If you’ve searched for a Notion content planner, you’ve probably noticed something frustrating — most templates only help you plan content.
They organize your posts, schedule your videos, track deadlines... and stop there.
But what about your personal goals, habits, or daily tasks?
Suddenly, you need another template. A life planner. A second brain.
And now you’re juggling two systems that don’t talk to each other.
You try merging them — databases clash, goals overlap, chaos begins.
Building from scratch? Even worse. Hours of setup and still not perfect.
Here’s the truth: creators don’t need another “content planner.”
They need a unified system that connects life and content — without clutter.
That’s why I transformed my Notion Second Brain into Creator Brain —
a complete system for managing your life and content journey in one place.
Let me show you how I built it
Why You Need a Notion Creator Planner — Creator Brain
Before we dive into how it works, here's why a unified Notion content planner combined with a life management system is essential:
Stop switching between multiple tools – Everything you need in one workspace: content, finances, goals, habits, projects
See the big picture – Understand how your content strategy connects to your life goals and income targets
Never miss a deadline – Track brand deals, sponsorships, and content schedules in one organized system
Build sustainable growth – Balance content creation with personal development, health, and life goals
Work smarter, not harder – Reuse assets, repurpose content, and maintain organized databases that save hours every week
Scale without chaos – As your creator business grows, your system grows with you without becoming overwhelming
How I Transformed My Second Brain Into Creator Brain
Step 1: Keep Everything You Already Have
First, I kept all the core life management systems from my Second Brain 6.0 template:
Tasks – Daily to-dos and action items
Habits – Good and bad habit tracking
Life Areas – Health, finance, relationships, career, etc.
Projects – Long-term projects with milestones
Goals – Quarterly and yearly objectives
Journaling – Daily reflection and logging
Books – Reading tracker
Resources – Useful links and tools
Notes – Second brain knowledge capture
These systems are the foundation. They work for everyone, whether you're a creator or not.
But here's the key insight: some of these databases can be related to content creation, while others remain purely personal. For example:
Goals – I might have a goal to "Reach 500K Instagram followers" (content-related) AND a goal to "Run a marathon" (personal)
Projects – I could have a project to "Launch my online course" (content) AND "Renovate my home office" (personal)
Tasks – Some tasks are content-related ("Edit YouTube video"), others aren't ("Buy groceries")
So I kept everything but added a system to connect certain items to content creation when needed.
Step 2: Add Profile Management (Optional but Powerful)
Not every creator needs this, but if you manage multiple brands or channels, this is a game-changer.
I created a Profiles Database where you can add different brands or creator identities. For example:
My main YouTube channel
My second YouTube channel
[Add Image: Profiles Database]
Later, when planning content, I can specify which profile I'm creating for. This keeps everything organized, especially if you're publishing across multiple accounts.
Step 3: Build the Social Media Platforms Database
Next, I created a database of all the social media platforms I use:
YouTube
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Twitter/X
Blog
Email Newsletter
Then I related each platform to the profiles I use. For example, if I have two Instagram profiles, I relate Instagram to both profiles. This creates a clear structure for where content will be published.
Step 4: Create the Advanced Content Planning Database
This is where the magic happens. The Content Planner is the heart of the system—a powerful, interconnected database that manages every piece of content you create.
Database Properties:
Title – Content name
Platform – Related to Social Media database (YouTube, Instagram, etc.)
Profile – Related to Profiles database (which brand/channel)
Publish Date – When it goes live
Status – Idea → Scripting → Editing → Ready to Publish → Published
Type – Post, YouTube Video, Short/Reel/TikTok, Email, Blog/Article
Thumbnail – File property for visuals
Related Tasks – Connection to Tasks database
Related Notes – Connection to Notes database
Related Resources/Assets – Connection to Assets database
Content Templates: Here's where it gets smart. I created ready-to-use templates for different content types:
YouTube Video Template – Automatically related to YouTube platform
Short/Reel/TikTok Template – Automatically related to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts
Blog Post Template – Related to Blog platform
Email Newsletter Template – Related to Email platform
Social Post Template – Choose your platform
When you select a template, the platform is pre-selected. All you do is add a title, publish date, and status. Done.
Overdue Formula: I built a formula that turns content red if the publish date has passed and the status isn't "Published." No more forgetting to publish or missing deadlines.
[Add Image: Overdue Content Highlighted in Red]
Gallery View: For visual content (especially thumbnails), I created a stunning gallery view that showcases all your content like a portfolio. It's perfect for reviewing what you've published and planning your visual brand consistency.
[Add Image: Gallery View of Content]
Step 5: Organize Content with Smart Views
I didn't just create one view—I built multiple perspectives to see your content from every angle:
By Category – Group content by type (videos, blogs, posts)
By Account/Profile – Filter content by which brand it's for
Content Ideas – Only show ideas that haven't been developed yet
This Week's Content – What needs to be created or published this week
This makes your Notion content creation planner incredibly flexible. You can view your content however makes sense for your workflow.
Step 6: Build the Money Place (Sponsorships & Affiliates)
As a creator, tracking income is crucial. I created what I call the Money Place—two databases in one page:
Sponsorships Database:
Sponsor Name
Contact Email
Deal Status – Pitching, Running, Completed, Cancelled
Payment Amount
Payment Status – Pending, Received
Number of Content Pieces Required
Payment Date
Start & End Date
Related Content – Link to specific content where you'll promote this sponsor
Views by Status:
Active Deals
Money Talk (negotiation stage)
Completed Deals
Cancelled Deals
[Add Image: Sponsorships Dashboard]
Affiliates Database:
Affiliate Name
Product URL
Product Price
Commission Percentage
Number of Sales
Total Commission – Auto-calculated formula (Price × Percentage × Sales)
Simple, clean, and you can see your affiliate income at a glance.
Advanced Integration: If you want to take this further, you can connect these databases to a Finance tracker template, just like how i did. I linked them to my Notion Finance Brain template, which tracks all income and expenses in one unified system.
But that's a more advanced setup for another tutorial.
Step 7: Create the Assets Library
Content creators need assets: LUTs, sound effects, stock footage, editing tools, templates, graphics, music tracks—the list goes on.
I built an Assets Database where you can save all these resources with:
Asset Name
Type – LUT, Sound Effect, Music, Graphic, Tool, etc.
URL/Link
Tags – For easy filtering
Related Content – Link to content where you used this asset
This way, when you're editing a video and need that specific LUT or sound effect, you know exactly where to find it. No more digging through folders or forgetting where you saved that perfect transition.
[Add Image: Assets Database]
Step 8: Add Product Management
Many creators sell digital or physical products—courses, presets, templates, merch, ebooks, coaching, etc.
I created a Products Database to manage everything you sell:
Product Name
Type – Digital Product, Physical Product, Course, Coaching
Price
Platform – Where you sell it (Gumroad, Shopify, Payhip, etc.)
Monthly Sales
Total Revenue – Auto-calculated
Related Content – Link content that promotes this product
This gives you a clear view of what's selling, what needs promotion, and how your products perform month over month.
[Add Image: Products Dashboard]
Step 9: Customize the Daily Tracker
One of my favorite features is the Mission Tracker—a page that automatically generates every day showing:
Tasks completed today
Content published today
Habits checked today
Journal logged – Yes/No
Daily Progress – Percentage of tasks done
And here's the best part: you can go back and check ANY day. Want to see your progress from last Tuesday? Click it. Want to review your entire last week? You can.
Every day has its own progress snapshot, which is incredibly motivating. You see your consistency building over time.
[Add Image: Mission Tracker Page]
Step 10: Build the Ultimate Dashboard
Now that all systems are built, I combined everything into one Master Dashboard—your command center.
Dashboard Sections:
Daily Tasks See today's to-dos at a glance (both content and personal tasks)
Daily Grind Content you need to work on or publish today
Habits Today's habit checklist
Journaling Quick access to today's journal entry
This Week Embedded views of:
Content Pipeline (this week)
Brand deal deadlines
Goals progress
Review Section
Content ideas that need review
Notes to revisit
Resources to check
Active sponsorships to monitor
Projects & Goals Current projects and quarterly goals you're working on
Quick Capture Buttons to instantly add:
New content idea
New task
New note
New asset
[Add Image: Master Dashboard]
Step 11: Create Three Specialized Dashboards
Here's where the system becomes truly powerful. I created three separate dashboards for different contexts:
1. Mobile Dashboard Designed for on-the-go access:
Capture content ideas instantly
Check daily tasks quickly
Quick view of today's schedule
Minimal clutter, maximum speed
Perfect for when inspiration strikes and you need to capture it before it's gone.
2. Life Dashboard This dashboard filters out ALL content-related items and shows only:
Personal tasks (not related to content)
Personal goals (like "Run a marathon")
Personal projects (like "Home renovation")
Life areas, habits, journaling, books
Content pages (Sponsorships, Affiliates, Content Planner) are hidden here. This is your personal life management space.
3. Content Dashboard The opposite of the Life Dashboard. This shows ONLY content-related items:
Content tasks (editing, filming, scripting)
Content goals (like "Reach 500K followers")
Content projects (like "Launch online course")
All content-specific pages (Planner, Sponsorships, Affiliates, Assets, Products)
Personal pages (Habits, Journaling, Books) are hidden here. This is your pure content business workspace.
Why This Matters: You can switch contexts instantly. When you're in "content creator mode," you see only content. When you're in "life mode," you focus on personal development. No mental clutter, no distractions—just what you need, when you need it.
The Result: A True Notion Creator Planner
What I've built is more than just a Notion content planner—it's a complete operating system for content creators.
And the best part? Everything is connected. Your goals relate to your projects. Your projects relate to your content. Your content relates to your sponsorships. Your tasks connect to your daily dashboard.
Build It Yourself or Get the Shortcut
Now you have the blueprint. You could absolutely build this system from scratch using the structure I've outlined.
But here's the reality: It took me months to perfect this. Testing different database structures. Building and rebuilding formulas. Creating views that actually work. Connecting everything seamlessly. Making it beautiful AND functional.
That's why I built Creator Brain 4.0.
It's the complete system I just described—pre-built, tested, and ready to duplicate into your Notion workspace in seconds.
