How Notion Nearly Died (4 Times)

Hey — it’s James

Ever since I stumbled into the world of Notion, I’ve been immersed in the idea of aesthetics. I never fully understood what it meant, but I always had a sense of it.

In the Notion world, aesthetics often show up as beautifully themed dashboards: some minimalist, others drenched in girly-pinky vibes, or styled with a Japanese anime flair. They’re fun to look at, but most of the time, they’re not that functional—which is probably why consultants tend to cringe at them…

In Today’s Email 👀 

• Extract handwriting to Notion

• Build database with AI (update)

• Notion job offer

• Organize your finances easily

• Ivan Zhao podcast

• Microsoft → Google → Notion…

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3 Tips / Updates

1/ AI Handwriting

Notion just got better at reading handwriting! This is one of my favorite Notion AI use case—especially because my handwriting is very very bad. I always dreamt of writing on physical notebooks but being able to organize and store these notes digitally—now it’s possible!

Simply add your picture of your handwriting either in a Notion page or in Notion AI chat (bottom-right of the page), send ask AI to extract the text. You can then re-format it as needed 😉

2/ AI Database Improvements

Did you know you can instantly build databases with AI? Just select "Build with AI" when adding a new database, and Notion will create it for you.

This AI feature has received an update with two key improvements:

• Suggestions for getting started: Notion AI now suggests database ideas—helping you move from concept to setup faster.

• Real previews of all database views: You can preview not just tables, but also boards, timelines, and more. You'll see the actual structure before creating your database, not just placeholder content.

3/ Become a Notion Architect @ Notion

Exciting job opportunity at Notion: build Notion's own workspace as their new Internal Workspace Architect—working alongside Sam Catania. If you're a Notion pro who knows the ins and outs of the tool, this might be your dream job!

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2 Resources

1/ Get Your Finances Organized

So far, one of my best-selling templates—because it's (1) so easy to use and (2) finally gives you a clear view of your expenses and finances. With Notion Money Tracker, you can:

• Monitor your bank transactions (or automate it)

• Track your active/inactive subscriptions

• Get monthly and yearly reports of your finances

• See which spending categories cost you the most

+ it comes with 2 (bonus) finance templates for free ✨

2/ Podcast with Ivan Zhao

Many of you know Ivan Zhao as one of the co-founders of Notion. He’s doesn’t appear much in media, so it was quite nice seeing him in Lenny’s podcast.

What you’ll learn:

1. How Ivan "sugar-coats" complex visions to make them more appealing

2. Navigating through product resets and code rewrites

3. Why Notion focused on systems over hiring

4. The importance of balancing craft and technical excellence

5. How Notion survived a critical database space crisis during Covid

6. Their community growth strategy

7. Ivan's journey from small-town China

1 Tweek: Tweet of the Week

FRIENDS OF NOTION

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• Super: the #1 Notion-powered web builder

• Notionlytics: more detailed Notion analytics for knowledge management

• NotionApps: create stunning mobile Apps from Notion databases

• HelpKit: build your help center / knowledge base with Notion

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