How to turn emails into tasks in Notion (+ free template)
Managing daily tasks can be a challenge, and when you add following up on emails to the mix, things can quickly become overwhelming.
Should tasks and emails really be managed in separate tools? Since emails often contain actionable to-dos, it makes sense to consolidate both within one system. If you already use Notion for task management, you're likely looking for a way to seamlessly integrate emails into Notion.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to manage emails as tasks in Notion, allowing you to streamline your workflow and keep track of all your action items in a single Notion database. Whether you're new to Notion task management or looking for a way to convert emails into Notion tasks, this post will walk you through the process. Plus, we’re offering a free Notion to-do list template to help you get started.
Let’s dive in and learn how to take control of your inbox-driven tasks in Notion!
Why manage emails as tasks in Notion
Your inbox is often filled with important tasks, reminders, and action items. But while email is great for communication, it’s not the best tool for task management. With emails constantly coming in, it’s easy to overlook important tasks or forget to follow up.
That’s where Notion comes in. It allows you to centralize all your projects, tasks, and deadlines in one place. By integrating emails into Notion, you can track all your to-dos from a single platform and eliminate the need to switch between your inbox and your task management tool.
Here are three key benefits of managing emails as tasks in Notion:
- Centralized Task Management - Store all your tasks, including those from emails, in a single, organized space.
- Increased Productivity - Use Notion’s organizational features like tags, priorities, and custom views to organize and manage tasks efficiently.
- Reduced Overwhelm - Route actionable emails to Notion instead of cluttering your inbox.
By the end of this post, you’ll see how easy it is to integrate emails into Notion and use its powerful task management features to stay organized and boost your productivity.
Setting up Notion for task (and Email) management
Before you can start managing emails as tasks in Notion, you need a solid Notion task management system.
If you already have your own task management setup in place, feel free to skip this section—or read on for inspiration on how you can tweak your system to make it even more efficient.
If, at any point in the process, you have doubts about constructing the database or setting up a specific view, don’t worry—a free template is provided with this setup already built. You can use it as-is or copy the elements that interest you into your own database.
1. Create a task database
Your Notion task database will be the core of your system—where you’ll track everything, from emails that need follow-up to your general to-dos.
- Open Notion and create a new page.
- Add a database by creating a new block "Database - Inline."
- Choose "New Table" and name it something like “Task Database.”
2. Customize your task properties
Once you have your task database set up, it’s time to customize it to fit your specific needs. Here are a few key properties you should include:
- Task Name – Automatically included.
- Priority – A select property (High, Medium, Low).
- Tags – Multi-select (e.g., Sales, Admin, Recruitment).
- Date – Start date to plan when to work on a task.
- Done – Checkbox to track completed tasks.
3. Create task views for better organization
One of Notion’s biggest strengths is its ability to create custom views for your task database. These help you stay focused and organized, ensuring that you can prioritize tasks effectively.To create a view, simply click on the "+" button at the top of your main database view. Here are some useful views to consider creating:
- Inbox View: Captures all newly added tasks, including your incoming emails. This view filters tasks that have no tags or priority assigned yet (and are not marked as done).
- Today’s Tasks View: Focuses on tasks scheduled for today. Use a filter to show only items with today’s (or an earlier) date, sorted by urgency.
- All Tasks To-Do View: Displays all incomplete tasks, including email tasks and manually added ones. Sorting by priority and date ensures that the most critical tasks are the most visible.
- All Tasks View: This comprehensive view includes every task, both completed and pending, serving as a master list.
How to integrate emails into Notion
Now that your Notion task management system is set up, it’s time to integrate your emails into Notion using Slap, a tool that seamlessly syncs your inbox with Notion.
- Go to getslap.co and create your account.
- Create a new Email-to-Notion Sync
- Name your sync.
- Choose the Notion database where your emails should be routed (the one we built in the previous section).
- Connect your mailbox
- Select the mailbox you want to sync with Notion.
- Set Email Filters
- Choose which emails should be sent to Notion. I recommend routing only emails that you will label as “To do” for example.
- Test the Sync
- Label an email and check if it appears in your Notion database.
Once set up, emails will automatically appear in Notion along with your other tasks.
How to use the free Notion task and email management template
Here’s the link to the Free Notion To-Do List Template, ideal for managing tasks in Notion. Now, let’s go through how to use it effectively.
Inbox view
This is your starting point. All manually created tasks, as well as emails labeled as tasks, will appear here. Review this list daily and assign tags, priorities, and dates to organize your tasks. Once a task is categorized, it will automatically disappear from the inbox view.
Today’s tasks
Each morning, review this list to plan your day. Compare planned tasks with high-priority tasks in the backlog and assign today’s date to the most critical ones. If a task originates from an email, you can see the email’s content in the comments section and even reply directly from Notion. Clicking the email link will take you back to your mailbox.
All tasks to-do
Review this view weekly to reorder priorities. Some tasks may become obsolete or require reassessment. Keeping this list updated ensures a clean, focused backlog of actionable tasks.
Conclusion: Take control of your emails and treat them as tasks
Integrating emails into Notion is a game-changer for task management. By setting up a Notion task database and using Slap to seamlessly sync actionable emails, you can convert emails into Notion tasks and manage everything from one centralized workspace.
Try out this setup, explore the Notion email integration, and take control of your inbox-driven tasks—so you can spend less time managing emails and more time getting things done!