Notion is one of the most flexible tools you can use. Pages, docs, wikis and databases live in one place, and you can shape them into almost anything: client notes, proposals, content plans, and a task list on top. For a workspace you build to fit your business, it is a solid choice.
Next Moves Lab is not a workspace. There is nothing to build or keep up. You write down everything on your mind, and it hands you one task to do now, the reason it was picked, and a small first step.
The short version
- Notion is a solid pick if you want one place for docs, notes and tasks, and you enjoy building your own system.
- Next Moves Lab is the better fit if you work for yourself, your task board has grown into something you avoid, and you want to be told what to do next and why.
Side by side
Price
- Notion
- Free plan; Plus $10 per member a month billed yearly, or $12 billed monthly
- Next Moves Lab
- $9.99 a month, 30-day money-back guarantee
Main job
- Notion
- A workspace for docs, notes and databases
- Next Moves Lab
- Decide which task to do next
Setup
- Notion
- You build pages, databases and views
- Next Moves Lab
- None; you start by writing down what is on your mind
Who decides the order
- Notion
- You, with properties, filters and sorts
- Next Moves Lab
- It does, and shows you the reason
How the morning starts
- Notion
- You open your board and choose
- Next Moves Lab
- The first task is already waiting
What you see
- Notion
- The pages and views you built
- Next Moves Lab
- One task and a small first step; the rest waits in Later
When Notion is a solid choice
- You need docs as well as tasks. Client notes, proposals, meeting notes and a personal wiki all fit in Notion.
- You like to build. If designing your own system is part of the fun, Notion gives you more freedom than almost anything else.
Where Next Moves Lab wins
- No system to maintain. No databases, no properties, no templates to fix. You add tasks by typing, speaking, pasting, or adding a photo of your notes, and it turns them into tasks.
- It decides, not just displays. A good Notion view still leaves the choice to you. Next Moves Lab picks one task, says why, and gives you a first step of a couple of minutes. You can swap the pick.
- Your week has a point. Set one goal for the week, and tasks that move it rank first.
- Your rules are followed. Tell it "no calls before 10" or "admin on Fridays" once, and every plan respects it.
- A calmer day. At most three tasks are in play in a day. The rest wait in Later, with no limit, and only you remove a task.
- Follow-ups come to you. Finish a quote or an invoice and it suggests the follow-up. You tap Yes or No.
Using both
This works well. Keep Notion for what it does best: client docs, notes, proposals and your reference pages. Use Next Moves Lab for the daily question of what to work on. Copy the tasks that matter this week out of your Notion board and paste them in. Plain words are fine.
Common questions
Does it replace Notion?
For your to-do list, it can. For docs and notes, keep Notion, and let Next Moves Lab handle the question of what to do next.