# Notion: A Cross-Platform Note App for Notes, Resumes, and Travel Plans https://ijuhsu.com/en/posts/notionintro · 2020-06-18 Category: life · Tags: tools --- * * * ## Why Notion? I used Evernote for a long time, but gradually found the free tier getting more and more restrictive. After a few sync failures that left me genuinely panicked, I put the question out on social media: is there anything better? HackMD came up, and it's great — but it didn't quite fit my needs. Then someone suggested Notion. I haven't stopped recommending it to everyone I meet since. XD **In May 2020, Notion made a wonderfully generous move: the Personal plan no longer has any block limits. In other words, you can store as much as you want. XD** There's still a Personal Pro tier above that, which adds Version History and future API features — worth considering if you need those. But the free plan is already incredibly capable. Here's what I love about Notion: * Painless migration from Evernote: You can log in with your Evernote account directly in Notion and everything transfers over * Offline editing: This is partly why I didn't go with HackMD — I need to be able to work without a connection * Markdown support with live preview: You can write in Markdown syntax and Notion automatically renders it into something readable (e.g., `#` becomes H1, `##` becomes H2). You can also export content in Markdown format to share with others — even if you never use Markdown yourself * Collaborative editing: Beyond sharing individual pages or workspaces, you can build shared workspaces with others for collaborative projects * Cross-platform: Android, Windows, iOS, and web — all covered * Version history: See recent edits; the paid plan adds the ability to restore previous versions * Slack channel integration: I haven't tried this personally but I've seen the option — it seems to automatically sync with Slack pages * Folder-style organization: I naturally group related information into folders, and Notion makes this clean and easy. You can even pick cute emoji to label each folder * Tags: Makes finding things later incredibly fast * Templates: Every note can be structured around a template — travel planning, book summaries, resumes — there's something for nearly any use case * Embedded content: Embed web pages, images, code, and pretty much anything else right into your notes * * * ## Feature Walkthroughs Notion has been my go-to for notes and information management for a while now. Everyone says it's great, but what does it actually do? Let me walk through a few features I use regularly as a reference. There are even people who use Notion to build their own personal websites — that's how versatile it is. If you have your own favorite use cases, I'd love to hear them in the comments! :D ### Making the most of Workspaces If you're used to working with a file manager, Notion will feel instantly familiar. The workspace concept is essentially like a folder system — you can create multiple workspaces to house different projects. As you can see in the screenshot below, I have clear separate workspaces for each active project. When I need something, I know exactly where to look — no more drowning in a sea of disorganized notes. ![Notion's workspace system makes it easy to quickly separate and find your content](https://res.cloudinary.com/dycjoye5f/image/upload/q_auto,f_auto/ijuhsu/notion-list) ### Information management I wrote about how I use Notion to organize research in my earlier post [Podcast Prep in Solo Mode: Using Notion for 語言好好玩](/en/podcastsingleprep/). Here are a few more tips worth highlighting. **Use the Chrome extension** Websites go down, links break, content disappears — so installing the Notion Chrome extension to clip and save full pages is a lifesaver. How? Just click the Notion extension button. It automatically populates the page title and lets you choose which workspace to save it to. After you hit Save page, all the content — text, images, links — gets pulled in automatically. XD ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/dycjoye5f/image/upload/q_auto,f_auto/ijuhsu/notion-chrome) *The Notion Chrome extension is incredibly handy — it grabs all the text, images, and even sets up links for you automatically.* ![When you use the Notion Chrome extension, text and content are quickly pulled into Notion.](https://res.cloudinary.com/dycjoye5f/image/upload/q_auto,f_auto/ijuhsu/notion-clip) **Use tags** The value of tagging is hard to overstate. Even before you've read through something, you can tag it based on the title and opening paragraph. Later, when you've forgotten a keyword but remember a theme, tags will surface everything at once. **Use hierarchy** As I described in the podcast prep post, a clear hierarchical structure makes your notes feel genuinely organized. In the context of a blog post or document, each level of the hierarchy is essentially your outline — glance at the headings and you immediately know what each section covers. ### Building a resume Whether you're job hunting or applying to a program, you need a resume. Most people update theirs in fits and starts — because resumes live in Word files or specialized software, it takes a moment of deliberate effort to even open them. So what happens when you randomly remember something worth adding — a new project, a skill, an achievement? Notion has a built-in Resume template that covers pretty much every format you could need. Open it and start filling it in. Since Notion is always with you as a note app, updating it is easy anytime — and the result looks genuinely polished. [Here's](https://www.notion.so/ijuforever/Resume-ee31476a526045f796c01c45a4b00c9a) the template I built in Notion, in case it's useful to you. ### Travel planning If you travel often, Notion makes a great travel planner. I prefer building my own layout from scratch, but there are also ready-made Travel Plan templates if you want a head start. A solid travel plan typically needs tables (itineraries), maps, and images — and Notion's all-in-one approach handles all of that in one place. XD Below is the travel plan I made for a ski trip to Zao and the Fox Village in early 2020. The itinerary table lays out daily plans, accommodations, and even costs (with a running total — XD). Maps and images help you quickly locate destinations, and you can embed links to special events or tickets so nothing slips through. ![Notion's all-in-one approach is perfect for building travel plans.](https://res.cloudinary.com/dycjoye5f/image/upload/q_auto,f_auto/ijuhsu/notion-travel-plan) For more intensive itinerary planning, you can also go the simple-but-thorough route: list out all your destinations with clear hierarchy. That way, wherever you are, all your information is right there. [Here's](https://www.notion.so/ijuforever/20190824-28-HSU-30a092489b974b68afaa0e56ced1a514) the travel plan I made for a family trip to Angkor Wat in 2019, for reference. XD That's the Notion intro for today — are you tempted yet? If you'd like to sign up for Notion, you can use my referral link below — we'll both get some credits. (Sign up without it and neither of us gets anything XD.) [https://www.notion.so/?r=0a24e2fa1a8f49c0903cfd01e4505204](https://www.notion.so/?r=0a24e2fa1a8f49c0903cfd01e4505204) Questions or thoughts? Drop them in the comments below! :D * * * ### Thanks for reading :D If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click the coffee button in the lower right to support us and give Lottery a can 🐾