Sandra Halling
order from chaos
Hi, I'm Sandra.
I work with people to leverage Notion, a compelling and beautifully designed all-in-one application that can help you:
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organize & manage your life, business, and team
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develop connected resources for studies, thought leadership, collaboration, or research
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define, implement, and execute process (from the simple to the complex, home and business alike)
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prioritize what matters most & actually make progress on those goals that seem to elude you
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start finishing your professional & creative projects
Our summer schedule
is filling up quickly!
About ME
For 15+ years I've designed, implemented, and consulted on complex systems for corporate clients.
I was searching for a new solution to track the insane amount of information I was responsible for (a replacement for OneNote to be exact) when I discovered Notion.
I tried Roam and Coda, and several other systems, but I do NOT feel like opening them on a Saturday morning.
[What makes Notion so different is rather simple: it's fun to learn and use.]
With Notion, the experience is totally different.
And my willingness to open it on a weekend changes everything.
It means I'm tracking sourdough bread hydration along with coaching client notes AND IT STAYS ORGANIZED.
So, Why me?
Notion is a system based cross referenced information. You will find a lot of structured thinking and linear approaches to implementing it.
(This is despite the fact that it's more like a pivot table than a boring old spreadsheet, but I digress...)
With structure sometimes often times comes a lot of rules for how you should use it or should run your life/business. And I cannot abide by too much structure.
[ I help clients create just enough structure—enough to thrive & allow creativity to flow. ]
Coaching + Consulting
I'm a coach first and a consultant second.
That means we look at your mindset and what your purpose for using Notion is, and design from there.
Recommendations come within the context of the path you're creating—not based of solely what worked for me, but what we collaboratively suspect may work for you.
Compassionate Project Planning + Approach to Goals
I'm committed to helping others embrace a compassionate approach to "project planning".
Project planning is actually just a way of creating a future you're excited about. But we do it without angst and self criticism, and without forcing things that aren't ready to be forced.
In sum, when you combine my love of systems, years of entrepreneurship working for corporate clients, my coaching inclinations, and my sense of humor—you get a wildly different experience than you will elsewhere.
Why Notion
Because it is truly life & business altering.
Because we have the best community support & camaraderie.
Because it is the best part of many other programs, all rolled into one, and API isn't even out yet.
[Which means it's only going to get better from here. ]
NOTION OVERWHELM
If you're on the fence and wondering if Notion might be "too much" for you, take heart.
When I first looked at Notion, I dismissed it as the right solution too.
The flexibility was overwhelming. The idea of setting up my own system was daunting on top of my full-load of consulting work. However...
[Everyone feels a little overwhelmed looking at Notion in the beginning. It's totally normal.]
Overwhelm does NOT mean Notion is a bad fit for you.
It means your mind is trying to map out the exact path for implementing it to manage your projects, including every possible option for table views, filters, and dashboards + collaboration with your team, family, and community groups, all at once.
Free advice? Breathe a little.
[The good news: You don't have to do it all at once, and you don't have to go it alone.]
The Right Support
It was a good thing that I waited to dive into Notion when I had some time to focus.
I encourage everyone to do that because Notion can take on a life of its own once you realize how easy it is to adjust to your needs.
And the process & setup are both critical to getting the most out of Notion.
To get maximum ROI on your time and energy learning a new system & transitioning, it is also worth considering that... a little support can make all the difference.
[ Entrepreneurs: No more gold stars for "figuring things out." It's time for some strategic support. ]
Strategy for Notion Templates
For most entrepreneurial clients, creative or otherwise, we're mixing strategy & project planning into the system design.
This is critical because your workflow is impacted by the tools you use, and vice versa.
[ Adding another Notion template without a clear methodology will create a confusing mess in your daily flow. ]
Adding another Notion template with a too rigid methodology for how you actually work is worse.
You'll end up thinking you're behind, feeling frustrated, and wanting to blame Notion.
The same goes for the templates that are beautiful and time-consuming to maintain. Just. Say. No.
My Approach
With the endless flexibility of pages and tables in Notion, it is important to approach configuration with intention.
It's also important to distinguish between the tool or system (Notion) and the process you apply (your methodology).
This where I can help the most, especially if you find most "productivity systems" overwhelming, stifling, and b-o-r-i-n-g.
In fact, I think "productivity system" is a terrible phrase.
This is NOT about your accomplishments.
[ Your accomplishments DO NOT equate to your self-worth. ]
This is about living a life that has meaning to you in an ever-increasingly remote & digital age.
If you think calendars should be optional and prefer mindmaps to spreadsheets, you're in the right place + I can help you leverage Notion.
SIMPLICITY IN DESIGN
Despite what some of the YouTube videos might lead you to believe, you can get a lot from Notion without a complex set up.
I can help you pick the right mix of templates, resources and talk through various methodologies to develop an approach designed especially for you.
[ Together, we design a process and the system to work well for you, the way you work. ]
You benefit from my 20+ years of experience in:
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system design
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marketing, proposals, and CRM
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process development and automation
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productivity / life / business coaching
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corporate facilitation / consulting
In other words, I can help you strategize on OKRs, Agile project planning, GTD, and Momentum Planning while we're at it—if that's your thing.
And if not, we'll design by how you want to feel at the end of the day.
That's actually the whole point of Agile when you get down to it. No more digression...
Notion for
Coaches & Creatives
You're running a transformational or creative business. You've gotten some traction, but the enormity of marketing and technology required to run your business feels daunting at times.
You may have figured some of it out, but it isn't running as smoothly as you'd like, or you might even be doing everything manually.
Your business is meant to serve you, not the other way around. If you're waking up every day unsure of your next move or drowning in notebooks full of brilliant ideas but with no clear path forward, we should talk.
Notion for
Entrepreneurs & Small Teams
You run (or are part) of a service-based business or a small team. Managing multiple, concurrent, intense deadlines is your everyday life.
You might be at a point of growth, and wanting to smooth your internal SOP and team onboarding process before it gets unwieldy.
Or, you might have some annoying challenges that were NBD in the beginning but are starting to slow you down and be true hurdles. Things like searching for the same information repeatedly, or not having clear procedures in place for regular tasks.
Notion is great at streamlining process and endlessly flexible when it comes to collaborating. Let's get a strategy session on the books.
NotioN for
Professionals & Individuals
Modern life is complex—we're all inundated with information, resources, and other people's priorities.
Perhaps you need to better manage information for work, but your process (or the way you think) doesn't quite fit into the systems provided by your employer.
You might have personal projects or hobbies that include complex details, or maybe the unsexy-bits of life maintenance are dragging you down (aka, it feels like it never ends).
Whether it's managing your bills, tracking recipes, or staying on top of life, or developing your notes for your next work presentation, Notion can help. Book a strategy session to learn more.
