Managing our work lives with digital tools? Easy. Productivity apps? Everywhere.

But managing our personal lives? That was a whole different story.

Between grocery lists jotted on fridge magnets, sticky notes left on tables, and plans discussed but quickly forgotten, our personal life often felt like a chaotic whirlwind. Despite both of us being heavy users of Notion for work (me as a product manager and her as a PhD student), and paying for Notion AI as part of my job, our personal organization was still…well, messy.

We’ve long been fans of Notion for managing our relationship and even went viral for it once, with our blog being featured in places like Morning Brew. But we realized that Notion AI might be the missing piece to elevate what we’d already built in our relationship journal. So, we decided to go into an exploratory phase, wondering:

What problems in our daily lives could Notion AI solve for us as a couple?

The result? Let’s just say it’s drastically changed our lives. Here are the top three ways Notion AI has made our relationship journal more powerful, efficient, and (dare I say) fun.

1. Date Nights: No More “What Do You Want to Do?” Loops

If you’ve ever been stuck in the infinite question loop of “What do you want to do tonight?”, you’ll understand the frustration of indecisive date nights. This was a regular occurrence for us, especially on Friday evenings.

We decided to bring Notion AI into the mix. Using our journal, where we already tracked favorite date nights and NYC activities, we built a Date Night Brainstorm page. The page uses a prompt to consider our preferences, past activities, and even restaurant recommendations nearby to suggest an itinerary.

Does it always nail it? Not quite. About 70-80% of the time, it generates great suggestions—sometimes even creative ideas we wouldn’t have thought of ourselves. And while it’s not perfect (no AI is), it takes the burden of planning away. Now, instead of endless discussions, we have a ready-made itinerary waiting for us, making date nights smooth, exciting, and much less stressful.

2. Trip Planning: Our New Travel Assistant

Trip planning used to be a big deal in our relationship. My partner is known for meticulously detailed itineraries, but now we joke that Notion AI has taken her job.

We built two key tools in our template: a Trip Brainstorming page and a Trip Planning page. The Brainstorming page asks us questions like:

• How many days are we traveling?
• What kind of trip are we feeling—outdoorsy, cultural, or relaxed?
• Do we have specific destinations or regions in mind?

Notion AI then processes our inputs and suggests five or six destinations tailored to our preferences. It’s incredibly helpful for narrowing down options.

The Planning page is where the magic happens. Based on our chosen destination and travel dates, Notion AI:

• Generates a detailed daily itinerary, down to the hour.
• Researches the top destinations and activities in the area.
• Creates a customized packing list, categorized by type and quantity.
• Outputs a checklist of next steps, such as bookings, reservations, and tickets.

It’s taken the mental load of planning off our shoulders and made trips smoother than ever. While we joke about how it’s replaced my partner’s role as the “itinerary queen,” it’s also made travel a lot more fun and collaborative for us.

3. Household Management: Meal Planning Made Easy

When we first created our relationship journal in 2020, we were newly dating, focused on things like defining our values and planning fun date nights. Fast-forward to today, we’re married, and our lives now involve managing a home together. Enter the Household Page, the newest addition to our journal, and the Notion AI feature that’s been a game-changer: the Recipe Ideation page.

Here’s how it works: We input things like:

• Ingredients we have at home
• Calorie and macro targets
• Number of servings
• Dietary restrictions or preferences

Notion AI generates a list of recipes complete with ingredients and instructions. These recipes feed into a Recipe Book that we maintain, making Sunday meal planning a breeze. We tag recipes to specific days of the week, eliminating the stress of deciding what to cook during our busy workweeks. This small change has made our lives significantly more productive and keeps us on track with our health goals.

Other Fun Ways We Use Notion AI

While these three pages have had the biggest impact, we’ve also added some smaller, fun features that we enjoy daily:

• Netflix Recommendations based on what we’ve previously watched.
• Book and Podcast Suggestions tailored to our shared interests.
• A daily Question of the Day to spark meaningful or humorous conversations.

These little touches have added even more joy to our routine.

Wrapping It Up

Notion AI has fundamentally changed how we manage our life together. By taking the mental load off tasks like trip planning, meal prep, and even date night brainstorming, it’s given us more time and space to focus on what matters most: each other.

That said, it’s worth mentioning that Notion AI costs an additional $10 per month. If you already use Notion heavily in your workflow, it’s an easy recommendation—it seamlessly enhances what you’re already doing. But it’s definitely a consideration if you’re thinking of adding yet another subscription to your life.

If you’re already using Notion AI or curious about its potential, I’d encourage you to try maintaining a relationship journal like ours. It’s a small but transformative way to bring clarity, organization, and intentionality to your personal life.

And if you’re interested in trying out the template we’ve built, feel free to check it out. If it doesn’t work for you, we’ll be happy to issue a refund—no hard feelings.

Thank you for reading and for supporting us through these years. Here’s to growing and thriving together.

Cheers!