chrome extension can capture a webpage title and link back to the original email thread when content permissions prevent full capture.

Finally, sharing is handled with page-level access. Clients can be invited with comment-only permissions, and they only see the specific page shared (not the entire internal database), enabling controlled collaboration without exposing unrelated work. The overall message is that Notion becomes a project operating system when databases, views, templates, relations, and permissions work together to keep teams aligned and moving.

Cornell Notes

The session shows how to manage projects in Notion by building an “Actions” database with multiple views and clear workflow stages. Work moves through statuses like New, Next Up, In Progress, In Review, and Done, while owners, teams, and timelines make responsibility and deadlines explicit. Views such as “Assigned to me,” calendar, board, and “Unassigned” filters help different roles see the right slice of work without losing the shared source of truth. Templates (Project brief, Weekly team huddle, Team member onboarding) standardize repeated processes and keep collaboration in-context through inline comments and to-dos. Relations and page-level sharing extend the system to connect tasks with brands/contacts and to collaborate with clients safely.

How does the “Actions” database keep a team aligned without overwhelming people with everything at once?

It uses multiple views plus filters. For example, an “Assigned to me” view applies a filter on the owner property (owner contains “me”), so each person sees only their items. Other views like “All” or board views remain available for historical tracking and cross-team visibility, but the default experience can stay focused for each role.

Why are statuses and timelines treated as first-class fields rather than optional labels?

Statuses define the workflow pipeline (New → Next Up → In Progress → In Review → Done), which supports board-style progression and consistent handoffs. Timelines add operational clarity beyond a single due date by allowing durations (e.g., a multi-day range) and reminders (day-of or one day before), which helps teams plan workload and reduce last-minute misses.

What makes Notion templates more than just “copy/paste” forms?

Templates pre-fill structured content and fields so teams don’t recreate the same project paperwork each time. The Project brief template includes prompts like goals/objectives and target audience, plus inline to-dos and discussion. The Weekly team huddle template provides recurring checklists (roadblocks, wins, recognition), and the onboarding template becomes a checklist with embedded resources and tool setup steps.

How do relations change project management from a flat task list to a connected system?

Relations link databases together. In the example workflow, action items relate to outreach/pipeline stages and to brands and contacts. That means selecting a brand (e.g., Under Armour or Streetwise Partners) surfaces related content like meeting notes and action items, preserving context and enabling navigation across workstreams.

How can clients collaborate without seeing the entire internal workspace?

Sharing is done at the page level with controlled permissions. A client can be invited with comment-only access to a specific project page, and they only see that shared page’s content. Related internal databases and other unrelated items aren’t exposed through that share link, preventing accidental disclosure.

What’s the practical role of the “Unassigned” view?

It acts as a triage mechanism for incoming work. Items that lack an owner appear in the unassigned view, and the team can quickly add a timeline, team, and owner so the item leaves the unassigned queue immediately—reducing stalled tasks and improving throughput.

Review Questions

If a team member needs to see only their own tasks, which property and filter logic should the view use?
How do templates like “Project brief” and “Weekly team huddle” reduce repeated work and improve collaboration?
What is the difference between using statuses alone versus pairing statuses with timelines and reminders?

Key Points

1
Build an “Actions” database with workflow statuses (New → Next Up → In Progress → In Review → Done) so work progresses consistently.
2
Use multiple views (Assigned to me, board, calendar, unassigned) and rely on filters to keep each person’s workload focused.
3
Add timeline durations and reminders to make deadlines actionable rather than just informational.
4
Use page templates (Project brief, Weekly team huddle, Team member onboarding) to standardize recurring processes and keep reviews in-context via comments.
5
Leverage nested pages and sub-databases inside action items to store project details without scattering documents.
6
Use relations to connect action items to brands, contacts, and pipeline stages so context travels with the work.
7
Share at the page level with comment-only permissions to collaborate with clients without exposing the entire internal database.

Highlights

The “Unassigned” view turns task intake into an operational workflow: add timeline, team, and owner, and the item immediately leaves the unowned queue.

Board-style status progression in Notion works best when paired with timeline durations and reminders, not just a due date.

Templates eliminate repeated project paperwork by preloading goals, audience, timelines, and review prompts directly inside each action item.

Relations let teams navigate from a task to the brand/contact context (and back), turning project management into a connected system.

Client collaboration can be kept safe by sharing only specific pages with comment-only access, rather than exposing whole databases.

Topics

Notion Project Management
Actions Database
Views and Filters
Page Templates
Relations and Sharing