Introduction

This is a template Notion workspace I have developed for managing life and work as an academic researcher. To learn more about Notion generally, you can access their official guides here. Note that Notion is a proprietary tool, so building your project and knowledge management system within it comes with some risks. For me, these risks are outweighed by the benefit of a clean interface and substantial investment in software maintenance and upgrades. As a student or educator, you can get Notion for free by signing up with your institutional email address.

Once you have a Notion account, you can duplicate the following page to add the entire workspace to your own account and begin editing it for yourself: The Academic PKM template → Duplicate me!

Databases

I've built the following databases for managing all aspects of work as an academic:

Databases for project and life management

• Tasks database - Tasks are specific, defined actions. This database allows you to sort your tasks by, for instance, deadline (due date), when you plan to do the task (do date), and by priority.
• Projects database - A project is a defined endeavour linked to a specific goal, such as a particular paper you’re writing. In this template, Project pages allow you to store all of the details relevant to a given project in one place: related tasks, references, zettels (reading notes), and general resources.
• Areas database - Areas are spheres of activity or responsibility that you need to maintain indefinitely. Examples include political engagement, your health, work admin, etc. These pages function similarly to projects, but they don’t have an end date and can themselves contain multiple projects.
• Habit & mood tracker - This database allows you to keep track of your habits and mood, and can be used as a digital journal.

Databases for knowledge management

• Reference database - This database is for keeping track of your notes on academic references: journal articles, books, conference papers, etc. You can cite these references throughout your Notion workspace by typing @ followed by the reference tag.
• Zettelkasten database - The Zettelkasten is a system for storing and connecting your reading and thinking notes. It is designed to help you find unexpected links between ideas, creating a network of knowledge and insight to assist a lifetime of thinking, writing, and publishing. See more below.
• Resources database - Academic references are not the only resources you need to keep track of in your research. The Resources database is for storing and organising meeting notes, class syllabi, admin documents, videos, webpages, etc.
• People database - In academic writing you are joining an unending conversation with people both living and dead. This database helps you keep track of who you’re talking to, and who might be interested.

Each of these databases are interlinked via relations. This means that, for instance, when you enter a task in the Tasks database, and specify an area or project to which that task belongs, the task will be automatically entered into the Areas database or Projects database under the relevant entry.

Database views

One nice thing about Notion is that you can view the same database in a variety of ways. You can learn more about database views here.

For instance, my configuration of the Tasks database includes a calendar view, so you can quickly see your deadlines (due dates), or manage when you will tackle each task (do dates). You can then drag-and-drop tasks to easily modify these dates.

Similarly, the Reference database includes a Kanban board view so you can quickly see, for instance, what’s next on your reading list. You can quickly update the status of each reference by using the drag-and-drop functionality.

Database entry templates