Notion is free, flexible, and dangerous — most people build a beautiful workspace instead of running their business. Here's the minimal version that works.

Four databases, that's it

1. Clients/Jobs — status, next action, deadline 2. Content pipeline — idea → drafted → published; every row links to its target keyword 3. Money — simple income/expense log (export monthly for taxes) 4. SOPs — every recurring task written once as steps; future-you delegates to past-you

The weekly review page

One page with linked views: overdue jobs, content due this week, expenses to categorize. Fifteen minutes every Monday replaces three different apps' notifications.

What Notion replaces

Client CRM (until ~20 active clients), project management tools, most of your notes app, and your "where did I put that" memory.

Worth paying for?

The free personal plan runs a solo business indefinitely. Upgrade only when you want Notion AI in-workspace or team features — and if you're evaluating it against other tools, our stack comparison covers where Notion fits.