Building a System That Works: My Journey to a Streamlined Digital Workspace

Last year threw everything at me at once – relocating from Europe to Korea, traveling for months, and navigating major personal milestones. All while maintaining my freelance design business.

I quickly found myself drowning in endless task lists, scattered information, and mounting anxiety about what I might be forgetting.

When Simple Systems Break Down

Before this upheaval, my relationship with Notion was casual. Some basic task lists, a few project notes – nothing particularly structured or connected.

As life became more complex, this approach crumbled: - Information disappeared between notes - Tasks slipped through the cracks - I wasted time trying to remember where I’d stored important details

The worst part wasn’t feeling disorganized – it was the constant worry that I was forgetting something important.

Finding a Better Way

After weeks of missed tasks and information chaos, I discovered Thomas Frank’s Notion content. His approach to personal knowledge management resonated immediately.

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I purchased his template and learned invaluable lessons:

- How structured databases transform information management

- The power of connecting related information

- The importance of consistent task processing

- Practical implementation of the PARA method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives)

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While the template was an excellent teacher, friction points emerged over time. It sometimes felt too heavy for daily use. I caught myself spending more time maintaining the system than using it for actual work.

Crafting a Personal Solution

I decided to build something tailored to my specific workflow, guided by core principles:

1. Simplicity first – Every feature needed to solve a genuine problem
2. Connected information – Tasks, notes, and projects naturally linked together
3. Reduced friction – Capturing and retrieving information should feel effortless
4. Adaptability – The system had to evolve with changing needs

What emerged became my Life Hub – a Notion workspace balancing comprehensive organization with day-to-day usability.

Instead of overwhelming dashboards, I focused on actionable views showing exactly what I needed in different contexts.

Beyond the Desktop

Even with an improved Notion system, I still faced a critical problem: much of my life happened away from my laptop.

This pushed me to completely rethink my iPhone organization:

• Custom Focus modes for different contexts (Work, Personal, Travel)
• iOS shortcuts capturing directly into Notion databases
• Strategic home screen configuration showing only what’s relevant

This two-pronged approach – streamlined Notion + intentional iPhone setup – transformed how I navigated daily life.

Real Impact on Daily Life

The practical benefits have been significant:

• Morning planning sessions provide clarity instead of overwhelm
• Project information stays connected to relevant tasks and notes
• Ideas captured on iPhone automatically flow to the right place
• Time tracking happens with minimal friction
• Project overviews show progress and patterns that would otherwise remain invisible

The system continues to evolve, but for the first time, I have a digital workspace that supports me rather than demanding constant maintenance.

Key Lessons Learned

This journey taught me several valuable lessons:

1. Personal fit trumps comprehensiveness A simpler system that matches your workflow beats a feature-rich one that creates friction.
2. Connected information reduces mental load When your system maintains relationships between items, your brain doesn’t have to.
3. Cross-device integration is essential With increasingly mobile lives, systems confined to a single device create fragmentation.
4. Principles should precede features Know what your system needs to accomplish before deciding how it should work.
5. Great systems evolve through use Effective digital workspaces grow through daily interaction rather than emerging perfectly formed.

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After refining this system for months, I turned my personal setup into a template that others might find useful. Life Hub is now available on my website, along with a lighter version (Life Hub Lite) for those wanting to explore this approach without committing to a comprehensive system.

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But regardless of tools or templates, I’ve come to believe that the journey toward an effective personal system is deeply individual. The principles matter more than the specific implementation.

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