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What’s more fun than one killer productivity app? 2 killer apps working together – like Batman and Robin. And loaded with features, the Notion app is the ultimate Swiss-army knife. And since the much anticipated release of the Notion API, there has been a constant stream of awesome new Notion integrations. And don’t worry: thanks to a few native integrations (Slack, gSuite), a rich set of embeds and widgets and a growing list of services (like hosting and Kindle sync), you can easily use Notion integrations without knowing how to code.
1. The Notion API
Notion has released their API and therefore can now easily integrate with other apps through services like Zapier, IFTTT and Integromat. This significantly increases its flexibility and Notion’s ability to create complex workflows like it’s peers (like Evernote, Coda, Airtable and Asana).
So if you want to build your own integrations, just head on over to our Ultimate Guide to the Notion API. In our ultimate guide to Notion for business, we have a case study on how we automate our own business in Notion.
2. The Native Slack integration
Notion connects directly with Slack through a native (i.e. already built into the app) integration. After enabling the integration, you can connect specific Notion pages with a specified Slack channel. You’ll then receive alerts every time the page (or sub-page) is modified or a user adds a comment.
Here are step-by-step instructions for setting up the integration.
- Click Updates on the top right of any Notion page
- Select Connect Slack Channel
- Authenticate your Slack account
- Pick the Slack channel that will receive notification updates
But here’s a warning. This integration is still in it’s early days and be prepared for a lot of noise in your (newly linked) Slack channel. As Redditor RedKidney points out:
Be ready for it to spam literally every single change you make in the most verbose way possible.
3. Notion integration using embeds
The easiest way to bring other tools and apps into your Notion workspace is by using Notion’s built-in embed feature (and here’s our full Notion tutorial to get you going). Notion has pre-configured blocks to perfectly display content from the most popular apps listed below:
- Abstract
- CodePen
- Figma
- Framer
- GitHub
- Google Drive
- Google Maps
- InVision
- Loom
- Typeform
Notion also identifies most URLs and will embed them accordingly (and can support Image, File, Audio and PDF uploads). But sometimes you want to embed direct HTML code (such as a Mailchimp Sign-up Form or a Weather Widget). Notion Pro Red Gregory provides a great work-around to turn HTML into an embed-able link via the free HTML Save service.
4. Integrating Google Calendar
A supercharged Notion Dashboard isn’t complete without an integration with Google Calendar. Thankfully, it’s also possible to embed your Google Calendar to any Notion page using the following steps:
- Go to your gCal at calendar.google.com
- Scroll to Other Calendars at the bottom right and add a new one by hitting the plus sign
- Once you create the calendar, set the Access Permission Settings to Make available to public
- Scroll down to grab the Public URL to this calendar
- Paste that link into your Notion Page and… voila!
While you technically don’t need to create a new Google Calendar, it’s advisable because the calendar needs to be public and so you probably don’t want your entire life publicly available to the Internet.
5. The “Unofficial Notion API”
Notion has promised an official API as the next major milestone in their product roadmap. But it can’t come soon enough for Notion’s rabid fan base. And to accelerate the path towards more Notion Integrations, some forward-thinking hackers have taken matters into their own hands.
6. Create your own website using Notion
Notion’s clean design, easy-to-use databases and sharing capabilities make it a great place for sharing content publicly (as shown by our Notion template gallery). You currently can’t attach a Web Domain to a Notion page, but there are workarounds using the unofficial Notion API.
Shaan Puri who hosts the podcast My First Million took matters into his own hands to create the official podcast website using Notion. In his newsletter, Puri describes modifying Cloudflare’s DNS settings to proxy your domain to get around the “super ugly URL” (notion.so/0329483p2jlskdf230) and replacing it with www.myfirstmillionpodcast.com.
If hacking Cloudflare isn’t your thing, thankfully there are paid alternatives that do it for you including: No Code Pages, Super.so and Fruition.
7. Integrate your Kindle highlights with Readwise
For the bookworms looking to take detailed notes from their Kindle reading lists, Readwise.io has created its unofficial Notion Integration. The integration works like a charm, updating all of your highlights into a dedicated table while adding meta-data including book covers, author names and Amazon URLs. (You can even use Notion formulas to resurface your best ideas.) Here’s Readwise’s tutorial on how their Notion Integration works:
8. Create customized embeds
There’s a budding ecosystem of customized embeds and add-ons that can span a wide variety of use-cases. Notion Pro Carson Jones created Chili Pepper to add forms to capture email address into your Notion pages. Fellow Notion Pro William Nutt created Notion Charts to seamlessly integrate and update real-time data from Google Sheets. And Alex Madrzyk created Indify to add Notion widgets including Google Calendar, Weather, Life Progress Bar and Quotes to your pages.
9. Increasing your productivity in using Notion
If you’re looking to increase the speed in which you add, search and capture data into Notion (for example, in a GTD system) you’ve got a few tips and tricks at your disposal. For cross-platform (and cloud-based) search Command E will query your Notion pages. You can also integrate Notion into Alfred (courtesy of Kevin Jalbert). And finally, Notion Pro Tommy Barav hacks together the Notion Clipper, Google Chrome and Keyboard Maestro to build a Notion Quick Add feature.
Your learning journey continues with GTD using Notion.
