Mastering Notion for remote work success: A clear path amid the chaos

Notion is often described as the ultimate productivity tool, but for many, it feels more like a riddle than a solution. Its versatility is both a blessing and a curse—a blank slate of endless possibilities, but without a clear starting point, the potential can quickly turn into overwhelm.

This is especially true for remote workers and digital nomads, who depend on streamlined systems to manage projects, collaborate asynchronously, and stay productive across time zones. When the stakes are high, and your workflows need to be robust yet flexible, Notion can feel intimidatingly complex.

I’ve been there myself. As someone building systems for Remote Work Europe, I started my Notion journey with a mix of excitement and confusion. I was drawn to its promise of creating custom workflows tailored to my exact needs, but I soon realised that starting from scratch without guidance was frustrating. Templates helped initially, but they always felt like wearing someone else’s shoes—close, but never quite the perfect fit. I bought a lot of them, often beautifully designed to fit remote workflows… but they were somebody else’s workflows, not mine.

The game-changer for me was discovering Notion Mastery, the comprehensive course created by Marie Poulin. It provided the roadmap I needed, transforming Notion from a daunting tool into an indispensable part of my work.

The promise and pitfalls of Notion

Notion is a productivity powerhouse. On paper, it’s a one-stop shop for notes, databases, task management, knowledge sharing, and more. For remote-first teams, it offers unparalleled benefits:

✅ Everything in one place, reducing the need for juggling multiple tools.

✅ Databases that can function as project trackers, content calendars, or even personal habit trackers.

✅ Collaborative features that support asynchronous work, letting team members stay in sync without constant check-ins.

But this level of customisation is also where the cracks start to show. Unlike other tools that come with set structures, Notion offers a completely blank slate.

Without a system in place, you’re left asking endless questions: Should I use a table or a board? How do I link this page to that database? Why does this template seem great in theory but fail to meet my needs?

These are common struggles. Notion is powerful, but without guidance, it’s easy to waste hours clicking around, testing ideas, and feeling like you’re getting nowhere.

Why Notion Mastery stands out

When I stumbled upon Notion Mastery, I wasn’t just looking for a way to “get better” at Notion. I needed a system—something that could help me create workflows tailored to the specific demands of running a remote-first organisation. Marie Poulin’s approach was exactly what I needed.

Unlike other resources that offer cookie-cutter solutions or limited tutorials, Notion Mastery takes a comprehensive, hands-on approach. It teaches you how to think about Notion strategically, not just how to build databases. Taking you through the basics of building a personal system, so that you can build the business ones later on. Understanding how to work with databases and the powerful ways you can view and interact with them effectively, means you can build anything.

I don’t use the system I built as I worked through the training - I don’t like journalling or managing my personal to-dos in Notion, I have other apps I am happy with for those and they don’t need to sync with anything else or be shared with others in a team. I do manage my learning in Notion though, and travel, it works great for that. I also use it for my personal knowledge management and notes/clips.

The course breaks down the fundamentals in an approachable way, but it’s never patronising. You’ll learn how to create workflows that don’t just look good but genuinely work for your needs. More importantly, it helps you understand the why behind the design choices, empowering you to adapt and evolve your system as your work changes, and also how Notion changes - because it is a tool that is under continual evolution and development, and every time they introduce new functionality, Marie and Ben will get it figured out and workshopped for us fast.

From overwhelm to clarity: My personal journey with Notion

When I first started building the systems for Remote Work Europe, my Notion workspace was… a mess. I had pages everywhere, databases that didn’t talk to each other, and no real way of knowing if my workflows were effective.

I had duplicated information in different places - how many times had I typed out the list of countries where we had or wanted to have communities? I knew that wasn’t what I wanted, and that it wasn’t good data governance. All my work with the Estonian govtech systems meant I understood deep down that that list should live in one place only, and referenced wherever it was needed, but I couldn’t figure it out and ended up copying that list over instead of relating to it 🤦🏻‍♀️

The more I explored Notion Mastery, the more everything clicked.

First, the confirmation of the potential - YES, I really can build everything I need, despite not having a shred of coding knowledge or experience.

Then, a steady route through learning the complex systems in a way that made sense, from the very beginning building blocks of the different elements of the tool, to sophisticated views and automations that you can copy and apply in a way that you understand where it’s relevant and applicable.

The result? A workspace that is not only functional but scalable. Today, my Notion dashboard is the backbone of our operations, keeping track of everything from content planning to team documentation. Even better, the systems I’ve built are clear enough for others to use, making collaboration seamless - because one day, when we’re active in 40+ European regions, we’ll need that.

I am still learning, by the way. Some of the level 3 stuff I haven’t touched yet, and that hasn’t held me back from building with what I have. For example, they have a whole (included) section on working with formulas, and I know that when I get block the time to get my head around that, I can create all the budgeting and management accounting dashboards as I will need, directly in Notion.

For now, that can all live in linked spreadsheets, until I get a clearer idea of exactly what I need then figure out how to create it, but its on my radar to bring that information into Notion later in the year, so I can work with it more creatively.

Notion for remote-first workflows

Why is it so important?

For anyone managing asynchronous teams, her strategies for structuring tasks, timelines, and communication channels are invaluable. It’s not just about creating a “pretty” workspace—it’s about designing one that drives results.

One of the biggest traps for new Notion users is relying too heavily on off-the-shelf templates. They might seem like a shortcut, but most templates are designed with generic use cases in mind. While they can be helpful as inspiration, they rarely fit your unique needs perfectly. And you have no idea how to customise part of a complex set of templates, without breaking something somewhere else (been there, done that!)

Notion Mastery addresses this head-on by teaching you how to build systems from scratch. Instead of squeezing your workflow into someone else’s framework, you’ll create something that’s fully customised to your goals. You’ll build your OWN templates, directly around your own processes and activities. This isn’t just about saving time (though it does). It’s about creating workflows that actually work for you, so you’re not constantly tinkering or starting over.

Once you have that, you can scale and work asynchronously with ease.

It’s as though Notion was built for remote teams!

You can design-in self-reinforcing and cross-referenced learning across your process, whether that’s creating a wiki-style user guide to cross-linked SOPs. You can lock down specific parts for editing, or not - i.e. to stop people accidentally breaking crucial things. And you can automatically generate user-specific dashboards which relate to their own access needs and activities.

Above all, your Notion workspace becomes your ‘digital office’ - the place that you all go to work (synchronously or asynchronously), and that reflects your culture and visual identity. You get so much more customisation potential than you do in something like Microsoft Office

Mastering Notion for remote consulting and building?

Mastering Notion doesn’t just make your own workflows more effective, it opens the door to entirely new opportunities to work as a freelance operator. With the demand for skilled Notion consultants growing, those who understand the platform’s potential and know how to build tailored systems can carve out a niche as remote consultants.

This isn’t about being a developer or a technical wizard. The real value lies in understanding remote strategy and practice—using Notion to reflect and enhance the way modern teams work.

Why Notion consulting is in demand

Notion’s popularity has skyrocketed among individuals and teams, from solopreneurs to large organisations. But many users encounter the same challenges:

⚠️ Overwhelm with the blank slate. Businesses often don’t know where to start or how to make the platform work for their unique needs.

⚠️ Inefficient workflows. Many teams adopt Notion, but end up with scattered pages and databases that don’t drive results.

⚠️ Misaligned templates. Off-the-shelf solutions rarely meet the nuanced needs of growing businesses.

This is where consultants come in. A skilled Notion consultant can:

👏 Analyse workflows and identify inefficiencies.

👏 Design systems that align with a team’s goals.

👏 Provide training to help teams maximise Notion’s potential.

For remote-first businesses, the ability to create asynchronous, scalable systems is invaluable—and people are willing to pay for that expertise.

If you’ve mastered Notion for your own use, you’re already further ahead than many people who are struggling to make the platform work for them. You don’t need to know every technical trick or automation—your ability to design clear, effective workflows and align them with remote-first principles is what truly sets you apart.

Whether you choose to pursue this as a business or simply keep the idea in your back pocket, the skills you develop through Notion Mastery have the potential to open doors. The future of work is remote, and tools like Notion are central to that evolution. There’s no better time to turn your knowledge into something that helps others succeed.

I don’t presently offer this service in a stand-alone way as a consultant, but many of my solutions have involved either specifying or setting up Notion-based data and document managing for clients, who want to work together apart in a secure, streamlined, and effective way.

Why Notion Mastery is worth the investment

The true value of Notion Mastery lies in its long-term impact. It’s not just a course; it’s an investment in learning how to think about systems and workflows in a way that grows with you.

Even after completing the core material, I’ve found value in staying connected to the course updates and community. Notion is constantly evolving, and having access to expert insights keeps my workflows sharp and up to date.

If you’re someone who:

• Feels overwhelmed by Notion’s blank-slate design,

• Struggles to adapt templates to fit your specific needs, or

• Wants to build scalable systems for remote work,

…then Notion Mastery is the solution you’ve been looking for.

Build workflows that work for you

Notion is an incredibly powerful tool, but only if you know how to use it effectively. With Notion Mastery, you’ll go beyond the surface-level features, learning how to create systems that genuinely support your work.

For me, it’s been a game-changer, transforming how I organise my projects, collaborate with others, and scale my business. Whether you’re just starting with Notion or looking to refine your existing setup, this course offers the clarity and confidence to make the most of what this tool can offer.

📌 Ready to take control of your workflows? Start your Notion Mastery journey today.