If you're familiar with discussions about Notion, you'll know that it is often described as having a steep learning curve and being overwhelming for newcomers. This is especially true if you're not used to setting up documents for project management and databases.

In many ways, Notion encompasses many of the drawbacks of productivity apps. Based on my own frustrations with the platform, I came up with a few tips on how to make it easier to tackle what you want to do.

5 Use templates until you're more familiar with the platform

Whether you want to track expenses or create a simple to-do list, Notion templates can help you with a lot of the setup and formatting for these use cases. I found the personal site templates particularly useful when I wanted to get a resume website up and running quickly using Notion.

That said, some templates are complex, so if you're struggling to understand a feature, feel free to delete it from the template and focus on the tools you need.

Some templates also include FAQs that help you figure out the various tools it implements, so make sure to check out the bottom of the page to see if there are any tips.

4 Don't try to do too much at once

You'll get overwhelmed by all the features

When you first start with Notion, it asks you what you want to use the platform for. Since I was initially just exploring the app and its features, I ticked off a few uses. This resulted in Notion creating too many separate pages for me to work on, and I was immediately overwhelmed with how much there was to do.

Before you get into Notion, I suggest deciding what you want to use it for and building those functions and pages slowly. If a template is trying to do too much, delete the parts you won't use.

There are lesser-known Notion features that power users can use to create powerful integrations with the platform, but you should focus on the features that will benefit you. If you try to do too much at once, the app becomes a major time sink, and you'll start questioning the value you get out of spending so much time on it.

As you become more comfortable with the platform, you can also work on creating Notion automations to streamline your workflow.

3 Focus on function first

Esthetics come second

In line with keeping things simple, you should also focus on the function of your Notion documents over their appearance. It saves time by first focusing on what you want the page to do, rather than how you want it to look.

For example, when I started a database from scratch to create a table of pet expenses, I focused on getting all the table items I wanted included first. Then I added a sum calculation for the expense column.

When I have more time, I'll customize the colors of the table items. Things get a bit more complicated if I want to turn the table into a chart or timeline, and it's easy to get overwhelmed. So, I'll stick with the simple table and its functionality and experiment with different layouts when I have more time. Once all the functionality is there, I can look at how to create beautiful Notion pages.

2 Check out the Notion Academy

It offers bite-sized tutorials

While I'm not a fan of requiring tutorials to learn how to use an app properly, the reality is that Notion incorporates so many functions that you can't really just dive in blindly. If you do, like I did, you'll likely get frustrated with getting certain features to work.

The Notion Academy provides a series of short tutorials that teach you how to use the platform's various features. The videos and guides are part of courses aimed at teaching you a certain function.

There are also a bunch of YouTubers that discuss Notion, but I've found that the bite-sized videos from Notion Academy are easier for me to focus on. You can also use the Notion subreddit to find tips and advice on the platform.

1 Don't try to build Notion pages when you're on a deadline

Rushing just makes the app more frustrating

If you're in a rush and trying to implement something in Notion without being familiar with all the features, you're on the fast-track to getting frustrated and overwhelmed by the platform. When I tried to create an expenses database when I had to send the total amount that afternoon, I was in too much of a rush to really explore what each table field related to.

This resulted in me quickly becoming frustrated by things not working as I expected them to, and I went back to recording the expenses in my Google Sheets document instead. But it was much less frustrating when I came back to Notion without a deadline and took my time creating the expenses page. Because I took my time, I could spot suggestions provided by the app (like creating an automated calculation field) that I was too flustered to notice before.

Take it slow when starting out on Notion

Notion has so many features to explore that if you dive right in while in a rush, you'll likely find yourself overwhelmed by everything you can do. Relying on templates, focusing on function over appearance, exploring the Notion Academy, and using the app when you have sufficient free time to explore will help you feel less overwhelmed by the complex platform.