Chaos to Clarity - How to Organise Your Life with Notion's Master Tasks View

So, you have finally got started with Notion, loaded up countless templates and have a mountain of work to do asap.

If you're juggling different projects, it's likely that you have an overwhelming amount of task lists to check on daily.

I know the feeling, and I've found a solution to get a solid overview on all things, that may be handy to people looking for a master view.

A master overview that displays all your tasks in one place, letting you know what needs to be done at one glance, and the way to achieve this is with Linked databases on Notion. You will not need to buy any fancy templates, the default, free one will be fine.

The purpose of these instructions is to create a Master Overview that you can check daily and make project management life easier.

Let's get into how you make this simple sheet, that has saved me hours!

Step 1) Create Notion account here

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Step 2) Use this specific template to create your tasks, it has a backpack emoji and is named "Notion's tasks". Think of each page of tasks as a database, this will be important later.

I like this style because of its simplicity, and you can quickly switch between Kanban views and a table overview.

Step 3) Switch to All Tasks view.

Delete the default task and add in all related project tasks.
It is advisable to keep personal and work projects separate, and each project should preferably have its own page.

‍Step 4) Change columns as needed, I tend to remove "Date Created", and I add a Status column called "Est Time" (where I type in estimated hours)

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You should now have 6 columns:

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Name (of task), Status, Assign, Due Date, Priority, Est Time.

Every time you add a task, you should ideally be filling out all of these columns, the only field I occasionally leave out is "Due Date", if this particular task can be put on the back burner.

The reason for not always including a Due Date, is so that the Master Tasks page we are creating does not get too cluttered and we only see tasks which are upcoming and need action.

Step 5) Complete this process for other project pages, for example your Personal Tasks.

Duplicate the Task list again and change the columns like in step 3 and 4.

Step 6) By now you should have multiple projects with lots of tasks, so it’s time to create the Master Task View page.

To do this:

- Click on add a page (+ sign on the left panel),

- Write in the title of the page,

- Then we are going to use the magic of linked databases. Simply type "/linked" and select each of the database Task pages you have created.

Step 7) Now let’s spice up the page. Add an inspiring cover image and write some notes at the top to remind you what your goals are.
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Also, make this page a favourite, so you can quickly click it.

Step 8) Via the options at the top right of the page, turn on Full Width, allowing you to see a quick comprehensive view of all the tasks that are visible.

Change the view to Tables, so we can keep the view consistent across databases.

Step 9) Time for filters. You will only need these three filters on.

- First, "Due Date" by ascending.

- Then we are going to add another filter, which is "Due Date: Is not empty",

- "Status: Not started, Next Up and In Progress" are ticked.

This way we are not seeing tasks that are completed.

Tasks that have no due date (see Step 4) will not appear in this list.

You can change this as preferred, I find this setup works for me.

Step 10) Lock the filters, repeat process for all linked tables. It should now look something like this:

Voila! You are done, and hopefully have a one-page Master Task view HQ that enables you to get a broad overview of all those tasks coming up.

This method may not work for everyone, but as a solopreneur, it works well for me. If new tasks come in, I make a note and add them to the right list later, filling in all the necessary information.

Every morning, I can check in with Notion Master Task View, quickly calculate how many hours of work I need to complete and then write down on paper those tasks in a bullet list. That piece of paper is where my tasks are for the day.

I like the Master view because it enables me to see all of my tasks on one page, saving clicks and the opportunity to get distracted.

Of course, you should remember that if you use this method, it is advisable to regularly check the actual original Tasks page per project, as the Due Date for certain tasks may not be visible, or needs to be allocated a date at a later stage.

Hope you enjoyed the instructions!