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Notion Office Hours: Student Productivity with Ali Abdaal đź“– thumbnail

Notion Office Hours: Student Productivity with Ali Abdaal đź“–

Notion·
5 min read

Based on Notion's video on YouTube. If you like this content, support the original creators by watching, liking and subscribing to their content.

TL;DR

Use Notion views to evolve from a simple Kanban board into specialized workflows (e.g., sponsored deadlines vs. niche channel drafts) as projects grow.

Briefing

Ali Abdaal’s Notion setup is built around one central idea: capture ideas and study material once, then turn them into reusable prompts, plans, and active-recall questions so work doesn’t start from a blank slate. Instead of treating notes as a place to store summaries, he uses Notion to keep a steady pipeline—from video planning and weekly content ideas to exam preparation—so he can quickly pick what to work on next and test himself efficiently.

For video production, he starts with a Kanban-style workflow that tracks ideas through stages like writing in progress, filming, editing, and publication. As his team and output grew, he replaced the simple board with multiple views: a “sponsored videos” view organized by deadlines and filming windows, a second channel (“appendix”) database for niche medical education videos, and a general idea table where new concepts land immediately. A dashboard then acts as a shortcut hub for small, opportunistic tasks—like reviewing how he edits photos or drafting notes for a future video—so spare moments can still move projects forward. He also emphasizes a “second brain” approach inspired by Thiago Forte: build abundance by collecting resonant content over time, then reuse it later when writing or filming.

That “resonance calendar” is essentially a free-form library of content he’s enjoyed—podcasts, blog posts, articles—captured via iOS share extension or the web clipper. When something resonates, he tags it and adds brief notes about what specifically clicked. He returns to it on a weekly cadence when drafting his newsletter, pulling a handful of links that match the week’s themes. The payoff is not just organization; it’s systematic creativity. He argues that quoting and referencing multiple sources can look like deep research, while the real advantage comes from having already curated and annotated a reservoir of material.

He pairs that with an “idea refinery” workflow for raw concepts that may later become newsletter topics, blog posts, or video ideas. Ideas move through columns as they get transformed into finished outputs, and links back to their origin help him quickly reconstruct context.

For personal productivity, he uses a “daily highlights” list drawn from Make Time, where each day has a single planned win (plus optional supporting tasks). He also maintains a weekly review template based loosely on Getting Things Done—though he admits he doesn’t complete it as consistently as he wants.

The most concrete study system is for physiology teaching and exam-style learning. He organizes lecture series into a database by topic (e.g., nerves, muscles, kidneys), then uses Notion toggles to convert notes into active recall questions. Instead of rereading, he writes prompts like “What is positive feedback and why is it bad for us,” hides the answer inside toggle boxes, and forces himself to retrieve the information from memory before checking. He also uses pages to tuck away complex tangents or dense material (like Nernst equation calculations) so main lecture notes stay readable.

In Q&A, he reinforces that Notion can support active recall, but for heavy memorization of papers, authors, and years, he recommends a flashcard system like Anki. He also clarifies that Notion isn’t his universal tool: he still relies on Google Docs for collaboration, Evernote for long-term essay research workflows, and other apps (like Notability, Bear, Drafts, and Ulysses) depending on whether capture speed, offline reliability, or writing flow matters more. The overall message is pragmatic: Notion is most powerful when it’s used as an active, question-driven workspace—not a passive filing cabinet.

Cornell Notes

Ali Abdaal uses Notion as an “active” second brain: ideas and study content are captured once, then converted into prompts, plans, and reusable assets. For video work, he tracks concepts through a Kanban workflow and maintains specialized views (e.g., sponsored videos with deadlines, a separate medical channel database). For studying, he organizes lecture series by topic and uses Notion toggles to turn notes into active-recall questions, checking answers only after attempting retrieval. He also keeps a “resonance calendar” of content that has previously clicked, returning to it weekly to generate newsletter and content ideas. The system matters because it reduces blank-slate thinking and makes retrieval practice the default way he learns.

How does the “resonance calendar” turn scattered inspiration into a repeatable content engine?

He saves anything that “resonates” into Notion using capture tools like the iOS share extension or the web clipper. Each saved item can be tagged (e.g., podcast) and gets a few quick notes about the specific parts that mattered. On a weekly schedule—especially when writing his email newsletter—he scans the library to pick links that match the themes he wants to cover, then reuses those notes and references when drafting.

What makes his study notes different from typical summarization notes?

He treats writing as part of synthesis, not as transcription. For physiology, he writes brief notes only where they help him understand or remember. The key move is converting content into questions using Notion toggles, so he can test himself (active recall) rather than reread. He gives examples like asking what positive feedback is and why it’s harmful, then checking the hidden answer only after trying to retrieve it from memory.

How do toggles implement Cornell-style thinking inside Notion?

Instead of a traditional Cornell layout, he uses toggle blocks: a question is written in the collapsed area, and the answer sits inside the expanded toggle. He even nests toggles (a toggle inside a toggle) for layered questions. This structure forces retrieval practice: he tries to dredge up the answer mentally first, then expands to verify and learn from gaps.

Why does he use pages to hide complexity instead of keeping everything in one long document?

He keeps main lecture pages tidy by moving dense tangents or multi-step material into separate pages. For example, he places complex content like Nernst equation calculations into a page and uses toggles to hide example calculations and extra questions. This preserves readability while still retaining the full detail when needed.

When should a student switch from Notion to a flashcard tool like Anki?

For memorization-heavy requirements—such as comprehensive exams involving specific articles, theories, authors, and years—he recommends Anki. Notion can support active recall with toggles, but flashcards add scheduling and repeated testing mechanics that are better suited for committing factual references to memory.

How does he balance Notion with other tools instead of trying to replace everything?

He uses different apps for different jobs: Google Docs for collaboration and shared editing, Evernote for long-term essay research workflows, and capture/writing tools like Notability, Bear, Drafts, and Ulysses depending on speed, offline needs, and writing flow. His approach is “Notion for active work,” while other tools handle storage, handwriting capture, or specialized writing and capture workflows.

Review Questions

  1. What specific Notion features (e.g., toggles, pages, views) does he use to support active recall, and how do they change the way he studies?
  2. Describe the workflow from capturing resonant content to producing a weekly newsletter. What role do tags and quick notes play?
  3. In what situations does he argue Notion is not the best tool, and what alternative tool does he recommend instead?

Key Points

  1. 1

    Use Notion views to evolve from a simple Kanban board into specialized workflows (e.g., sponsored deadlines vs. niche channel drafts) as projects grow.

  2. 2

    Build a “resonance calendar” by capturing content that genuinely clicks, then add brief notes and tags so weekly idea generation becomes fast and theme-based.

  3. 3

    Turn study material into questions using Notion toggles to make active recall the default learning step rather than rereading summaries.

  4. 4

    Use pages to compartmentalize dense tangents (equations, discovery stories, multi-step examples) so main notes stay readable while detail remains accessible.

  5. 5

    For memorization of papers/authors/years, prefer a flashcard system like Anki because it supports spaced repetition and rapid testing.

  6. 6

    Don’t force one app to do everything: keep Notion for active work, while using Google Docs, Evernote, and writing/capture tools for collaboration, long-term storage, and handwriting/offline needs.

Highlights

The “resonance calendar” is a curated library of what already worked for him—captured with tags and quick notes—so content creation stops being a blank-slate problem.
His study method centers on Notion toggles: questions live in collapsed blocks, answers are hidden, and retrieval happens before checking.
Pages act like complexity shields: dense calculations and tangents get moved out of the main lecture view to keep the workspace usable.
Notion supports active recall, but for heavy factual memorization (authors, years, references), he recommends Anki over toggles alone.
He treats tool choice as functional: Google Docs for collaboration, Evernote for essay research, and Notion for active planning and learning.

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