In the bustling life of a medical student, where every second counts, Templater Guy has harnessed the capabilities of Notion and Canva to bring order to chaos, seamlessly integrating these tools into a life characterized by relentless ambition and the pursuit of knowledge.

Let’s delve into the mind of Templater Guy, exploring his journey from discovering Notion by a serendipitous typo to becoming a beacon for productivity enthusiasts and digital entrepreneurs alike. This is a tale of creativity, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of simplifying lives through technology.

Q: How did you first discover Notion, and what drew you to it?

A: Initially, I was just a content consumer like everybody else but also felt that a change would be great if it meant a positive improvement in my life.I didn’t expect to find a gold gem like Notion just by scrolling. I know it’s not an inspiring story of looking out just to find a productive tool. But, once I landed on the first blank Notion page, I felt that this is it. This can make my life better. That’s how I started with using social media to using Notion.

Q: What inspired you to become a creator?

A: Once I got to learn the basics of Notion in a few weeks, I stepped into using databases, which felt miserable. I learned a lot from other creators on social media. Gradually, my Notion skills improved over time and I felt my time saving up gradually. On the other hand, I still saw people looking for Notion templates to improve their lives. Not every creator responded to every single person. But, I had these awesome workflows on my desktop. So, I decided to build a brand as “TechManiac” to give my templates to those requiring it. I knew this would help even if only for a few people.

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

A: You had to ask, Chape. A day is a long story to hear. Let me talk about how my life turned around after starting with Notion & Canva. I have got systems in place to do my most crucial work now. I wake up & get refreshed to glance at my mobile. I get a notification popup from Notion with my daily common routines as a list. I finish them & tick off the to-do list. I plan my entire day in my workspace & prioritize the tasks. I get to work on building my brand & Canva helps me with the designs & content creation process. I keep up with my new habits for which I use a Habit Tracker template. By evening, I feel less productive, so I get creative with reading my books. Even then, I use my Reading Logger template to track my reading history. As you can see, I can’t imagine a day in my life without Notion & Canva.

Q: How do you identify the need for a specific tool or template?

A: Honestly, the tool by itself is trivial to use. There’re 100’s of tools out there for a single solution. But, I stick with just a few tools. It’s not that other tools are bad. My choices worked out the best for me. I have tried other tools like Obsidian, EverNote, and Figma but Notion & Canva are the choices that best suit me. If Notion doesn’t suit your needs, you can go with other tools. Specification of a tool is your choice as long as you get the result you’re looking for.

Q: What is your design philosophy when creating new templates?

A: Whenever I create a template, I think of the problem first & look for the best solution. But, I don’t like building templates that are so simple to use. I create them with a bit of difficulty. This is necessary from my viewpoint. The way I see it – If I build a simple template, it gets difficult to customize it since it breaks the simplicity. If the template is already made difficult, breaking it up with new customizations won’t feel off. But, I make sure not to get it too difficult. So, creating separate sections worked out best for me.

Q: What key lessons have you learned as an entrepreneur in the digital product space?

A: Let me summarize them in points as these are my key takeaways :

1. Digital products business is the easiest to start

2. Building an audience is the hardest when you start out

3. It’s not easy, but simple to do

4. No matter what, gain friends before followers

5. Don’t let 0% days make you forget the 100% days in the future

6. It’ll take longer than you expect to reach your goals

Q: What personal productivity methods or tools do you swear by?

A: If it’s a productivity tool, Notion is definitely my answer.

For productivity methods, I go along with scientific reasoning on productivity since your mindset is strongly connected here. I have come across a few scientific laws for productivity like Pomodoro’s method, SMART framework, and Eisenhower Matrix but I’m still not sure if they work well, at least for me. Because once you learn a lot of laws, it feels like sticking to the laws feels more important. But, this feels like being counter-productive. So, it’s good to learn the laws to some extent. Although, I replace “methods” with “systems” in my Notion workspace. This worked out well for me.

Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to start creating Notion templates?

A: Learning Notion by itself has a lot of value. So, spend more than half of your time learning it rather than creating templates out of it. You don’t have to create a Notion template with the other person primarily on your mind if you’re planning to sell it online. Build a template you like according to your own needs. If it solves a common problem for many, publish it for others to buy. They will want it since you have put maximum effort into building it for yourself.

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

A: Music + Coffee is the way to go!

What’s better than that for a solopreneur anyway?

I enjoy drinking coffee along with a song in the background to relax my mood. Being productive all day is impossible for a person. Splitting it with such breaks and enjoying it a little lets me balance the workload.

Q: Can you share a goal or dream that you’re currently pursuing?

A: Showing people how better their lives can become with simple systems in Notion & Canva is my primary goal right now. Only a small % of the world’s population knows about Notion & few people even think these tools are a waste of time. With my templates, I would like to show them what spending 24 hours productively looks like in a day. This may seem big, but it’s a simple idea many know of but don’t implement. And changing that mindset is why I am putting my efforts right now.

As we wrap up our conversation with Templater Guy, it’s evident that his journey is more than just about creating Notion templates or mastering productivity tools. It’s narrative of transformation, passion, and the relentless pursuit of making a meaningful impact in the digital world. From the early hours of contemplation to the late nights of innovation, Templater Guy’s story is a beacon of inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and creators.

Templater Guy’s dedication to empowering others, coupled with his commitment to personal growth and community building, paints a vivid picture of a future where technology and human aspiration converge to create a more organized, productive, and fulfilling life.

In a world where change is the only constant, stories like Templater Guy’s remind us of the power of embracing uncertainty, the beauty of crafting solutions, and the joy of sharing knowledge.