In the busy times we all live in, having a planner to catch our thoughts and keep us focused is key. After all, let’s be honest: we don’t have the brain capacity to remember everything we need to do.
In the past, most people used to opt for a classic pen-and-paper planner, but nowadays, more and more people are migrating to digital planners. One of these is Notion. However, if you feel like Notion isn’t the perfect digital planner and you’re looking for some alternatives that may fit your planning needs better, you’ve come to the right place.
what is notion?
Think of Notion as a Swiss Army knife for planning. It’s not specifically designed to be used as a planner – instead, it’s a software that can be used to create pages and databases for everything you can think of, from meal plans to collaborative work projects and more.
No wonder many people love using it as a planner! It’s a great place for keeping everything you need in one place.
However, if you just want a simple planner that is already set up for you and you don’t need any of the advanced features of Notion, there may be some other options that are more tailored to your planning needs.
notion alternative #1: evernote
Evernote is great for people who feel like their brains are simply overflowing, and they need a second brain to write down all their notes and to-dos.
Whether you want a spot to store fleeting thoughts to detailed plans, Evernote has it all. You can add photos and web clippings, and it has an advanced organisational system where you can add tags and sort your lists into different notebooks. Plus, you can easily search things.
You can even add your notes via audio format, sync across devices, and collaborate with others, making it a great tool for people with busy schedules and lots on their plates.
Notion alternative #2: forzeit
Forzeit is a dynamic time management tool that can help you plan and execute your weeks with precision, and it even uses AI assistance to help you improve upon your weeks and figure out why some tasks just never get done.
You can add emojis to help you differentiate between different tasks, create templates so that you don’t waste hours setting up your weeks, and sync it with your calendar. There’s also the cloud, a powerful motivational tool that helps you keep track of your goals. If you’re eager to try Forzeit yourself, click here.
Notion alternative 3: Asana
If you’re looking to make planning your work life easier, Asana should be an option to consider. It’s designed specifically with teams in mind, allowing users to assign tasks to members along with deadlines and comprehensive information.
There are loads of ways to do this, and it integrates with other tools like Slack and Google Drive. While it may not be the best option for personal planning, it can be a game changer if you’re in a job that requires a lot of work with others since it functions as a project management tool.
Notion alternative #4: Monday.com
Monday.com is another option that’s great in a work setting, especially for team members wanting to be unified in their planning. It has everything you may need for a collaborative planner, while also being highly customisable so that you can tailor it to your work setup.
It has in-app communication tools but also syncs with external tools. Its automation system is also great for those who have a lot of repetitive tasks. It also has a bunch of dedicated project management tools that make it a great Notion alternative for those who want project management software.
Notion alternative #5: atoms
James Clear, author of the bestselling book, Atomic Habits, has recently launched a habit-building app called Atoms.
If you’re more in the market for a habit tracker than a planner, this can be a great option, especially for those tasks you want to accomplish each day but don’t want to write down each day of the week. It’s personalised, motivated, and aims to help you become the person you want to be. It has all the features you’d want in a habit tracker, and then some!
notion alternative #6: OmniFocus
Our next Notion alternative is OmniFocus. OmniFocus is designed to help individuals manage tasks and projects effectively by offering things like task organisation, project planning, tracking, and priority settings.
You can have different tasks for your work life, your personal life, and your home life. It’s designed with productivity in mind, and its powerful task management system makes it versatile enough to appeal to a variety of people.
notion alternative #7: tickTick
This sounds like TikTok, but it’s actually the opposite. Instead of stealing your time and productivity like TikTok does, TickTick aims to help you be more productive and spend your time more effectively.
It has a clean and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to use. Just like some of the other apps on here, it offers organisation, recurring tasks, and collaboration. You can also add reminders, and it has a built-in calendar, making it ideal for professional and personal planning. Whether you’re working on complex projects or just a note-taking app, its advanced features are still easy enough to use to put it on the list of best Notion alternatives.
notion alternative #8: UseMotion
Usemotion aims to streamline the planning process by acting as your personal planning assistant.
It uses advanced AI technology to take your tasks and events and organise them for you. It has advanced project management features, so for executives, this can be a lifesaver as it does a lot of the work for you and frees up your time to do other things, although it may not be the best option for simply planning the average person’s week.
notion alternative #9: Todoist
Todoist is one of the most popular task management systems, and it combines simplicity with effectiveness.
One of the main appeals is the option to add sub-tasks to your main tasks, allowing you to break them down into smaller chunks. You can also prioritise tasks so that you know where to start. It’s one of the pioneers of the digital planning world, and it’s stood the test of time.
notion alternative #10: Trello
If you’re a visual person who likes seeing everything laid out, Trello is your new best friend. Trello uses boards to group tasks together, whether by day or other categories.
You can even use different boards to represent different workflows and projects with all of the tasks that need to be done displayed, and it uses a colour system that you can use to organise tasks by priority or category.
Conslusion
While Notion is a great planning option, it’s certainly not for everyone. However, there are thousands of planner apps out there, so it can be difficult to know where to start if you’re ready to explore other options.
Hopefully, this post helped you see which are the hottest planning apps right now, and narrow down a few that may work for you. Give them a try to see if they might be the perfect fit!