Let’s be real – the best word to describe my freelance brain lately? Sabog.
Not the “cute, quirky” sabog. I’m talking real sabog. The kind that makes you stare at a tracker for 15 minutes and still not know what to do first. The kind that turns “simple tasks” into overwhelming mountains. The kind that makes you feel like maybe… ikaw ‘yung problem.
Except I realized… maybe I’m not. Maybe it’s not even about me being lazy or disorganized. Maybe… it’s just the system I’ve been trying to force myself into.
Contents
🧠 When “Simple” Systems Still Don’t Work
For the past months, I’ve been trying to keep up with the workflow my client built. And to be fair, it is simple. It’s a Google Sheet with tabs for topics, stores, and weekly tasks. It works… for them.
But for me? It’s chaos.
I open the sheet and my brain freezes. I can’t immediately see what needs to be done. I don’t know which task to prioritize. I don’t feel confident suggesting next steps because, honestly, I don’t even know where to start.
And because I feel stuck… I end up doing nothing.
On top of that, the workload is shifting. More stores. More moving parts. More updates to the sheets. And now we need a new workflow video because the old one’s outdated. There’s a guided task sheet, but I still need to give input. And that’s where my creative brain shuts down.
It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I’m drowning in a system that wasn’t built for how my brain works.
🧭 Maybe the Problem Isn’t Me – Maybe It’s the Tool
That’s when it hit me: maybe I’m not broken. Maybe I just need a tool that works for how I think.
That’s how I landed on Notion.
I’ve seen people rave about it, but I never gave it a serious look. Bakit? Kasi feeling ko, “Ay, ang complicated n’yan. Wala akong time.” But now that I’m stuck in this endless cycle of confusion, I think it’s worth giving a shot.
So this is me—a sabog VA—learning Notion from zero. And I’m doing it publicly. Because if you’re reading this and feeling the same way, maybe this is the sign we both needed.
🧰 My Current Pain Points (a.k.a. Why I’m Doing This)
Before I start building anything, I needed to be brutally honest with myself. Here’s what’s not working:
❌ I don’t know which task to do first because everything feels scattered.
❌ I struggle to absorb information even from a “simple” tracker.
❌ I can’t plan or suggest next steps because I don’t have a clear picture.
❌ I need to build a new SOP soon, but I don’t even know how to organize it.
❌ I want a “one-click clarity” view — a dashboard where I instantly know what to do today.
And if you relate to even one of these, then you know how frustrating it is. It’s not about working harder. It’s about working smarter – with tools that actually support you.
✨ My Dream: One Dashboard to Rule Them All
Here’s the vision I have for myself (and maybe for you too):
✅ A single dashboard where I see all my tasks for the day.
✅ Clear links to the tabs or sheets I need, without jumping between 10 pages.
✅ An overview of all clients and projects in one place.
✅ A system that lets me think less and do more.
Basically: I want my freelance life to feel like a control center, not a scattered battlefield.
📅 The Plan: A Notion Series for Overwhelmed Freelancers
So here’s what I’m going to do. Over the next few weeks, I’ll share my Notion learning journey step by step — from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “Okay, this is actually helping.”
Here’s what’s coming next:
🧱 Part 2: The Only 3 Notion Basics Beginner Freelancers Need to Know
📁 Part 3: Building My First Task Manager (and How You Can Copy It)
🧰 Part 4: Creating a Client Dashboard That Makes Sense
🔌 Part 5: From Chaos to Clarity — My Final Workflow Setup
Each post will be simple, real, and honest – because I’m figuring it out right alongside you.
💡 If You’re Feeling Sabog Too…
If you’re nodding along to this blog because same, then you’re exactly who I’m writing this series for.
We don’t need to be productivity experts. We don’t need to have color-coded everything or complicated systems. What we need is a tool that adapts to us, and the courage to start, kahit hindi pa tayo magaling.
This is me, starting from scratch. And if you’re ready to stop living the sabog freelancer life too, then join me next Saturday as I learn the only 3 Notion basics beginners like us actually need.
Let’s build this system together — one block at a time. 💻✨
📦 About the Series
This post is part of The Frugal VA’s Notion Series — a step-by-step guide for beginner freelancers and VAs who want to build simple systems, organize client tasks, and finally say goodbye to the sabog life.
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links on this blog may be affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase or take an action through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I personally trust and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for supporting my blog!
No Responses