Who's this? You are receiving this newsletter from me because you signed up for the newsletter a while back or you bought a template from me, your friendly Systems Wizard. This includes free downloads via Gumroad.

Hello Reader,

With all the new features announced recently, there's starting to be some cool content that shows us how to make the most of them.

I've been playing around with them too, and if you'd like to leave me feedback about this newsletter, you can now fill out a Notion Form.

It's a much more relaxed week than last week.

Let's dive into what happened during the week of October 28, 2024:

📣 The week's Notion updates

After a huge list of new features announced at Make with Notion on October 24, last week was very quiet and there's nothing new out there.
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Missed it? Watch a recap here, or some of the round tables via their YouTube channel.

Personally, I'm waiting for a couple of the presentations that happened on Stage 2 to be available. They will be released as videos in the coming days/weeks.

🎞️ This week's YouTube videos

Notion Ambassadors and Creators have been busy playing around with all the new features, so here's a little round-up of videos to teach you how to use forms, automation, layouts, etc.

​Notion Forms are a Game Changer by Thomas Frank (25 minutes)

In this video, you'll learn how to make public and internal forms, customise them, embed them, and so on. My favourite bit? How he demonstrates his use of Dub.co and the Raycast extension to create custom links.

• If you've got too much free time on your hands, you could also watch his five-hour livestream covering all new features. Yes. Five. HOURS. It's comprehensive, but I think videos like the one above are easier to digest.

​Notion Layouts - Everything You Need to Know by Simo (6 minutes)

Super simple and visual explanation of what can be done with the new layout functions. A good video for beginners who are still trying to figure things out.

​The Easiest (New) Way To Create Recurring Tasks in Notion by Matthias Frank (18 minutes)

Recurring tasks were possible before, but not really and you needed a complex system with a third-party tool (like Make or Zapier). Not anymore. The new automation now makes this possible. In this video, Matthias shows how to make simple and complex recurring tasks based on a few scenarios.

​How I Write SEO Posts in 2 Mins With Notion AI + API by Aaron Jack (11 minutes)
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Frustrated by ChatGPT's generic content that all sounds the same, Aaron Jack shows how he's turned to Notion AI to write better SEO posts. You need to understand how to run scripts with GitHub to use his suggested approach.

​I Tried Notion... And I Just Couldn't Do It 😭 by Jessica Stansberry (16 minutes)

Notion's not for everyone. While it might seem strange to include a video of someone who decides NOT to use Notion, I think it's important to understand why it might not be a tool for everyone (or why some people can't wrap their heads around it).

🎙️ Podcasts worth a listen

I didn't find anything new this week. But you can catch all the episodes I've shared so far on this playlist.

💬 Popular conversations on Reddit

• ​Will Notion ever build a whiteboard?​
• ​Is Google gearing towards releasing a Notion-like platform? Does anyone care about Notion mail?​
• ​Notion is too good, I'm afraid that it will get acquired.​
• ​[mini rant] Pay if you use notion so much!​
• ​BE WARNED: 'Free' has some severe new caveats...​
• ​I love Notion. That’s it. That’s the post.​

📇 Blog posts published last week

​Creating Your Blog with Notion: The Perfect Guide for Developers by Notion Presso

The title says it all. And it is definitely for developers. This shows you how to use Node.js and Git as part of your environment set-up, as well as, Notion's API for integrations. And it dives deeper from there.

​How to Create Lesson Plans with Notion AI (Free template & Tutorial) by Notion4Teachers

There's a template. There's a tutorial. With lots and lots of screenshots. And it's free. Now that's how you write a how-to article. I think the principles behind this process could also be followed to generate other types of content outlines like workshops, presentations, dissertations and more.

​Obsidian vs Notion: Which is Better for Academic Research? by Obsibrain

Is this written by someone who already uses and loves Obsidian? Yes. But is it also a good comparison in the context of academic research? Yes. In the end, there's no clear winner. It all depends on your needs. The detail in showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of each tool is worth a read.

​How to Build Sustainable Business Systems with Notion: A Complete Guide by Coach Ellyn

This is less of a "how to" as the title suggests, and more of an "all the things you could do" with Notion. Ellyn gives links to relevant templates but this is not a step-by-step guide. It does however lits out the components of a solid business system.

📆 Upcoming events

• ​The Future of Notion Consulting, with David de Céspedes (November 12, 1 pm EST, free)
• ​Mastering Digital Workflows: Notion for Product Designers, with me! for the San Francisco UXD community (November 22, 10:30 am AEST, it's a free event)
• All other Notion community events like in-person meetups are listed here​