For many years I yearned for the good old days of Microsoft Access. In 2003, I used this antiquated software to create an Investor Database at a startup investment firm. I knew just enough code (or Structured Query Language, in coder parlance) to stitch together a few disparate spreadsheets to create a lightweight CRM. But alas, unable to hold a candle to its heralded sibling (Excel), Access faded into irrelevance. And with its demise, went my ability to organize related bits of information, using links, tags, and queries.
A pokemon wiki?
Enter the Notion Pokedex. Somewhere, someone on the Internet decided that organizing all 809 Pokemon would be a good idea. And since categorizing Pokemon isn’t daunting enough, this database lets you filter and sort, mark your favorites, and even create your own teams. And it’s all enabled by the buzzy app du jour, Notion.
Notion (which answered my Microsoft Access prayers) is one of the many tools in the burgeoning “no-code” movement. The movement spans web/mobile design, payments, the cloud, data, and open-source software with one incredible result: putting insanely powerful tools into the hands of laypeople looking to create rad stuff.
This toolkit has been powering RadReads behind the scenes for the past year. You see it publicly with RadJobs, our Reading List, and my coaching dashboards; and privately where I track editorial ideas, our personal finances, and invoicing/accounting for RadReads. Hands down, a single app has boosted my creative output by 20%.
Sharing is Caring
No-code tools allow you to fire up beautifully designed sites and workflows in the matter of minutes. One of the easiest ways to get started is by creating a personal wiki (or database) of something you’re passionate about – books, restaurants, travel tips, album covers, mood boards, and, of course, Pokemons.
In the three-video tutorial below, you’ll learn how to fire-up your own personal wiki using the free Notion app and Web Clipper. It includes a step-by-step guide to:
And if you’re looking for more Notion-related guides, check out our Overview and Getting Started Video series. And head over to our private Slack channel where I’m answering any no-code related questions.