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Notion introduced its calendar application, Notion Calendar, at the beginning of 2024. I was interested, and much, but limit to Google calendars left me out: most of my events occur in ICloud calendars.
Ten days ago they finally announced the integration with ICloud, and there I was, as a user of Notion For years to see how this proposal was and if it is worth making the leap from Apple’s native application.
They are not the functions, but the unification
My first impression was surprisingly positive. The application is fast, very fast. In me MacBook Pro M1 Proalmost four years ago, the speed with which it opens and the fluidity when navigating between days, weeks or months is impressive. It contrasts remarkably with Apple’s calendar that, without being slow, does not have this feeling of lightness and agility.
The monthly view interface throughout its glory. Image: Xataka.
The interface is minimalist without feeling empty. It maintains that characteristic air of notion with its soft and white gray tones, but retains its own personality. Visually it is much more pleasant than other calendars such as Google Calendarwhich prioritizes functionality over aesthetics.
If you are one di noi And you are looking to optimize every second in front of the screen, the Calendar Notion keyboard shortcuts are a gift.
- “S” to share availability.
- “C” to create an event.
- “T” to go to the current day.
- “W” to activate the weekly view.
- “M” for the monthly.
It is an approach that is clearly designed for users who prefer not to take off the hands of the keyboard. As Things
A function that has conquered me is Availability management. Before, when someone wanted to meet with me, I had to manually send my free holes or use tools such as Calendly That, for some reason, they always made me feel a little impostor. With Notion Calendar, I select the available time blocks, generate a link to the moment and voila. One of those little friction of the day to day that disappear.
The availability function. The white holes (not gray with stripes) are the ones that we establish as available. With sharing the link that appears to the right we can facilitate another person our gaps available for a meeting. As an integrated calendly already demands. Image: Xataka.
The management of time areas is also remarkable. For those of us who work with people in different parts of the world or when we are organizing a trip, we can see our calendar with multiple schedules at the same time is canonical. And here, Notion does it much more intuitively than Apple’s calendar.
Nevertheless, where notion calendar takes muscle is in its integration with notion, in its way of unifying information and time. It is an independent calendar for those who do not use notion, but that integration is the key to this proposal: generate ecosystem, not independent islands.
The strategy behind the calendar
What we are seeing with Notion Calendar is not just a new calendar application. It is one more piece on a board where Notion is building a complete productivity ecosystem. First was the main application for notes and databases, now the calendar, and not long ago also arrived with Notion mailat the moment on the waiting list.
What was previously a product, Notion, now begins to be the center of an ecosystem that continues to grow. Image: Notion, Xataka.
Instead of putting everything in a single application that could be overwhelming, Notion is creating independent but totally interconnected applications. It is an intelligent strategy that allows them to compete in each category without sacrificing the user experience.
True magic occurs when you link notion databases with dated fields to the calendar. Suddenly, all these elements appear directly on my calendar with my normal events. For example, I have a database with all scripts in notion of the podcastand each one has its publication date. Now I can see those dates directly on my calendar, mixed with my meetings and personal events.
The database with the infinite loop scripts that I prepare every day. By including a publication date they have everything you need to appear, if I want, in Notion Calendar. Image: Xataka.
This unified vision is not only practical, it is a paradigm shift. It allows to see the events and tasks in a temporary context that previously required several tools. And not only that: you can attach notion pages directly to calendar events. For a meeting I can link the agenda, previous notes or related documents, everything without leaving notion.
Towards a more mature experience
The iOS version is also very well achieved. Unlike many applications that simply reduce their desktop version, Notion schedule for iOS (It is also For Android) is really adapted to mobile experience. You can choose if you want to see 1, 2 or 3 days when opening the app, something much more flexible than the native calendar.
Again: more than the intention of launching a calendar is intuited here. A strategy is intuited that fuses information management with time management.
When I saw the initial announcement of Notion Calendar, my first reaction was a mixture of interest and skepticism. Do we really need another calendar application? The answer is in the objective: Notion is not simply building a calendaris building that bridge between information management and time management.
It is as if Notion were saying: “You already have all your information organized with us, why not also your time?” And it makes sense. If you spend much of your day in Notion, having your integrated calendar right there makes everything more consistent.
Is it worth who does not use Notion? Surprisingly, I think so. Even without taking advantage of integrations, it is a solid calendar application, well designed and with functions that exceed the Apple or Google calendar in several aspects.
For me, in fact, he has already replaced Apple’s. And the most interesting thing is to see how Notion is evolving from being a notes to become a complete productivity ecosystem, With each piece designed to fit perfectly with the others. Let’s see if there is luck and a task manager falls to us that rival everything and company.
It is one of those rare occasions in which a third -party application surpasses the native in almost all aspects. And on top of that it is free. What else can be asked.
Outstanding image | Xataka with Mockuuuups Studio
In Xataka | The notion template business: an ocean of black and white avatars
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