When I first started using Notion, I wasted hours trying to build everything from scratch. Then I discovered templates, and everything changed. Templates are ready-made pages that you can copy and customize for your needs.
In this guide, I'll share the best free Notion templates I use every day. These have saved me countless hours, and they'll help you get the most out of Notion without starting with a blank page.
Why Use Notion Templates?
Here's the thing about templates - they're not cheating. They're smart. Someone already figured out the best way to organize information, so why reinvent the wheel?
I've tested hundreds of templates over the past year. Some are amazing, others are overcomplicated messes. The ones I'm sharing today are the ones I actually use, not just templates that look pretty in screenshots.
Best Personal Productivity Templates
1. Daily Planner Template
This is my most-used template. Every morning, I duplicate this page and fill it out. It includes:
- Today's top 3 priorities
- Time blocks for the day
- Meal planning section
- Evening reflection prompts
What I love about it is the simplicity. It's not overwhelming with 50 fields to fill. Just the essentials to keep my day focused.
You can find this in Notion's template gallery under "Personal" or create your own by making sections for morning routine, work tasks, and evening wind-down.
2. Habit Tracker Template
Building new habits is hard. This template makes it easier by giving you a visual grid where you check off each day you complete a habit.
I track five habits: morning exercise, reading for 30 minutes, drinking water, no phone before bed, and journaling. Seeing those checkmarks fill up motivates me to keep going.
The template uses a simple database with a checkbox for each day. At the end of the month, you can see your success rate. Mine is usually around 75%, which is way better than when I wasn't tracking at all.
3. Personal Goal Setting Template
This one helped me finally achieve goals instead of just writing them down and forgetting about them. It breaks big goals into smaller steps with deadlines.
I have sections for:
- Annual goals (big picture stuff)
- Quarterly goals (what I'm focusing on now)
- Monthly milestones (specific achievements)
- Weekly actions (what I'm doing this week)
The key is reviewing it weekly. I spend 10 minutes every Sunday updating progress and planning the next week.
Best Work and Project Templates
4. Meeting Notes Template
I was terrible at taking meeting notes until I started using this template. Now I have a consistent format that captures everything important.
My template includes:
- Meeting date and attendees
- Agenda items
- Discussion notes
- Action items with owner names
- Follow-up dates
After each meeting, I share the Notion page with everyone. No more "can you send the notes?" emails.
5. Project Tracker Template
This database template changed how I manage projects. Each project gets its own entry with properties for status, deadline, priority, and team members.
You can view the same data as:
- A table showing all details
- A kanban board (To Do, In Progress, Done)
- A calendar based on deadlines
- A list grouped by priority
I check my project tracker every morning to see what needs attention.
6. Content Calendar Template
If you create content - blog posts, social media, videos, whatever - you need this template. It's basically a database where each row is a piece of content.
I track:
- Content title and type
- Status (idea, writing, editing, published)
- Publish date
- Platform
- Performance notes
The calendar view shows me what's going out when. The board view shows me what stage everything is in. Game changer for staying organized.
Best Knowledge Management Templates
7. Reading List and Book Notes Template
I used to read books and forget everything a month later. This template fixes that problem.
It has two parts:
- A database of books (to read, reading, finished)
- A note-taking template for each book
For each book, I write:
- Key ideas (3-5 main points)
- Favorite quotes
- How I'll apply this
- Rating out of 5 stars
Now, when I want to remember something from a book, I can search my Notion and find it instantly.
8. Learning Dashboard Template
This is perfect if you're taking online courses or learning new skills. It keeps all your learning materials and notes in one place.
I have sections for:
- Current courses
- Completed courses
- Skills I'm developing
- Resources and links
- Practice exercises
It beats having bookmarks scattered across different browsers and apps.
9. Personal Wiki Template
This template is for storing information you reference often. I call mine my "second brain."
I have pages for:
- How to do things (tech troubleshooting, recipes, etc.)
- Important information (insurance details, home repairs)
- Ideas and insights
- Templates and frameworks I use
Whenever I solve a problem, I document it here. Future me is always grateful.
Best Life Organization Templates
10. Meal Planning Template
This template saves me hours every week and stops the "what should we eat?" decision fatigue.
It includes:
- Weekly meal plan grid
- Recipe database with links
- Grocery list that auto-populates
- Meal prep checklist
I plan meals on Sunday, generate the grocery list, shop once, and I'm done for the week.
11. Finance Tracker Template
I'm not going to lie - I avoided tracking finances for years. This simple template finally got me to do it.
It tracks:
- Monthly income and expenses by category
- Subscription services
- Savings goals
- Bills and due dates
It's not as detailed as dedicated finance apps, but it's enough to keep me aware of where money goes.
12. Travel Planning Template
Planning trips used to stress me out. Now I use this template and everything's organized.
For each trip, I have:
- Itinerary with dates and times
- Booking confirmations
- Packing list
- Budget tracker
- Places I want to visit
- Travel documents checklist
I duplicate this template for every trip. Having everything in one place means I never forget important details.
Best Collaboration Templates
13. Team Wiki Template
Every team needs a central place for important information. This template creates that.
It includes sections for:
- Team members and roles
- Important processes
- Meeting schedules
- Resources and tools
- FAQs
New team members can get up to speed by reading the wiki instead of asking 50 questions.
14. Client Project Template
If you work with clients, this template keeps everything organized per client.
Each client gets:
- Contact information
- Project details and timeline
- Communication log
- Files and assets
- Invoice tracking
No more digging through emails to find that one thing a client said three weeks ago.
15. Brainstorming Template
This is great for team brainstorming sessions. It creates a space where everyone can add ideas without talking over each other.
The template has:
- Problem statement
- Brainstorming rules
- Idea collection area (everyone adds their ideas)
- Voting section
- Next steps
We use this for remote brainstorming, and it works way better than trying to do it on Zoom calls.
How to Find and Use These Templates
Option 1 - Notion's Template Gallery: Click "Templates" in your sidebar or visit notion.so/templates. Browse by category and click "Get template" to add it to your workspace.
Option 2 - Community Templates: Search online for "Notion template [your need]." Lots of creators share free templates. Just be careful - test them before building your whole system around them.
Option 3 - Build Your Own: Use these descriptions as inspiration and create your own. This takes more time but results in templates that fit exactly what you need.
Tips for Customizing Templates
Don't use templates exactly as they are. Modify them to match your workflow:
Remove what you don't need. Most templates are overbuilt. Delete sections you won't use.
Add what's missing. If you think of something useful, add it. These are starting points, not finished products.
Keep it simple. I've learned that simpler templates get used more often. Complex ones look impressive but end up abandoned.
Test before committing. Use a template for a week before fully committing. Some look great but don't work in practice.
Common Template Mistakes to Avoid
I've made these mistakes, so learn from me:
Using too many templates: Start with 2-3 templates max. Add more only when you're actually using the first ones regularly.
Never customizing them: Templates are starting points. Make them yours.
Making templates too perfect: You'll waste time formatting instead of using them. Good enough is good enough.
Not duplicating before editing: If you're testing a template, duplicate it first. Then you can mess around without breaking the original.
Final Thoughts on Notion Templates
Templates transformed how I use Notion. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by blank pages, I now have structured systems that actually work.
Start with one or two templates that solve your biggest pain points right now. Maybe it's the daily planner if you feel scattered, or the project tracker if work feels chaotic.
Use them for at least two weeks before deciding if they work. Some templates need time to show their value.
Remember - the best template is the one you actually use. Fancy and complicated don't mean better. Simple and consistent beats perfect every time.
What are you waiting for? Pick one template from this list and set it up today.
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