Easy Naming Conventions in Notion
Navigating Notion initially can be overwhelming. Inspired by this challenge, I devised a structured naming and organization system that mirrors the logical design of a website, enhancing navigation and usability across your workspace, irrespective of its complexity.
Central to our organizational system is the use of a single database for each topic. This method simplifies searching and connecting through relationships, making navigation intuitive, even on mobile devices.
Each database is named with a consistent format: “All [Database items] [Workspace Acronym]”.
In the Brad’s Homebase workspace, a tasks database would be named “All Tasks [BH]“.
This helps immediately identify the purpose of the content—whether it’s a page or a database—and makes searching significantly easier.
Hub-Based Organization
Hubs are the core of our system, serving as repositories for all related information. This structure can include multiple levels, with hubs within hubs, to maintain a clean and organized workspace.
Each hub contains all information pertinent to that category, allowing for hierarchical organization and easy retrieval.
Examples of Hubs:
- 📒 Notes Hub
- ✅ Tasks Hub
- 🔨 Projects Hub
- 👨💼 Business Hub
Interconnected Databases and Quick Return Views
To enhance the functionality and interconnectivity of your hubs and databases, we use specific icons and quick return views:
Icon Consistency: When in a Hub page that is related to another database, we use the icon of that related database to maintain visual continuity.
If you’re in the Notes Hub and a page relates to the Projects Hub, the icon will be a Project icon.
Quick Return Views: Every database page includes quick access views to streamline workflow and reduce load times.
Views Include:
- All Notes (Last Edited): Full table view of all 📒 Notes.
- All Tasks (Last Edited): Full table view of all ✅ Tasks.
- All Projects (Last Edited): Full table view of all 🔨 Projects.
- All Goals (Last Edited): Full table view of all 🏆 Goals.
- Areas (Last Edited): Full table view of all 🗄️ Areas.
- Resources (Last Edited): Full table view of all 📁 Resources.
- Load Limit: Each view is set to a maximum of 10 pages to leverage Notion’s lazy loading.
Structuring Hub Subpages
Hub subpages are organized into four sections, allowing for targeted navigation based on your needs:
- Important: There is only one priority page in each hub. This is a focus page for your most viewed content. Keep this clean to ensure important content receives proper attention.
- Processing & Status: To manage a system effectively, you have to organize efficiently. These sections are for putting your activity in the correct location or viewing it based on status.
- Time-Based: Most things have a time property included, such as date or last edited. This section is to view your activities based on when they happened or will happen.
- Category-Based: All activities will be grouped based on where you process them. This section is to view anything based on where it’s located or how it’s organized.
Naming Projects and Resources by Area
Differentiating projects and resources by their respective areas ensures a systematic and coherent structure across your workspace.
Use a prefix related to the area before the name of the project or resource to indicate their connection.
Home Area Projects:
- Home – Quick Tasks
- Home – Upstairs Bathroom Painting
- Home – Spring Cleaning
Home Area Resources:
- Home – Recipes
- Home – Important Documents
- Home – User Manuals
Business Area Projects:
- Bus – Office Move
- Bus – Website Overhaul
- Bus – Business Development
This system provides flexibility for longer names and ensures consistent, easy-to-find page naming.
Conclusion
By implementing these naming conventions and organizational strategies, Notion becomes not just a tool for storing information but a sophisticated environment tailored for efficiency and ease of use.
Our structured approach provides a clear pathway through your digital workspace, making it intuitive and manageable.