Notion Knowledge Management Patterns

This skill extends knowledge-manager with Notion-specific implementations of SECI phases, PARA organization, CODE workflow, and native Notion architecture patterns.

Prerequisites

• knowledge-manager plugin installed (provides theoretical foundation)
• Notion workspace access
• Understanding of SECI model (load seci-grai skill if needed)

SECI Phases in Notion

Socialization (Tacit → Tacit)

Goal: Share tacit knowledge through shared experience in Notion.

Notion Features:

• Real-time collaboration (multiple cursors)
• Comments and discussions
• @mentions for expertise location
• Page sharing and permissions

Patterns:

1. Collaborative Exploration Pages

   Create temporary "Exploration: [Topic]" pages
   - Invite collaborators
   - Add initial observations loosely
   - Use comments for side discussions
   - Delete after insights captured elsewhere
   

2. Team Wiki with Open Editing

   Shared space with low barrier to contribute
   - Anyone can add observations
   - Comments surface tacit disagreements
   - @mentions bring in domain experts
   

3. Meeting Notes as Socialization

   Live collaborative notes during discussions
   - Capture emerging shared understanding
   - Use callouts for key insights
   - Tag action items inline
   

GRAI Field: Socialization H→M achieved through iterative prompting with Notion content as context.

Externalization (Tacit → Explicit)

Goal: Convert tacit understanding into structured Notion pages.

Notion Features:

• Page templates
• Database properties
• Block types (callouts, toggles, code)
• Headings and structure

Patterns:

1. Template-Driven Capture

   ## Concept Template
   - **What it is:** [Definition]
   - **Why it matters:** [Rationale]
   - **How it works:** [Mechanism]
   - **Examples:** [Concrete illustrations]
   - **Related to:** [Links to other pages]
   

2. Progressive Formalization

   Stage 1: Bullet points (quick capture)
   Stage 2: Paragraphs (expand ideas)
   Stage 3: Sections with headings (structure)
   Stage 4: Templates and properties (formalize)
   

3. Database-as-Glossary

   Create "Concepts" database with:
   - Name (title)
   - Definition (text)
   - Category (select)
   - Related Concepts (relation)
   - Status (Draft/Review/Published)
   - Owner (person)
   

GRAI Field: Externalization M→H achieved when AI structures informal notes into Notion format.

Combination (Explicit → Explicit)

Goal: Synthesize and organize explicit knowledge using Notion's database power.

Notion Features:

• Database relations
• Rollups
• Linked database views
• Filters and sorts
• Formulas

Patterns:

1. Hub Database Pattern

   Central "Knowledge Base" database
   ├── Related: Projects (what uses this)
   ├── Related: Sources (where it came from)
   ├── Related: People (who knows this)
   └── Views:
       ├── By Category (board)
       ├── By Status (table)
       ├── Recent (sorted list)
       └── Gaps (filtered: needs review)
   

2. Synthesis Pages

   Create pages that combine multiple sources:
   - Linked database view of related items
   - Narrative connecting the pieces
   - Callouts for key insights
   - Gap identification section
   

3. Cross-Reference Views

   On any knowledge page, add:
   - "Related Knowledge" linked database
   - Filter: Related Concepts contains [this page]
   - Shows everything connected to current topic
   

GRAI Field: Combination M→H achieved when AI synthesizes multiple Notion pages into unified content.

Internalization (Explicit → Tacit)

Goal: Convert Notion documentation into embodied capability through practice.

Notion Features:

• Toggle blocks (reveal/hide)
• Checkboxes
• Synced blocks
• Embedded content

Patterns:

1. Progressive Disclosure Learning

   > 💡 **Question:** What are the four SECI phases?
   
   <toggle>
   **Answer:**
   1. Socialization (Tacit → Tacit)
   2. Externalization (Tacit → Explicit)
   3. Combination (Explicit → Explicit)
   4. Internalization (Explicit → Tacit)
   </toggle>
   

2. Practice Checklists

   ## Practice: [Topic]
   
   ### Prerequisites
   - [ ] Read: [Link to concept page]
   - [ ] Understand: [Key principle]
   
   ### Exercise
   - [ ] Step 1: [Action]
   - [ ] Step 2: [Action]
   - [ ] Step 3: [Action]
   
   ### Reflection
   - What worked well?
   - What was confusing?
   - How would you apply this?
   

3. Annotated Examples

   Real-world walkthrough with:
   - Step-by-step with callouts explaining "why"
   - Common mistakes highlighted
   - Links to reference material
   - Space for personal notes
   

GRAI Field: Internalization M→H achieved when AI generates practice exercises from Notion docs.

PARA Organization in Notion

Organize SECI outputs using PARA structure:

Projects Database

Properties:
- Name (title)
- Status (Not Started/Active/Complete/On Hold)
- Deadline (date)
- Area (relation → Areas)
- Tasks (relation → Tasks)
- Notes (relation → Resources)

Areas Database

Properties:
- Name (title)
- Description (text)
- Projects (relation → Projects)
- Resources (relation → Resources)
- Owner (person)

Resources Database

Properties:
- Name (title)
- Type (Concept/Process/Reference/Template)
- Topics (multi-select)
- Related (relation → self)
- Source (URL)
- SECI Phase (select: S/E/C/I)

Archive View

Filter: Status = "Archived" OR
        Last Edited > 90 days ago
Sort: Last Edited (descending)

PARA ↔ SECI Mapping

PARA	Primary SECI Output
Projects	Internalization artifacts (applied knowledge)
Areas	Combination artifacts (organized domains)
Resources	Externalization artifacts (captured concepts)
Archives	Historical combination (preserved knowledge)

CODE Workflow in Notion

Capture

Inbox database for quick capture:

Properties:
- Content (title)
- Source (URL/text)
- Captured (date, auto)
- Processed (checkbox)
- Destination (relation → Resources)

Quick capture template:

## Quick Capture
**Source:**
**Key insight:**
**Why it matters:**
**Process to:** [Projects/Areas/Resources/Archive]

Organize

Weekly review process:

1. Filter Inbox: Processed = false
2. For each item:
   • Decide: Project, Area, Resource, or Archive?
   • Create/link to appropriate database
   • Mark as processed
3. Review Resources for consolidation opportunities

Distill

Progressive summarization in Notion:

Layer 1: Full capture (original content)
Layer 2: Bold key passages
Layer 3: Highlight within bold
Layer 4: Executive summary at top

Use callouts for each layer:

> 📌 **Summary:** [Layer 4 - one sentence]

> 💡 **Key Points:** [Layer 3 - highlights]
<toggle>Full content with Layer 2 bolding...</toggle>

Express

Output templates:

• Blog post template
• Decision document
• Project brief
• Knowledge share presentation

Notion-Native Patterns

Database Architecture

Hub & Spoke Pattern:

         ┌─── Tasks
         │
Knowledge ───┼─── Projects
   Hub       │
         └─── People

Master Database Pattern:

One "Everything" database with:
- Type property (Task/Note/Project/Resource)
- Filtered views for each type
- Single source of truth

Views as Perspectives

Create multiple views of same data:

View Type	Use For
Table	Bulk editing, data entry
Board	Workflow/status management
Calendar	Time-based planning
Gallery	Visual browsing
List	Simple scanning
Timeline	Project planning

Synced Blocks

Use synced blocks for:

• Standard definitions (sync to multiple pages)
• Status updates (single source, multiple dashboards)
• Templates that need global updates

Template Buttons

Create template buttons for:

• New concept capture
• Meeting notes
• Project kickoff
• Weekly review

Workflow Recommendations

Daily Capture

1. Inbox captures throughout day
2. Quick processing at end of day
3. Link to relevant Projects/Areas

Weekly Review

1. Process all inbox items
2. Review active Projects status
3. Update Areas dashboards
4. Archive completed items

Monthly Synthesis

1. Review Resources for patterns
2. Create synthesis documents
3. Update knowledge graph relations
4. Identify gaps

Integration with knowledge-manager

This skill complements knowledge-manager's theoretical foundation:

knowledge-manager	km-notion
SECI theory	Notion implementation
Ba contexts	Notion collaboration features
Knowledge assets	PARA organization
Phase transitions	CODE workflow

Use knowledge-manager skills for "why" and this skill for "how in Notion".

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed patterns and templates:

• references/para-implementation.md - Complete PARA setup in Notion
• references/database-patterns.md - Advanced database architectures
• references/templates.md - Ready-to-use Notion templates