Inside the Notion ASMR trend

5 min readJan 2, 2023

‘Notion ASMR’ is becoming a thing. By ‘Notion ASMR’, I mean the masses of people around the world captivated by watching someone work on Notion, mainly on TikTok and Instagram Reels. At the core of it, watching someone complete their daily tasks is such a calming experience. The popularity of the video above is a testament to the fact that people are really connecting with this kind of content, especially in the Notion space.

What is Notion & why is everyone obsessed with it?

Notion is essentially digital LEGO. You have access to the ‘blocks’ (checkboxes, databases, media embeds etc) to build your dream digital tool/dashboard. Because of this ‘DIY’ aspect, everyone, from parents and students, to creatives and start-ups are obsessed with using it to build everything from recipe books and journals to custom dashboards & client portals. The best thing about Notion is that everything is tailored to the way you think and whatever you build will grow with you.

If you’ve never tried Notion, and are looking to add layers of sanity into your life/business, you can explore it here for free — for full disclosure, I’m a Notion Partner, so when you sign up with my link, you also support my work.

I think part of the reason why these Notion videos are doing great based on how flexible Notion is. Since Notion can build so many different kind of workflows, you’re instantly interested in what people might build. Then there’s the added dopamine of the soothing effect of seeing someone go through the motions of their day, giving us a glimpse into the inner workings of their life. It serves as a reminder that there is beauty in the little things and is bang on trend with the ‘romanticise your life’ movement.

In fact, my ‘work with me’ videos on Instagram & TikTok have become some of my most popular pieces of content — it’s easy to see why! I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how many people have engaged with the content, and it’s something I plan to focus on more of in the future. It’s so easy to create these types of videos, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. From the feedback I’ve gotten, it’s clear that this kind of content is what people want to see, and I’m happy to oblige. It’s definitely becoming a majority of the content I create, and I’m looking forward to making more of it!

Here are some relaxing videos I have found to inspire you:

What’s the best way to learn Notion?

As a Certified Notion Consultant with a background in building and managing human/digital products and experiences, I personally take a heavy design-thinking approach to all of my projects. 80% of my clients in my coaching calls, workshops & custom builds come to me to ‘makeover’ their workspace i.e. build a seamless Notion experience that is nice to look at and easier to use.

If you’re looking to build a great Notion workspace, you need to approach it like you would approach building a house. Remember the LEGO block analogy? The first thing you need to know about Notion is that it is literally blocks. Learn the blocks, then learn how and when to use each block. There are a ton of YouTube videos/blogs out there — I have a list of resources on my site. Start with a blueprint (empathise with end user(s) and goals), then choose the best blocks/techniques to achieve what you need.

If you’d rather not torture yourself with 1000s of productivity YouTube videos (cough, Notion isn’t a productivity tool, it’s a possibility tool, I’ve literally built a Beyonce template that was loved by Sequoia Capital), and want a more creative approach to learning Notion, driven by design thinking, you’re free to explore my super-popular and affordable MySpace-themed course, ‘#MyNotionSpace’.

Yes millennials, if you remember spending hours customising your profile page on MySpace/Bebo/Tumblr etc. , now you can recreate that joy. After learning advanced Notion tips (including how to make it pretty), you’ll practice your new skills by building your own shareable ‘profile page’ while becoming a Notion wizard. Not only can this double up as a portfolio/resume to give you an edge for your dream job, after completing the course (it’s about 3 hours of videos), you’ll earn a certificate which you can post on your LinkedIn profile/website as a shiny ‘hire-me’ flag. Even if you don’t want to use it for work purposes, you can still make a cute profile page that would probably go viral on TikTok, because you know, ‘Y2K’.

What’s Next?

So if you’re looking for Notion content ideas — try this! It’s so simple and effective — it’s what the people are craving right now. Bonus point: throw in a juicy voiceover with captions.

Remember, you can try Notion here for free with my #NotionPartner link and also see what people are up to in the course

Quick note, this was originally a hot take from an issue of my newsletter, The Notion Zeitgeist, that I’ve developed into this article. This is not your productivity bro’s Notion newsletter. 1.3k+ of you are reading weekly-ish spicy hot takes on Notion, profuntivity and pop culture. Musings by me, Frances Odera Matthews: resident zillennial, Certified Notion Consultant + Founder of The Notion Bar.

Thanks for sticking with me — I can’t wait for you to dive in and start working on your Notion pages.

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Inside the Notion ASMR trend

What is Notion & why is everyone obsessed with it?

What’s the best way to learn Notion?

What’s Next?

Written by Frances Odera Matthews

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