Creativity Needs Structure (Yes, Really)
Creative work is messy — but managing it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re a solo designer, a founder with a growing team, or a digital studio like us at DesignLabs, one of the biggest unlocks is having a repeatable system to handle your projects, ideas, and content.
That’s where Notion comes in. It’s more than just a note-taking app — it’s the operational brain behind everything we do.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how to set up a simple yet powerful creative system in Notion — one that keeps your ideas moving, your projects organized, and your brain clear.
Why Notion?
We’ve tried all the tools. Asana. Trello. Google Sheets. Airtable. Post-it notes.
Notion wins for us because it’s:
Flexible enough to build your own system
Visual enough to spark creative flow
Connected enough to become your all-in-one hub
It’s not about using Notion for everything. It’s about using it to bring everything into focus.
Step 1: Start With a Simple Dashboard
The dashboard is your control center. Think of it like your virtual whiteboard — clean, visual, and tailored to how you work.
Your basic dashboard might include:
🔁 Current Projects
🧠 Idea Vault
✍️ Content Calendar
📁 Resources & Swipe Files
✅ Quick Links to Templates or Docs
We recommend starting with a gallery or board view. It’s fast to scan and gives visual breathing room.
Step 2: Build a Creative Project Tracker
Each creative project (a client job, a digital product, a campaign) should live in its own database — with customizable properties like:
Status (Not Started / In Progress / Waiting / Done)
Type (Branding, Web, Content, etc.)
Deliverables
Deadlines
Assigned To
Linked Files or Feedback
💡 Pro tip: Use linked databases to pull relevant projects into different filtered views. One for “in progress,” one for “client-facing,” etc.
Step 3: Create Your Idea Vault
This is where the magic lives. Half-baked concepts, content seeds, moodboards, shower thoughts — they all go here.
Structure it however feels natural, but don’t over-organize it upfront. The key is to capture freely, then refine later.
We usually tag ideas by:
Area (Content, Product, Client, Misc.)
Stage (Seed / In Development / Published)
Priority (Low / Medium / Now)
Sometimes the best idea starts as a 5-word thought saved at 1:00 a.m.
Step 4: Set Up Your Content Calendar
If you’re publishing blog posts, newsletters, or social content, this one’s a must.
A Notion calendar view lets you schedule, plan, and track each piece of content. We include:
Title
Status (Planned / Writing / Review / Published)
Author
Category or Tag
URL (after it’s live)
You can even embed your Google Calendar into the dashboard so your editorial and project timelines live side-by-side.
Step 5: Centralize Your Swipe Files
We have a “Design Inspiration” gallery in Notion with tags like:
UI / UX
Branding
Motion
Landing Pages
Content & Copy
You can upload screenshots, paste URLs, or embed files — and keep notes on why you saved something. This makes future ideation lightning-fast.
Bonus: Build Once, Then Duplicate
Once you’ve dialed in your workflow, make it modular. Create templates for:
New projects
Creative briefs
Design reviews
Weekly planning
Client check-ins
Templating your thinking saves you from decision fatigue — and gives you more space to create.
Final Thought: Systems Create Freedom
Some creatives worry that systems will make things rigid. But the opposite is true.
When your mind isn’t juggling 14 tabs and to-do lists, it’s free to think bigger, better, and deeper. Notion helps us offload the chaos and keep our focus where it matters: on doing the work that moves the needle.
Want our Notion setup?
We’re packaging our internal templates into a public bundle soon. Sign up for early access — or reach out for a private walkthrough of how we use it at DesignLabs.
