A Simple System for Being More Effective At Work

How to use Roam and Notion for note-taking and task management. Quick to set up, easy to maintain.

Tools like Notion and Roam are like secret weapons you can use to be more effective at work.

It’s not just about getting more work done. It’s about working on the right thing at the right time — without feeling overwhelmed by the endless to-do list or wasting minutes looking for that one note.

As a global account lead in a creative production agency, my job requires me to coordinate many different stakeholders and processes. As a result, there are many meetings and many notes and follow-ups to keep track of.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of working on whatever feels most urgent. The problem is that the most urgent is rarely the most important.

I used to keep a to-do list in Excel and take notes in multiple places. Sometimes on paper, other times in Word or in draft emails. I’d save things here and there, but it’d be rare I’d go back through old notes unless I needed something.

I mean, it kind of worked. I’m not saying this approach is bad, but I’d lose a lot of time trying to find information and deciding what to work on next.