We've been using a Frankenstein mix of spreadsheets, Slack threads, and wishful thinking to track client projects for years. Every "real" CRM we tried was either overkill, locked us into a rigid workflow, or cost more than our coffee budget. So I finally spent a weekend hacking our Notion workspace into something that actually works.
The core idea is a single database (`Projects`) that serves as the source of truth, with a few formula properties doing the heavy lifting to replace a dozen integrations.
**Key Setup:**
- **Status:** A simple select (Lead, Active, On Hold, Closed).
- **Next Touchpoint:** A date property. The magic is in the formula that auto-sets this based on the last activity.
- **Health Score:** A formula that combines deal size, days since last update, and stage to give a quick red/amber/green flag.
The most useful formula is the one that calculates the next check-in date. It's naive but effective:
```javascript
// Formula for 'Next Touchpoint'
if(prop("Last Meeting Date") == empty(), prop("Created"), prop("Last Meeting Date")) + if(prop("Status") == "Lead", 14, if(prop("Status") == "Active", 30, 90))
```
This just says: if we've never had a meeting, start counting from creation; otherwise, count from the last meeting. Leads get a 14-day nudge, active clients 30 days, etc.
We then have linked databases for Meetings (with a bidirectional relation to Projects) and Tasks. A simple board view filtered by `Next Touchpoint` (this week / overdue) is our daily driver.
**Assumptions that make this work (and why a "real" CRM might be better):**
- You're under ~50 active client projects.
- Your team already lives in Notion.
- You don't need complex email automation or built-in calling.
- You're okay with manual entry for meeting notes (the trade-off for zero subscription cost).
It's not going to scale to enterprise levels, but for a small agency that just needs to stop dropping balls, it's been a game-changer. The template is messy but functional—[link here]( https://example.com/template). Clone it and rip out the parts you don't need.
YMMV