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I’ve always thrived on structure and routine, but at one point, everything just felt scattered. Apps for this, platforms for that—every company expecting me to jump through a different digital hoop just to handle simple tasks. It became overwhelming, and honestly, exhausting. I found myself wasting hours logging into apps, hunting down emails I knew I’d sent, and constantly updating calendars that never quite synced the way I needed them to.
It was clear: what I was doing wasn’t working. I needed structure, but with minimal effort on my part. That’s when I redefined my foundation, embracing the basics and simplifying my entire process. Notion became my go-to, bringing together my ideas, routines, and priorities all in one place. But it wasn’t enough just to have everything organized—I needed it accessible at all times, like seeing my appointments on my CarPlay dashboard or my phone’s home screen. I wanted a system that worked for me and cut through the noise.
That’s where Notion came in. I was first introduced to it by a colleague, and little did I know, that moment would kickstart a whole new way of managing my life. Over the past year and a half, Notion has evolved from a simple tool into an indispensable part of how I organize, plan, and track everything—from personal projects to daily habits. It’s like discovering a second brain, one that helps me simplify the complexity of my responsibilities.
This iPhone Home Screen is dedicated to my business operations at GemsForge. I’ve added Notion widgets for easy access to my business manager and portfolio, keeping everything at my fingertips!
Before I could fully embrace Notion, I had to go back to the basics and redefine how I handled processes on my digital devices. My file management was chaotic at best. I underused password managers like Google, Apple, and Microsoft Edge, and as a result, I often found myself having to update passwords when I didn’t need to. I also maintained my most important passwords and account information in Apple Notes, thinking it was accessible and secure enough with a password I couldn’t reset.
On top of that, I used Apple Notes to jot down project ideas and share them with other Apple users, but I knew it wasn’t the most efficient system for my overall organization. I also loved using the Day One app for journaling. It allowed me to capture my projects and experiences in an appealing format, complete with images and videos. I could tag memories and organize them by separate journals, and to this day, I still believe Day One is the superior journaling app. But as much as I enjoyed it, it wasn’t the tool I needed to help me organize and maintain my life*.*
My journey to developing a robust file management system actually began back in university. I organized my documents by semester and classes, and even collected content for The Sims game franchise. Over time, my system evolved from managing coursework and gaming content into something more comprehensive—separating my professional and personal obligations.
Organized Sims 4 custom content: neatly sorted into folders for easy access to all my mods and CC.
Day One journal, my former go-to for capturing everything, year by year, keeping memories and moments perfectly organized.
My iCloud folders: no real system here, just the convenience of Apple’s control making it easier to access than other apps.
Gem.Personal landing page, inspired by my OneDrive setup. Everything important—career, family, projects—organized in one place!
As I redefined my foundation, I chose Microsoft OneDrive as my central database to store all my files and projects. I decided to retain iCloud storage solely for my mobile media, since I’m probably an Apple user for life. Separating my storage this way made sense and gave me clarity. Once I cleaned up my file management, I modeled my Notion pages and databases after my Microsoft OneDrive setup. This made integrating Notion into my life much easier and more user-friendly because I already had a strong foundation to build from.
“Notion has revolutionized everything I do, helping me separate and organize responsibilities at their fundamental levels.”
Redefining and establishing this solid foundation was crucial, and Notion helped me bring everything together into one place, transforming how I organize, manage, and track my life.
🟡 Want to learn more or take a peek into the systems I’ve built? 🟡
Check out my setup and templates!
🟡 Ready to streamline your workflow with Notion? 🟡
Have questions about how I can help? Check out the FAQ below, or drop me a message to get started!
Get a sneak peek into how I’ve mirrored my OneDrive structure in Notion, integrated it with my calendars, and use it across my devices.
Discover the templates I’ve created for tracking projects, managing finances, and organizing personal routines.
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