How to use Notion for Project Management: Build a Custom System That Works for You

Why Use Notion for Project Management Instead of Asana?

When it comes to managing projects, tools like Asana, Trello, and ClickUp are often the go-to choices. They come with a built-in structure, templates, team collaboration features, and ready-to-use functionality. Asana still is my recommendation for teams who want to gain control of their projects in the quickest and simplest way.

…But, if you’ve ever felt boxed in by traditional project management software, you’re not alone. That’s why I shifted to Notion for project management. Unlike Asana, Notion doesn’t force you into a specific framework, instead, it gives you a blank canvas. While Asana is great for teams looking for plug-and-play solutions, it often lacks the flexibility for individuals or small teams who want a more customised, minimal, or creative approach to managing their work.

Notion’s modular system means I can create a workspace that reflects how I think, not how someone else thinks I should manage my tasks. What won me over was being able to integrate Notion Tasks within Notion Projects so I had just one Task List that covered my personal tasks and my tasks as part of my projects.

**Note:** Notion can now import Asana tasks, but this isn’t yet an integrated solution and is a whole other blog entry.

How to Use Notion to Structure Projects and Tasks

In my Notion project management system, every project starts with a dedicated page. Each page includes a link to my one task database filtered by that specific project, along with key project details like objectives, timelines, notes, and any other resource I need to add.

I even have an automation such that when a deal is won in my Pipedrive CRM, a project will all my default tasks is created automatically.

Tasks themselves are managed in the master task database, which allows me to filter them by project, priority, due date, and status, category and any other criteria I need.

This setup gives me complete control over how information flows. I can zoom out to see high-level project overviews, or zoom in to focus on what needs to be done today.

I use different database views; Calendar, Kanban, and List, to visualise tasks depending on the situation. Mostly this fits around my Daily Time Blocks, Morning Routine, Core Work and Content Creation.

This level of custom filtering organisation simply isn’t possible in most traditional tools. Everything is interconnected, so there’s no duplication of effort, and no digging around to find related info, it’s all right where it needs to be.

The Freedom and Flexibility of Building Your Own System

One of the biggest misconceptions about Notion is that it’s just a note-taking tool. In reality, it’s a powerful database-driven custom project management platform, but only if you’re willing to build it.

This is both a feature and a challenge. With Notion, there’s no out-of-the-box “project management mode.” You have to create your own system using databases, linked views, and templates. But once you do, the result is something far more tailored than anything Asana could offer you.

Your workspace becomes an extension of your brain, it mirrors how you organise information, how you prioritise, and how you actually get things done.

You decide what matters.

Do you want to tag tasks by energy level? – Track time spent? – Connect tasks to meeting notes? – You can do all of it in Notion, and only in Notion.

Notion vs Asana: Control vs Convenience

When comparing Notion vs Asana for project management, it really comes down to control vs convenience. Asana is fantastic for getting started quickly, especially for larger teams with established workflows. But its structure is fixed, and customisation is limited. In may respects, if you’re in a team bigger than 5, this is so helpful. You really don’t want team members ‘tinkering’ with the process.

Notion, by contrast, gives you the raw tools to build whatever system you need; but it won’t hold your hand. If you value control, flexibility, and minimalism, Notion will feel liberating. But if you need strict structure or team-wide onboarding, the learning curve might be a barrier.

For me, the trade-off was worth it. I’d rather build a system once and have it work exactly how I need it to, than adapt my workflow to a rigid tool that was never designed with my style of work in mind.

I should caveat that ‘tinkering with systems’ is what I do for a living.

Final Thoughts: Is Notion Right for Your Project Management Needs?

Using Notion for managing projects isn’t about plugging into a system, it’s about creating one. That can be a bit intimidating at first, but it’s also what makes it so powerful.

This won’t be a surprise then, that I build entire Business Operating Systems for clients using Notion. 

Whether you’re managing solo freelance projects, running a content calendar, or juggling client deliverables, Notion adapts to you. It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s the point. The ability to create custom dashboards, filter tasks by any metric, and connect notes to action items all within a single ecosystem is a massive productivity boost.

If you’re tired of being limited by rigid project management tools and you’re ready to build something smarter, more flexible, and more aligned with the way you actually work, Notion is absolutely worth exploring.

What’s more, if you love the sound of this flexibility, but don’t want to build it yourself, I can do this for you.
If you’re ready to ditch the one-size-fits-all approach and build something that actually works, get in touch here or check out my Notion Consulting services.