Behind the scenes: how I build a Notion template (and what I cut)
From messy first draft to the version you buy — the testing, the deletions, and the one question I ask before publishing.
Every template starts as a mess. I open a blank page and build the version I actually need that week. When I made the home management template, I was drowning in school forms and a fridge that never had the right things in it. The first draft had fourteen sections. I published four.
The cutting is the real work. I ask one question before anything ships: will this page still make sense to someone who opens it on a bad day? If a section requires a tutorial to explain, it's out. If a database has more than five properties, I trim.
Then I test it on real life for two weeks. I use the template myself, with my own messy data, and note every moment I hesitate. Those hesitations become fixes. A label that confused me once will confuse you too.
The final step is the setup guide. I write it as if I'm sitting next to you, because most people don't need a manual — they need permission to make the template their own. I always say: rename things, delete what you don't need, break it gently.
What I cut matters as much as what I keep. A template should feel like a deep breath, not a project.