Inside My Template Design Process: From Messy Draft to Finished Product
A behind-the-scenes look at how a template goes from a chaotic personal page to something you can duplicate in one click.
Every template I sell starts as a mess. Not a polished concept — an actual page where I'm dumping thoughts at 11pm because something in my life isn't working. The home management template began as a single bulleted list titled 'stuff I keep forgetting.' The money template started as a screenshot of my bank app and a note that said 'why is this so stressful.'
From there, I use the system for at least three weeks before I clean it up. This is the part people skip. If I design for how I think I'll behave, I end up with a fantasy template. If I design around what I actually did — the pages I opened, the fields I ignored, the buttons I never clicked — I end up with something that works. My rule is simple: no feature survives unless I used it at least five times.
Then comes the unglamorous part. I rewrite every label in plain language, add a start-here page, and record a short walkthrough video. I also build in empty space. My templates have blank sections on purpose, because your life doesn't look like mine and you need room to make it yours. A template that can't be customized isn't a template — it's a cage.
Finally, I test it on someone who has never used Notion. If they get stuck in the first five minutes, I fix the setup, not the person. That's the whole process: live with the mess, keep what works, explain it like a friend would, and leave room to breathe.