From Kyiv’s vibrant cityscapes to Krakow’s charming streets, Anneke has cultivated a unique skill set that empowers individuals and teams to streamline their workflows and enhance their daily lives.

Today, she’s here to share her journey from a hesitant beginner to a celebrated Notion template creator. She reveals how personal challenges and team feedback sparked her vibrant career in creating tools that marry aesthetics with utility.

Join us as we uncover the secrets behind her successful templates, explore her daily routines, and get inspired by her innovative approach to personal and professional organization.

Q: What inspired you to start creating Notion templates, particularly for lifestyle and business management?

A: I’ve been contemplating starting my journey as a Notion Creator for a while, but I hesitated thinking the market was overcrowded, the process too complicated, and that solopreneurship wasn’t for me. Then I had a group session with my team where we were discussing each other’s strengths and everyone pointed out how good I was with Notion and how much easier their work became after I had redesigned their workspace. 

So I thought – why not give it a try? I was already using Notion for my own purposes, for work and I have a background in operations management. At that moment everything clicked into place. I started by solving my own problems, hence, the lifestyle templates, and I drew from my experience building workspaces for teams, hence the business templates stream. 

Q: How has creating Notion templates impacted your own organizational habits?

A: Notion brought more clarity to my life. As a visual thinker, I need to see my goals, tasks, and projects laid out in front of me on paper or in this case on a digital screen. Before I had everything organized in one place, I struggled with setting priorities and achieving them.

Now I have a separate space for each area where I keep all relevant information. I no longer feel lost and am able to see the progress I’ve made year after year. 

Q: Can you describe your process of developing a template?

A: I would describe it as organized chaos. I start messy – come up with many ideas, create placeholders for different blocks, and experiment with layouts.

As I work on the template, I refine and improve. If I were to use tech terms, my process would definitely be more Agile than Waterfall.

The final template often looks completely different from how I envisioned it in the beginning, but usually, this iterative process of trial and error results in a more polished and functional product.  

Q: How do you balance aesthetic appeal with functional design in your templates?

A: Aesthetics is one of my core values, so I take it seriously — it’s definitely an important part of my process. However, the primary goal of any of my templates is to provide value and solve a problem.

That’s why I always start by focusing on functionality. Once the functionality is in place, I shift my attention to beautification. For me, the best templates are the ones that look great but, more importantly, work seamlessly.

Q: What does a typical day in your life look like?

A: I’ve never been a morning person, so my mornings are intentionally slow. As I work from home, I have the benefit of starting my mornings with no rush. I have a cup of coffee, cook breakfast, catch up on messages and news, get ready and start working.

My peak productivity comes after lunch – that’s when I get most of my work done. Evenings are usually my Notion time.

However, I do my best to get 8 hours of sleep daily so I turn everything off in time to recharge and wake up refreshed so that the next day I am fully ready to become 1% better. 

Q: What are some common misconceptions about using Notion that you’ve encountered?

A: It’s overcomplicated and not suitable for managing work and analyzing data. While I agree that some things are better done outside of Notion considering its current capabilities, a lot can be achieved with the right build. 

For instance, once I was onboarding a new team member at my 9-5 who immediately told me that Notion is the worst and that she’d rather do everything in Sheets. Being a professional, instead of arguing, I embraced the challenge. Eventually, she thanked me for organising everything in a way that made her forget about Sheets.    

Q: What advice would you give to someone just starting with Notion?

A: Just start. Don’t wait for the perfect moment or until you feel ready. The perfect moment is now. Start before you know everything, before you create your very first formula or learn how relations and rollups work. Learn by doing, get inspired by others, and don’t get discouraged easily.

It’s a long game that rewards patience and perseverance. So take one small step at a time.  

Q: How do you stay motivated and inspired to create new content?

A: I create a distraction-free environment – I clean up my home, make myself a cup of tea, play a minimal or house music set, and start creating. I get inspired by other creators, throw all my ideas on a Notion canvas and then the selection process begins.

When staring at the screen of my Mac gets overwhelming, I go for a walk on my own or meet with friends to catch a breath and recharge my social battery.

But most importantly, I try not to guilt-trip myself for not doing enough – I’ve learned to accept that some days would be more creative than others and that’s okay. It’s all part of the process. 

Q: What’s your favorite way to relax or destress?

A: When my mind is tired, I go for a long walk in nature, go running (I’m now training to hit 10k) or meet my friends.

When my body is tired, I read a book, practice Yin yoga, and enjoy a good film. 

I’m all about work-life balance and I truly believe that quality rest is crucial for quality work. 

Q: Are there any upcoming projects or templates that you are particularly excited about?

A: While I began my journey as a Notion Creator, I am now excited to explore Notion Consulting as well. I aim to grow both as a Creator and Consultant, so right now my main focus is on creating my own website and leveraging my expertise in operations to create more templates for small-businesses and freelancers.

As we wrap up our engaging session with Anneke, it’s clear that her journey is not just about creating Notion templates—it’s about crafting a lifestyle of productivity and mindfulness.

Through her innovative designs and thoughtful insights, Anneke has not only simplified complex workflows but has also inspired a community of users to find joy and efficiency in their daily routines.

Keep an eye on Anneke as she continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with Notion, blending her love for aesthetics with practical functionality.

Thank you, Anneke, for sharing your inspiring story and reminding us that with the right tools and a dash of creativity, organizing our lives can be both effective and beautiful.