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How to Create Effective OKRs in Notion: A Step-by-Step Guide
By: Ryan Malaluan; Editor: Geram Lompon
Picture this: your team sets ambitious, inspiring goals, and everyone is fired up to achieve them. But as the days go by, you notice updates are scattered, and the initial enthusiasm fades. Does this sound familiar?
This is where the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework shines. It’s an approach that aligns and helps you manage tasks with broader goals, keeping everyone on track and motivated.
But how can you manage OKRs efficiently and make them visible to the whole team? That’s where Notion comes in.
Imagine having a fully customizable OKR template right within Notion. With a few easy steps, you can create an OKR database, monitor progress, and personalize views to keep things relevant for each team member. Objectives become actionable steps toward success right at everyone’s fingertips.
Let’s explore this guide to creating and managing OKRs in Notion. With it, you’ll have a flexible, transparent system to keep your team’s goals organized and achievable.
Feeling buried under deadlines, meetings, and tasks?
Notion helps you regain control by bringing everything into one place, tailored to how you work best.
Whether it's creating custom lists, boards, or a streamlined layout, you can set priorities, drag-and-drop tasks, and embed everything from notes to videos.
Track progress, hit milestones, and sync your calendars effortlessly—so you stay organized and on top of your projects (and your life), no matter where you are.
What is an OKR Framework?
OKRs, short for Objectives and Key Results, are a goal-setting framework designed to help teams set clear, measurable goals and track progress over time.
Think of it like this: an Objective is your ultimate destination, while Key Results are the measurable steps you take to get there.
When used effectively, OKRs turn goal-setting into a clear roadmap, keeping team members engaged and accountable.
By managing OKRs in Notion, you centralize the system, fostering transparency, collaboration, and continuous progress tracking.
Why Use Notion to Set Up OKRs?
Setting up OKRs effectively keeps your team aligned, focused, and motivated. Here’s why Notion makes OKR management accessible and efficient:
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Clarity on Goals: OKRs provide clarity on the team’s purpose and direction, helping everyone stay on the same page.
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Measurable Progress: Each Key Result defines measurable outcomes, making tracking progress easy and enabling adjustments as needed.
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Increased Accountability: Notion’s transparency promotes real-time accountability, with everyone able to see and update progress.
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Focused and Clear Priorities: Defining OKRs by time period, such as quarterly objectives, helps teams zero in on high-priority goals throughout the OKR cycle.
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Flexible Collaboration: Notion’s versatile structure lets any team member update and track OKRs, boosting collaboration.
Using Notion for OKRs is not only practical—it’s an ideal solution for teams looking to build a centralized, adaptable system with a customizable OKR Notion template. Let’s explore each step to making your OKRs in Notion a success.
Step-by-Step Guide: Creating OKRs in Notion
Creating an OKR system in Notion is straightforward. Follow these steps to create a flexible, transparent system to drive your team’s goals.
Step 1: Define Your Goals – Add Objectives and Key Results
Start by clearly defining your Objectives and Key Results. This step creates the roadmap for your team, and you can leverage various OKR templates to get started quickly.
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Create a New Table: Go to your Notion workspace, type /table, and select “Table – Inline” to create a new table database.
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Name Your Table: Call it something descriptive like “Team OKRs” to set the tone.
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Add Objectives and Key Results:
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Label the first column “Objective” to define high-level goals.
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In the next column, add “Key Result” as a multi-select to list the measurable steps for each objective.
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Add “Team” and “Quarter” as properties to clarify which team is responsible and the timeline for achieving each Key Result.
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With this setup, you have a comprehensive layout connecting each Objective to its Key Results, responsible team, and timeline.
Step 2: Set the Foundation – Build Your OKR Database
Now, create a dedicated objectives database that acts as your team’s central hub for tracking and updating OKRs.
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Open Notion’s Main Menu: Hit the forward-slash (/) key, type “page,” and select it to add a new page.
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Name the Page: Label it something meaningful like “Company OKRs” or “Project OKRs.”
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Create and Customize: Type /table and choose “Table—Inline” to set up the main database. Add properties like “Objective” and “Key Result.”
This step creates a central hub, allowing team members to see and interact with OKRs in one place, making updates and tracking seamless.
Step 3: Customize for Clarity – Add Views and Filters
You can create multiple views to make the OKR database user-friendly and specific to each team.
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Add Relevant Views: Click “Add a View” at the top left of the table and select the type you prefer, like Board, Calendar, or Timeline.
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Name and Filter the View: For instance, name it “Engineering OKRs” or “Q1 Priorities” and use filters to focus on specific teams, quarters, or projects.
Creating these custom views enables each team member to see their most relevant OKRs without distraction, fostering focus and clarity.
Feeling buried under deadlines, meetings, and tasks?
Notion helps you regain control by bringing everything into one place, tailored to how you work best.
Whether it's creating custom lists, boards, or a streamlined layout, you can set priorities, drag-and-drop tasks, and embed everything from notes to videos.
Track progress, hit milestones, and sync your calendars effortlessly—so you stay organized and on top of your projects (and your life), no matter where you are.
Key Tips for Successful OKR Management in Notion
While setting up OKRs in Notion is simple, maintaining an effective system requires ongoing attention. Here are a few tips to keep your OKRs actionable and engaging:
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Clarity is Key: Ensure each Objective and Key Result is specific, measurable, and achievable. Vague goals lead to vague outcomes.
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Regular Updates: Review OKRs regularly to celebrate progress, adjust where needed, and keep the team aligned.
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Involve Your Team: For a stronger sense of ownership, involve everyone in setting and updating OKRs. Use Notion’s flexibility to create views tailored for each team or role, enhancing engagement and transparency.
Advanced Tips: Take Your OKR Tracking to the Next Level in Notion
Once you’ve set up your OKRs, you can enhance the system with these advanced techniques:
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Progress Tracking Formulas and Progress Bars: Add a formula column to calculate the percentage of each Key Result achieved, providing a quick visual indicator of progress.
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Linked Databases: Link the OKR database to other relevant Notion databases, like project timelines or meeting notes, to see updates directly connected to OKRs.
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Customized Dashboards: If your team is growing or your OKRs are complex, create personalized dashboards for each department. Personal dashboards can display only the most relevant OKRs, allowing each team member to track progress toward broader objectives.
These enhancements provide added functionality, making OKR tracking more insightful and aligned with your team’s goals.
Alternatives to Using Notion for OKR Tracking
While Notion is a powerful tool for OKRs, here are some alternatives that may better suit different needs:
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Airtable: Airtable offers a similar customizable database structure, making it an effective OKR software alternative with advanced tools for visualizing data in real-time dashboards.
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Asana: Asana includes a dedicated Goals feature for OKR management, and its automation options are great for regular progress updates.
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Weekdone: Weekdone is specifically designed for OKR tracking, including weekly check-ins and progress reports, making it ideal for teams with complex OKR structures.
These alternatives can offer specialized features, depending on what your team prioritizes for goal management.
Wrapping Up: My Experience with Creating OKRs in Notion
Using Notion to set up OKRs has transformed goal tracking from a challenge into an interactive, team-focused activity. With a centralized OKR system, custom views, and options for advanced tracking, Notion provides a flexible solution that scales as teams grow.
In my experience, Notion makes OKRs more than a set of targets—it turns them into actionable goals that each team member can access and engage with.
A solid OKR setup empowers your team to stay focused, accountable, and motivated, enhancing overall team performance. Notion offers everything you need to bring your goals to life, whether you’re new to OKRs or looking to enhance your goal-setting process.
Start for free and see how Notion can keep your team aligned and motivated.
Feeling buried under deadlines, meetings, and tasks?
Notion helps you regain control by bringing everything into one place, tailored to how you work best.
Whether it's creating custom lists, boards, or a streamlined layout, you can set priorities, drag-and-drop tasks, and embed everything from notes to videos.
Track progress, hit milestones, and sync your calendars effortlessly—so you stay organized and on top of your projects (and your life), no matter where you are.
Key Takeaways
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Centralized System: Notion centralizes OKRs, making tracking and updates accessible to the whole team.
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Custom Views: Personalize OKR tracking for each team or individual, promoting focus and efficiency.
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Ongoing Updates : Regularly review and adjust OKRs to keep the team aligned and motivated.
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Continuous Improvement: Experiment with features like progress formulas and linked databases for a dynamic OKR workspace.
With these best practices, you’re on your way to building an OKR setup in Notion that doesn’t just track goals but inspires your team to achieve them.
