Hey friend,

I recently talked about what you need to know before hiring a Notion consultant.

This week, I want to dive deeper into the 6 essential skills to look for when hiring a Notion Consultant (or any service-based provider really), so you don’t waste money and time on the wrong person.

But before I get into it, a quick update…

I’ve published 46 issues of this newsletter and have enjoyed writing every one of them.

More importantly I’ve thoroughly enjoyed connecting with readers like you. The best part is getting replies in my inbox—Don’t be shy to hit reply! It’ll make my day.

As a productivity, Notion and personal development junkie, I’ve digested and put into action a heap of useful resources, articles, videos etc.

I try my best to share these noteworthy resources in each issue of my newsletter so coaches and consultants like yourself so you can also up your productivity game and grow your business (without overwhelm).

But sometimes it gets lost in the mix.

So for the next 1 to 2 months, I’ll be experimenting with a new hybrid approach to this newsletter with the goal to help you access and digest useful content, quickly.

Don’t worry, I’ll still be sharing my usual in-depth articles every 2 weeks.

I’ll just be alternating that with micro issues of the newsletter, and maybe even 2 micro issues a week (we’ll see).

The micro issues will short and to the point.

It’ll feature curated resources that are helpful, interesting and actionable from expert, and sometimes myself, in the realm of Notion and productivity, so you can unlock more time, productivity and peace of mind, in your business and life.

Now lets dive in.

The 5 Essential Skills to Look For in a Notion Consultant

Hiring a Notion consultant is about more than just Notion expertise.

It’s about finding someone you resonate with who also has the mission critical skills to guide you through the project from before you even hire them, all the way to handing over the Notion setup of your dreams.

Here are 5 essential skills to look out for:

1. Good Listener and Communicator

As much as I love using Notion to organise and manage my business and life, I’ll be the first to say Notion is not for everyone.

An effective Notion Consultant should take the time to ask you questions like these and then listen intently so they can make sure Notion is the right solution for you, and make it clear how it’ll actually help you.

• What does success look like?

• What’s problems are you trying to solve with Notion and why?

• What bottlenecks are you currently facing with your productivity, organisation or business?

• What have you tried to solve these problems?

Whether it’s explaining the setup process, training you on the best way to use the system, or troubleshooting issues, clear and effective communication is critical so you become confident in using your Notion setup as fast as possible.

The goal of a hiring a Notion consultant isn’t to have the perfect Notion setup.

It’s to implement systems and workflows that actually boost your productivity, give you more time freedom and make managing your business and life easier.

2. Systems Thinking

Notion is truly a blank slate.

Flexible and fully customizable to your needs.

It’s up to you (or the consultant) to build the workflows and systems in a digital workspace that works for you.

That means the Notion Consultant needs to be strategic and see the bigger picture:

What you need now to solve your productivity and organizational problems, but also what you’ll need in the future.

The goal is for you to have a system and digital workspace that can grow with you as you grow your business and evolve your life.

Designing a Notion setup that is streamlined and simple for you to use is near impossible without a system thinking approach.

3. Change Management

Here’s another truth bomb that people avoid: Change is hard.

Whether it’s learning to cook for the first time or becoming consistent with sharing content to attract clients…

Changing something about your life or business can be tough without help from someone who’s already been there.

A new Notion setup won’t magically make someone productive overnight.

But having guidance and support to help you adopt the new Notion setup as fast as possible so you can reap the productivity benefits makes things much easier.

So a good consultant is a change management pro, they’ll:

• Reduce the friction to change.

• Give you personalized recommendations to optimise how you use Notion.

• Help you adopt workflows that you can sustain in the long run (without burning out).

So you can get on with what you truly care about—growing your revenue, working with clients, halving the time you spend working so you have more time for life outside of work.

(By the way, if you’ve been thinking about getting some help with Notion to get organised and productive so you can hit the ground running in 2025, now is a great time to lock in a 1-on-1 strategy session or custom Notion workspace build and make it a tax write off for 2024—If that sounds good to you, reply to this email and I’ll be happy to help!)

4. Project Management

Building and designing a Notion setup that fits you like a glove needs careful planning and execution.

Think of getting a new Notion setup like implementing a new tool in your business—It’s a project that involves a few steps and careful management to get to the end goal successful.

Hiring a consultant who has the skills to effectively manage all the steps is essential to take you from project scoping all the way through to handover of the workspace and training.

5. Training and support

Notion is a complex tool.

Without training and support built into the project, it can feel like struggle to adopt Notion into your business.

For all my Notion workspace build projects, I always include training and support sessions. If needed, I’ll also offer a package of coaching sessions at the end of the project if I think the client will get value from it.

A skilled Notion Consultant will make using and learning Notion easy and stress-free.

They can meet you where you’re at in your Notion journey, and help you get the most out of Notion as quickly as possible.

The truth is, you don’t need to know or use every Notion feature… only the ones that will actually help you be more productive and organised.

After all, you’re not looking to become a Notion tool expert…

You’re looking for time freedom, peace of mind and eliminating workload overwhelm in your business and life.

From my experience, that means keeping your systems and workflows as simple as possible.

And getting the training and support to use it effectively.

That’s it for this week!

Thanks for reading.

What else do you look for when hiring a consultant?—I’m curious to hear, hit reply and let me know!

Have a great weekend!

Janice

(p.s. Don’t forget there are still a few weeks left to save on tax and lock in getting help with Notion so you can start off 2025 on the right foot with the right systems in place and kick overwhelm to the curb)

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