318: Is Notion the Tool You’ve Been Missing? with Ania Ngoc Ha

[00:00:00] Bree: Now, something that's not talked about a ton, like I don't usually get DMs about it or even people commenting in the Facebook group about it, but as soon as somebody joins Shift or Bold Fluence, one of the first things that we end up working on together is Getting organized and getting a system set up in place.

So if that's happening, then that is telling me that you guys are also kind of in the same boat. Probably a lot of you listening are and really need help with creating a fun system that you're going to keep using that keeps you on track and keeps you working really efficiently. And so Anya is coming on to this episode today.

She is an expert at workflows and systems and helping entrepreneurs get rid of the chaos and really get organized. Her favorite tool is Notion, but if you're not a Notion girly, or maybe you want to be, It's okay. What she's going to share in this episode is going to just inspire you to figure out systems for yourself.

And she's got a lot of great tips to help you do that. So let's dive in. Welcome to the Thrive Podcast, where we believe creators deserve more, more money, more freedom, and even more love for what they do. I'm Brie Pair, your coach for content creators. And I know the struggle. The long hours, the endless ideas, the feeling that success is just out of reach, but here's the truth.

You've got what it takes. And this podcast, it's your shortcut to getting there from strategies that actually work to behind the scenes insights. We're unlocking your potential one episode at a time. So if you're ready to turn your creative hustle into a thriving business, Let's get started. Hello, Anya.

Welcome to the

[00:01:56] Ania: show. How are you, friend? Hi. Oh, my God. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited that we met through Threads. And now we're doing a podcast, which is absolutely insane.

[00:02:10] Bree: I know. Oh, my gosh. Uh, Threads is like one of my favorite places to hang out on the Internet right now.

[00:02:17] Ania: Yeah, no, literally it's so positive.

And I met so many wonderful other creatives and podcasters, podcasters like you, and now we all collaborate with each other and create awesome stuff. So I absolutely love that too.

[00:02:33] Bree: Yes, it's so much fun. Well, okay, tell us about yourself. What does a, what is a day, a year in the life of a, um, like, what does it look like for you?

[00:02:47] Ania: Yeah, I mean, this year has definitely been insane for me because beginning of this year I pivoted from being a social media, And marketing freelancer to creative business operations, and it's been a ride, uh, whatever people say about being a freelancer. And it's so beautiful. You get, you know, 10 K a month.

It's a lie. It's so glamorous. You have to put in. That hard work. And especially when you pivot, it feels like you start from zero. So it's been up and down. I was even considering taking a full time job in like August. And actually I did take it because I was so worried about staying, having a stable income and living in most.

Expensive cities in the world, which is London. Uh, and I took it, but my gut feeling was like, are you sure you want this? Like you haven't put 100 percent of you in that idea and I just couldn't let it go. So I decided to go full in freelancing. And since then it's, I worked with amazing women on businesses to help them streamline their workflows.

Uh, hosted six, uh, community events for creatives and founders launched a digital product, both amazing community on threads and Instagram. And yeah, now I'm on this podcast. So this was definitely not on my bingo card, uh, end of 2025. So I. Yeah, I love it. I'm so thankful.

[00:04:27] Bree: I love it. And one of the things that you mentioned to me before we started recording is that how you found and I will echo this that I I'm in that spot and have been in that spot is like finding that many entrepreneurs feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of running a business.

And that was something that you wanted to step in to help with. So how have you done that? Because I'm sure everybody listening can be like, raising my hand. It just like, sometimes we have it together, but like, I would say most of the time it's like, it just feel it's so much to keep up with.

[00:05:04] Ania: Exactly. I think that's the thing.

There's so much on your plate that how do you can, how do you keep up with this? Right. And for you to actually grow and scale your business, you need that breathing time. Uh, and I think that's why I love to notion and streamlining and automating workspaces for my clients is you have everything in one space.

So you are able to see that bigger picture. And having more time to do what you love. Because everything is automated. You know where everything is, and you just have that peace of mind that every morning you wake up, you know what your to-dos are. You know what your two teams to-dos are and like what new clients you might have, what projects you need to work on.

And at this. And it's been such a big game changer to have it all in one space through, yeah, utilizing a tool like Notion.

[00:06:01] Bree: Yeah, it's like, and that's something like we don't, uh, I mean, you don't even learn that in college, I feel like, like how to project manage all this stuff and how to keep yourself organized.

So I would, can you just talk to me about The workflows and systems that you've set up both for yourself or others to help streamline things. So

[00:06:23] Ania: definitely my favorite and my client's favorite is like, uh, automated, um, contracts template. So you fill out all the details and notion, same with invoices and you click a button.

And your invoice is created and your contracts is pre populated, which is a big game changer. Another one is I worked with a wedding planner, which definitely was like, wow, I didn't know I could tap in into that industry as well. And we automated a hundred tasks, long wedding checklist to be, uh, pre populated with like deadlines based on when is the wedding day.

So that's just. Insane. So being just able to do something with a few clicks and. Using less apps and tools. It's what like the most important for me, Ben, when working with the client and then creating something that is truly bespoke, because there's no such things as one size fits all. So I don't just have one template and like all of my clients use it.

I actually tailor each of that template to work with the business where that business is right now. And yeah, we go from there. It's a very collaborative process and I just love how my clients can have something they can really use rather than just. A template that's been pre populated for everyone. So, yeah.

Right.

[00:07:57] Bree: I did not know that you could automate things like that. I thought, I'm like, well, I have to plug in the dates. I'm the one that has to set this up. But I'm thinking even like when we do like a launch for one of our digital products, it sounds like I could just be like, well, here's. The end date? Is that right?

Exactly. And it'll populate the dates for me?

[00:08:20] Ania: Yes, 100%. That's wild. Even with, like, podcasts. Why am I doing this manually? Exactly. Like, so many people don't know, like, do tasks. Do write those tasks manually, but there are like templates, you can utilize the button. So you just click a button and everything is created for you because you probably already have the SOPs in place or like timelines that you do certain things.

So why not just utilize it to make your life easier and it just takes. You click it and in two seconds you have a whole workflow process for, let's say, brand design, web design, podcast, visual products launching. Yeah, that being said, I'm still definitely amazed by the functionality of the tool because the possibilities are limitless.

Whatever you want, I'm like, I'll figure it just out.

[00:09:14] Bree: Well, I even think like for our audience of content creators, I'm assuming there's so much you can do for whether it's a blog post or a reel and just like automating like, okay, these are the five things I have to do every single time. How can I, like, automate, like, and plug things in for myself easier?

[00:09:34] Ania: 100%. And I think, uh, I re when I was releasing a digital content planner, I created it as a hub space for content creators to especially do that. Have everything in one space from daily, Uh, daily schedule planning and content planner, brand and partnerships, trackers, uh, space for notes, because you're removing that barrier of handling so many different tools and apps and having it all in one space just allows you to be more productive and create more and actually enjoy it.

Because you, when it comes to. Day that you set yourself for creating or editing you actually know what you're doing and not starting from scratch

[00:10:23] Bree: Right, and I think that's how I ended up finding you is you did a post on threads about what you were making on notion for content creators and so Threads notes that like anything content creators to like pop it into my feed and so I saw that and you did like you post a little video or a gif of something that you were making and I was like You need to come on our podcast because this is amazing.

So can you, I mean, I already know, like you said, key buzzwords in there that people are going to be excited about. So don't worry guys, we'll link everything for y'all to go and find in the show notes. But I am curious, like if you were to come into the business of a content creator, who's listening and they don't have any, Any system set up because that happens a lot of times, like we're just, you know, we have to create this content and we just run with it, right?

That's how a lot of us get started. So if they didn't have anything set up, where would you tell them to start?

[00:11:21] Ania: I feel like the most important thing is for you to find the system and workflows that work for you because you can have the best template in the world. Someone can record like the best video recorded, but if you're.

The way you work or your brain can't just grasp it. What is the point of it? So sometimes just a sheet of paper and having like a sections that you write down your ideas and what day to execute it can work. So it doesn't have to be a big thing, but. What important is like find something that works for you but then stick with it and once you find a good flow test and experiment to try to automate it make it better but don't also force yourself to be like.

Oh, I bought this template. So I really need to use it, make sure that it really works for you. And like, don't be afraid to tweak it because I think just because you get a template, you don't think you can change anything, but you can actually, you have it, it's yours, so just change, change it how you want, make it so personalized that you actually want to use it.

[00:12:29] Bree: Yes, I agree. It's like you have to find something that you want to use. Yeah. And I've like bought templates before and like tried it and I'm like, this does not work for my brain. And I was like, you know, sad to spend the money on it, but I'm like, well, I had to, you know, test it out for myself. And so I mean, figuring out.

Yeah, and I've even, like, made systems way too complicated and me and my assistant, like, hated using it. And so we ended up not using it. We were just like, we both avoided it. And so I, like, revamped it and reworked it. I showed it to her this week, actually. I'm like, how's this? And she's like, Oh, my God. This is so much better.

And so, so good. I think that's such good advice of like, find something that works for you and just tweak it. Overwhelmed with your content biz, tired of doing everything yourself and still not seeing consistent income. Friend, it's time to shift shift is my high touch coaching program for bloggers and content creators ready to grow strategically, make more money and finally find freedom in their business with weekly expert reviews, personalized feedback, and a community of driven creators.

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what would be the first workflow that you would suggest, like setting up for a content creator?

[00:14:09] Ania: Oh, the first workflow. I think this is a one thing that most of us forget is like having a content calendar separate from your daily schedule. Which is kind of funny because content creation kind of becomes part of your life or your schedule.

So my tip would be you have your daily, let's say it's a Notion, you have your daily schedule in Notion and then another database for content planning, but then actually linking it to, let's say, Notion calendar and being able to see it all in one place. Because all that editing you do, Takes time from your day, right?

All the posting that you do takes time from your day and engagement. So why don't you have it all together? Uh, instead of living separately, that way you're like, Oh, what am I supposed to post today? What is going on? And just switching even between those two pages, it's come out. Not as efficient and it can create more kind of like stress and overwhelm with how you create content So my big tip is like make sure you see it in one place because it is part of your life So make it part of your daily schedule

[00:15:25] Bree: Oh, that is such a good idea.

I didn't see there's so many things about these tools. That's what I love to learn from other people is like, yeah, I went to a retreat this past summer and somebody was talking about air table and how she had it. Like, she's like, if I just click this button, it knows to send an email to the person that's like, wait, what?

And so there's so many things like I didn't know you could link. Two things and have it in a notion calendar and show up like that's brilliant

[00:15:58] Ania: and another tip is like if you time block it, that's like, yes, you can have it in there. But then actually, when you drag and drop, you put down how much editing is taking you each week, how much scripting or, you know, posting and engaging.

So you can actually plan your day around it and you have a better work day. Content creation and personal life balance.

[00:16:24] Bree: Yes, because it just it takes over, right? It's so much to keep up with. And you're like, oh, I need to cram this in. I think that's when a lot of us start to feel overwhelmed. They're like, I got a lot done, but I still have so much to do.

And usually it's that. We all think we're superheroes and can knock out a million tasks in a day. If you're anything like that, maybe that's just me, but I'm like, Oh, I can do all that. It's fine. Um, timer goes off and I can't, but, um, Oh my gosh. Okay. Amazing. I, I, we're going to like link everything because I want people to like be able to visually see what we're talking about as well.

And as I was like prepping for this interview, I was like, okay, we have to, obviously we have to talk about notion. We have to talk about workflows and I'm like, it's going to be hard because I want people to be able to see it too.

[00:17:17] Ania: Yeah, I know. Once you see it, it also blows your mind because you never thought it as possible.

[00:17:24] Bree: So yeah. Absolutely. Okay. So talk to me about notion. Like, why is that a tool that you've chosen and, you know, to, to go in with? And why is that something that you like to recommend to people?

[00:17:43] Ania: Oh, I think it all started when I started my first big girl job in London and I needed to, I worked at a creative agency at the time and I need to keep out with all the meeting notes, the deadlines.

And it all started very small in notion, but I always knew that possibilities are endless. And I absolutely love that you can mold it and change it as much as you want. To your liking. So later, later down the line, I was using it to manage my clients as a freelancer and I just, yeah, I was so impressed with that too.

And the idea and the mission. Uh, what notion stands for like it's always growing and rolling out better and better tools for creators and founders to just make the most of day time and Yeah, since then i've been obsessed and discovering all new tools every day that I can do with it um, it's just Yeah, a great kind of like, I always explain if someone doesn't know what Notion is, like Google Sheets and Google Docs on steroids.

[00:18:57] Bree: Yes. That's what it is. And I think too, like, I avoided it for a really long time. And then I was like, I need something that I can really like make my own and this is the only tool I have found that you can really make it your own and make it look and function however you want. Plus, I think I'm on a free version too.

Like the free version is amazing, right?

[00:19:26] Ania: I would just say, yeah, that's why it's like blowing my mind every day. It's like how helpful it is to basically be able to help, um, As creatives to find like a peace of mind that, you know, where everything is.

[00:19:46] Bree: Yes. Plus I think as creatives, we all want something that is also visually appealing too.

And that's, what's fun to me about Notion is like, you can make it like match your vibe and like be all cute and add, like add personality to it, whether it's with colors or images, like. That's fun to me and makes me want to keep using it.

[00:20:10] Ania: Mm, 100%. Because at the end of the day, aesthetics do matter and like the more kind of like pretty and nice, it's, you do wanna use it because it feels like it's yours.

So 100%. I'm behind that.

[00:20:27] Bree: That's why I'm always recommending the email marketing platform, Flodes to people. I'm like, cause it's so pretty and you can send out pretty emails. And so Notion feels like that type of thing. Like it's really, you can make it really pretty and fun. Yes.

[00:20:44] Ania: Yes. 100%.

[00:20:46] Bree: So if anybody doesn't want to start from scratch, because starting from scratch can be very overwhelming, where can they find your templates to help get them started?

And what kind of templates do you have?

[00:20:59] Ania: So here for creators, I have a ultimate girl content planner that basically helps you to manage your daily schedule. Uh, you have a content planner side to like your brainstorming ideas that later, if you like it, you can drag and drop into your hosting calendar, which is great.

Great to way to track your brand partnerships, deals, the habit tracker that is specifically for like social media analytics side. It's all available on my website. And when I was creating it, I knew that I wanted to something different. So I developed a widget with my friends. That basically lets you preview the Instagram grid directly on Notion.

And that's been never done before. So this really helps you to, instead of switching between Canva or your phone for third party apps to see the grid, you can actually have it on Notion. And that's been going viral. People have been loving it because you can actually see your grid and we are rolling out.

New features every time so you can even preview your carousels Now which you can't even do in instagram. So oh my gosh You can get that on my website and I can't wait to see you using it

[00:22:26] Bree: Oh, yay. Oh, that is that's so impressive. I'm so impressed by you. Oh, my gosh. I can't wait for everybody to like dive in.

I also need to just go get my copy because I need to go play with it. Oh, my goodness. And then if they do want to, you know, aside from purchasing your notion templates, because you do work with people one on one. Is that right?

[00:22:49] Ania: Uh, yes, I do with, I work with a lot of creative founders who basically want to have like a bespoke Notion workspace.

So that's how I also help you to create like your big headquarters, digital space.

[00:23:04] Bree: Love it. Okay, so you guys will link to all that. So if you want to just get started with her templates, or if you're like, Nope, I want her to come in and just make all my systems beautiful for me, then you definitely need to talk to her.

So, oh my goodness. Well, I'm so glad we got to chat and so glad that I found you on threads. Thanks for sharing over there and keep sharing because I want all creatives to have beautiful organized workflows that they love. Cause I feel like that just, that takes everybody's business to the next level and that helps them avoid burnout and helps them grow.

[00:23:42] Ania: No, 100%. Like. I've been burned out twice before like turning 25. So I know how it feels. And definitely my goal for next year is also share more notion tips and like behind the scenes of how is it to actually become a freelancer. So. Please join me on that journey and I would be so excited to connect with everyone.

[00:24:11] Bree: Are you going to be sharing on Instagram or YouTube? What's your plan? I'm

[00:24:16] Ania: starting with Instagram, maybe later TikTok. You can definitely find me on threads just sharing random tips as well. Yes.

[00:24:25] Bree: Awesome. Okay. Well, we will link everywhere where you guys can go and give her a follow. Thank you so much for being here today and, um, chatting with us.

Yeah,

[00:24:36] Ania: thank you so much for having me. Like, I absolutely love this and, uh, the fact that we also connected online and now I have an online friend that I did my first podcast with.

[00:24:48] Bree: Yay. And it was amazing. We'll come find us on thread you guys and join the conversation and we'll see you guys back here next week with a new episode.

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