I thought about how to get Notion to help me come up with ideas.

Sep 22, 2023

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Hello! I'm Rei, an official Notion ambassador.

What tools do you use to come up with new ideas?

In my case, I sometimes write things down directly on paper or my iPad, but I also often use Notion.

This time, we'll introduce you to a template for brainstorming using Notion !

This page introduces Notion AI.

In this template, we've put together some techniques for brainstorming in Notion !

This is a recommended use case for those who want to brainstorm digitally instead of on paper , or for those who want to brainstorm remotely with multiple people .

This time we will explain this template in detail, so please read to the end!

Get Notion here!

🎬 Director: Rei
✍🏻 Writer: Mino Kurumi

Why digital brainstorming with Notion is useful

Brainstorming is a way to generate a lot of ideas. It is often necessary in a variety of situations, both at work and in your personal life.

When we think of brainstorming, we imagine it being done at a desk with pen and paper, such as writing ideas down on lots of sticky notes or writing them down in a notebook.

However, ideas don't just come to you when you're sitting at your desk; they can also come to you at random times, such as on your way to work, while talking with friends, or while taking a shower.

In times like these, it would be convenient to be able to quickly take notes on your smartphone or come up with some ideas right away.

Also, when brainstorming at work with multiple people, in the past we would gather in a conference room and write on a whiteboard, but now that remote meetings have become the norm, this has become difficult in many situations.

There are several online whiteboards available, but if not everyone is familiar with the tools, it can be a little inconvenient.

The template we will introduce this time is a useful page for those times when you think, " I wish we could brainstorm digitally " or " I want to brainstorm with multiple people remotely ."

It's easy to use intuitively, with button functions and drag-and-drop functionality to move boards, so I think it's a relatively easy-to-use page even for people who aren't used to using Notion.

Of course, this method can be used not only with multiple people, but also when you want to come up with ideas on your own . Please try using it for your own personal or company purposes!

How to brainstorm with Notion

Now, let's take a look at the details of the template we're distributing this time and how to use it.

Overall view of the page

1. Use Notion to add sticky notes

First, let me introduce the simplest brainstorming method.

When it comes to brainstorming, the most common method is to write down ideas on sticky notes and arrange them in a row . The first method replaces this method with Notion .

To use it, all members who will be brainstorming before or during a meeting simply open this page and start writing down ideas on sticky notes .

To add a sticky note, simply press the "Add sticky note from ●●" button in the upper left corner.

With paper sticky notes, you have to gather in a conference room and stick them on a whiteboard, but with this, the advantage is that it can be done easily even remotely.

It can also be used as a way for individuals to brainstorm before a meeting, making meetings more meaningful.

💡 "Button Block" makes it even easier to use

By using the "Button Block," you can make a repeating action into a button. In this case, I made the action of "adding a sticky note" into a button.
To set it up, select "Button" from "+", select the action "Insert Block", and then create what you want to insert within the frame when you press the button.
It can be used in a variety of ways, so it's a technique worth remembering!

2. Write down and prioritize your ideas

The second brainstorming method is to write down ideas in a table and evaluate them .

Here, we have prepared two boards: one for "writing down ideas" and one for "considering priorities."

1. Write down your ideas in a table

First, write down your ideas on a table.

It's very simple to use: At a meeting or other event, you write down any ideas that come to mind in the "Ideas" column of the table .

💡Type of item you want to note

Here we have added the following to the properties. Feel free to add anything else you think would be useful!
・Idea rating (3 stars)
・Checkbox for whether to adopt or not
・Priority

Once the brainstorming is complete, the next step is for the team members to rate the ideas using a 3-star scale . Then, for the ideas that you ultimately want to adopt, check the "Adopt?" box .

In the next board, you will prioritize your ideas, so at the end, add any "Priority" tag you like.

2. Sort ideas by priority

Once you have written down your ideas in a table, if you are having trouble deciding which ones to use, the next step is to divide the ideas into four priorities.

This classification method is called the "Eisenhower Matrix."

Since this board is the same database as the table above, the ideas will be displayed according to the "priority" tag you added at the end.

Ideas can be prioritized according to their urgency and importance using the four levels below . Ideas within the board can be easily moved by dragging them.

Urgent and important
Not urgent but important
Urgent but not important
Not urgent or important

By prioritizing your tasks in this way, you will be able to see what you need to tackle first and what you don't need to do right now.

💡 COLUMN: Use "callouts" to make the text visually easy to understand.

This board has four fun colors and looks great. It was actually created by dragging and dropping the database into the "callout" block. This way you can color the database!
Notion allows you to choose background colors for various block icons and text. Incorporating colors like this makes things easier to understand and also makes you feel a little better!

3. Get help from Notion AI

At the end of this brainstorming page, we have prepared two brainstorming sessions that utilize Notion AI . If you're having trouble coming up with ideas, try relying on Notion AI!

❶ Ask the Notion AI questions

The first is that the AI will ask you questions to help you come up with ideas more easily .

After entering the brainstorming conditions in the "Objectives/Challenges" section, press the "Generate" button in the top right corner of the purple box and the AI will come up with questions that fit the conditions you entered.

When you're stuck coming up with ideas, you might find a different perspective!

❷ Have Notion AI generate the idea itself

The second method is to have AI generate the brainstorming ideas themselves .

Similarly, after entering the brainstorming conditions in the "Objectives/Challenges" section, press the "Generate" button and the AI will come up with ideas based on the conditions!

Here, we asked participants to generate 30 ideas to get more people using Notion.

You might even come up with some unexpected ideas that you would never have thought of on your own. Try using Notion AI for your brainstorming sessions!

summary

That's it for how to brainstorm using Notion ! What do you think?

Being able to brainstorm digitally is more convenient than ever, as it allows you to easily take notes when an idea comes to mind and can be used by multiple people remotely. We encourage you to try using Notion in these ways!

Click here for a list of Notion templates available on "Notion in Life" !