As a frequent traveler, I’d sometimes forget to pack something for a personal or business trip. And by sometimes, I mean almost always. Late-night journeys to pharmacies weren’t uncommon. Sounds like a solvable problem, eh?

Template #1: Trip Planning, Packing, and Task Database

Over the last few months, I created and refined a system in Notion to ensure that I never forget to do or pack anything again. Ever. Here’s one of the screenshots:

Yeah, I bring a fanny pack to the gym to store my workout bands, Purell, and a few other items. TMI? Hey, at least it’s not a change purse.

The system includes some cool database views.

Of course, you can customize the hell out of it, create new templates for different types of trips, and all that jazz.

Today, I’m launching my little system as a new Notion template. It includes some cool database views, like this timeline:

Click the button below to learn more about it and buy it on Gumroad for $24.99 (USD).

Template #2: Enhanced Task Notifications

As much as I love Notion, I’ve found its default task notifications a smidge lacking from the get-go. My biggest issue: If you complete a task early and fail to disable the task reminder, Notion still sends you a notification.

I would complete a task a few days before its due date, but I rarely remembered to turn off the reminder. The false positives drove me nuts. I’d ask myself, “Wait, didn’t I already complete that task four days ago? Am I going senile?”

Several attempts to solve this problem bore no fruit, but I’m notoriously and unapologetically stubborn.

Last week’s Make With Notion conference was awesome. It included a video testimonial from yours truly. During one segment, I saw an opportunity to do finally fix the thorny notification issue for good. As it turned out, I was right. This simple template enhances Notion’s default notifications in several useful ways. Specifically, it:

• Eliminates superfluous notifications on completed tasks. You no longer have to worry about whether or not you remembered to uncheck task reminders when you complete a task before its due date. (If I had a nickel for every false positive I received, I’d have more than a few bucks, but I digress.) In fact, with this template, you may no longer find a need for the Remind box at all.
• By default, alerts the task owner if the task remains uncompleted seven days past its due date.
• By default, alerts the task owner if the task remains uncompleted a month past its due date.

Of course, you can easily customize the template as needed. Anyone with a modicum of Notion skill can replicate this functionality in an existing Notion task or project database.

October Tech Tips

The price for the Enhanced Task Notifications template is $9.95 (USD).