So, I've been looking literally years for something that would implement a GTD-based workflow in a way I could live with.
And now, after reading Building a Second Brain, I realized that that was the missing modern-digital-age organizational component for the "Reference" area of GTD.
I've tried Evernote, Google Keep, Nirvana, Todoist, ClickUp, and plain Notion, and a couple of others. They all either lacked:
1. the features I needed, or
2. the flexibility I needed
When I found Thomas' Ultimate Brain template, I was initially skeptical, because I'd tried out Notion, and found it clunky and unwieldy. I loved its configurability, and pretty rock-solid syncing and eventual-consistency support. But I didn't want to climb the learning curve of trying to build my own acceptable GTD system out of it.
ENTER ULTIMATE BRAIN.
Thomas has put SO MUCH THOUGHT AND WORK into this template.
He REALLY UNDERSTANDS how GTD and BASB work in practice, and has implemented the workflows in a very knowledgable and effective way.
And most importantly, when GTD/BASB DON'T work or may have holes/oversights, and you need to be provided the flexibility you need to actually do what you really need to do..
But what really sold me is the documentation and support. EVERY FEATURE has context-specific in-app documentation, separate docs in the support site, and a detailed, very professional and polished video explaining everything about it.
Is it perfect? Hell no, if you are the type of person to use a system like this, you're a perfectionist and nothing will ever make you completely happy.
Is Notion still clunky? Yeah, although they are executing pretty well, and it's "good enough" for me to deal with the warts.
But those cons don't matter much because Ultimate Brain as implemented as a Notion template:
1. HAS THE FEATURES I NEED
2. HAS THE FLEXIBILITY I NEED
(see what I did there?)
So, I'm a happy paying subscriber, and looking forward to seeing how it works out for me going forward.
Great job, Thomas! Good luck on the launch!
I've used Notion off and on since finding it a year or so back, but was mostly using a digital planner to try and keep track of everything, along with random bits of notes and paper that I would scratch something on. Being a director in Health care, and having many agencies/foundation projects in the works, keeping track of anything became more like an Easter egg hunt. I haven't had the system long, but once I got it set up, and flipped spaces to more my liking (looks/colors/etc) I have found I'm falling crazy over this system.
UB gives you back the ability to track and manage everything from initial agency applications, to staffing hiring, stocking and training of new employees (or what ever those might be for you personally). I haven't lost anything since starting with UB and I feel as if it will continue to grow and morph the more it's used. (I've even found things I've lost while transferring my info into it /win!)
One of my most favorite items/spaces is the Areas/Projects page in here. I'm able to separate everything out, attach the notes to the specific goals/projects in their area, and have it a click away if I need to reference it in the future.
There is a large community at your finger tips as well for any and all questions. I spent a couple hours just cruising the support boards, not because I needed help, but I wanted to see what others needed and how the UB team supported and responded to clients. The customer services from the UB team is amazing from what I have seen, and the tutorials and how to's available make the set up so much quicker. Really you can plug and play, but having the ability to make it your own is great.
I was first introduced to Notion and the 2nd brain concept by Thomas Frank when I watched his videos on his YouTube channel. When I saw that the Ultimate Brain for Notion workspace was for sale, I jumped on the opportunity and I didn't regret buying it.
First off I would like to cover the cost, which is quite steep and not for everyone, but if you are looking for structuring your life with extreme details and easy of use (for the casual user), then The Ultimate Brain for Notion is the best Notion workspace out there.
The main and most compelling feature of this product is the mind-boggling amount of details available for every function. Want to add a task? The properties you will fill up will set the your task precisely where you need and the advanced formulae will take care of the recurring procedure, which is not natively implemented in Notion and must be scripted. Want to add a note? The Ultimate Brain for Notion has your aspects covered.
Not only that, but the Ultimate Brain for Notion team and community are constantly adding and sharing new features. The Ultimate Brain for Notion team has recently added a tutorial on how to add a student hub and how to edit the templates to adjust them (or duplicate and make new ones) specifically for students - which was a big point for me, since I am a university student myself and I require to structure my education, semesters, courses and notebooks.
While I can keep on praising the Ultimate Brain for Notion, I want to say that if you are a beginner in Notion, this workspace can look VERY confusing. Don't fret! After purchasing the template, you get an invite to the Ultimate Brain for Notion community, which not only contains detailed tutorials to how to set up and use this workspace, but also contains a large and helpful community who are always ready to answer any questions. If you are more of a visual person and still want to find answers, then each tutorial contains links to Thomas Frank's detailed YouTube explanations videos.
Lastly, I want to talk about the Ultimate Brain for Notion AND the Creators Hub workspace, which Thomas Frank uses when working on his content creation projects. When buying the Ultimate Brain for Notion from GumRoad (as I experienced it), I only had the option to purchase the Ultimate Brain for Notion workspace, which did not include the Content Creation workspace addition. I would have liked the option to consider purchasing the ENTIRE workspace in one goal instead of being told about it in the welcome "thank you for purchasing our template" mail.
To sum it up, I am a big fan of the Ultimate Brain for Notion workspace. I believe that the steep price attached to this workspace is worth it, especially due to the multiple of complex scripts that manage various parts of the workspace such as recurring tasks.
I believe that the Ultimate Brain for Notion is a great option for beginner and intermediate users who are familiar with Notion and know what they want to do, but are not at the level of proficiency to implement the variety of advanced scripts akin to the ones running in this template.
I think that if you are an absolute beginner to Notion, then you should get familiar with how this tool works before buying this top-quality product, as it will feel more confusing and maybe overwhelming to use.
At first I was hesitant to get the template. It seemed super useful but I thought I could do something similar myself. However, seeing the level of thought that went into it made me realise I’d be saving weeks of work for a very low price. I bought it and it’s been incredible so far! I especially love the book tracker and how it can be linked to the other resources.
