Notion has taken the productivity software world by storm. Since launching in 2016, it has amassed a staggering 20 million users as of September 2021 according to founder Ivan Zhao. To put that into perspective, it took pioneering tools like Dropbox and Slack about 6 years to hit that milestone.
So what explains this astounding growth?
Notion‘s versatile approach condenses the capabilities of separate tools like wikis, documents, spreadsheets, kanban boards, calendars and more into a single powerful workspace. Its flexibility enables both individuals and teams to customize it for their specific organizing and collaborating needs.
But with great flexibility comes great complexity. As workspaces grow to hold thousands of pages, documents, media files and databases, they become unwieldy. Manual processes start hindering productivity.
This is where automating repetitive tasks can help users and teams maintain order and get the most from this platform. Let‘s explore two Apify actors that simplify backing up and visualizing Notion workspaces.
Why Automate Backups for Notion?
As your Notion usage and data accumulates over weeks, months and years, comprehensive backups become critical. But manual exports are time-consuming and Notion‘s built-in 30-day history is limiting.
Surveys show over 60% of SMBs don‘t have adequate backup systems in place. The risks are real – 150,000 laptops are lost annually in US airports alone resulting in $2.1 billion in lost data. 31% of PC users have experienced data loss in the past 5 years.
Without regular automated backups, Notion users face threats like:
Accidental deletions – An errant keypress or misclick could wipe out days of work.
Sync failures – Internet issues while syncing may cause corruptions.
ransomware – Malware that encrypts all user data is on the rise.
Hacking – Stolen login details could enable malicious changes.
Hardware failures – Disk corruption can make data inaccessible.
Lost devices – Stolen or broken phones/laptops mean losing local data.
Non-compliance – Many regulations mandate long term backup retention.
The peace of mind automated Notion backups provide is invaluable:
Version history – Track workspace changes over time.
Quick recovery – Restore lost or damaged data instantly.
Access anywhere – Cloud backups available across all devices.
Data portability – Export in multiple formats like HTML, PDF, Markdown.
Ownership – You control backup frequency and storage location.
Compliance – Meet regulatory and audit demands effortlessly.
Clearly, regular automated Notion backups are essential for protection against data loss. Now let‘s see how to implement them using Notion Automatic Backup.
Notion Automatic Backup Tool Step-by-Step Tutorial
Notion Automatic Backup is an Apify actor that makes backing up your Notion workspaces a breeze. Just configure your account details, export options and schedule – the actor handles the rest automatically!
Follow these steps to start safeguarding your Notion data:
Access the Backup Actor
First, go to Notion Automatic Backup on Apify Store and click "Try for Free" to launch the actor. This will open it in the Apify Console where you can configure and run it.
Login or Sign Up
If you already have an Apify account, login to the console. Otherwise sign up quickly with your email, Google or GitHub. Apify is free to use with generous plan tiers for non-commercial use.
Configure Basic Inputs
On the actor page, you‘ll first need to provide:
- Email: Your Notion account email address
- Password: Notion account password
- Time zone: Time zone to schedule backups in. Ex: Africa/Cairo, Asia/Kolkata, Australia/Sydney etc.
Optional Advanced Settings
Under "Advanced Configuration" are additional options to customize your backups:
- Export format – HTML, PDF or Markdown
- Key-value store ID – Storage location for backups
- Webhook payload URL – Receive backup notifications
- Webhook headers – Add custom headers to webhook
- Proxy configuration – Configure proxy usage
Run the Actor
Once configuration is complete, press the "Run" button. This will execute the actor, with status changing to "SUCCEEDED" on completion.
Now your Notion backups will run automatically on the schedule you specified!
Accessing Backup Files
Go to the "Runs" tab to view details of each backup run. Here are the locations your Notion backup files will be available:
- Default dataset – HTML exports stored under "Lateset dataset".
- KeyValue store – Configured KV store location (optional)
- Webhook payload – Backup files sent via webhook (optional)
You can set custom download locations like Google Drive by integrating services with Apify. That way your Notion backups are automatically stored securely off-site.
And that‘s all there is to it! You are now protected against data loss by automatically backing up your Notion workspaces. Customize schedules, storage and formats to suit your needs.
Bonus Pro Tip: Version History
To maintain full version history of your Notion backups, enable the "Store backups in directories" option. This will save each export in a separate dated folder, avoiding overwrites.
Why Visualize Your Team as a Notion Org Chart?
For teams using Notion as a collaboration platform, an org chart or people directory provides immense value. It enables at-a-glance understanding of:
- Company structure and hierarchies
- Team member roles and reporting lines
- Cross-functional relationships
- Headcount and open requisitions
Ways an org chart improves work:
Onboarding – Instantly see where new hires fit into the organization.
Planning – Simplifies strategic moves like re-orgs, acquisitions etc.
Decisions – Understand impacts on different teams and members.
Analysis – Identify bottlenecks in communication flows.
Transparency – All members have clear view of the company structure.
Now let‘s see how the Notion Org Chart Generator tool makes creating org charts easy.
Notion Org Chart Generator Step-by-Step Tutorial
The Notion Org Chart Generator actor automatically converts your Notion people database into a visual organizational chart.
1. Create New Notion Integration
First, you need to create an integration in your Notion workspace for the actor to access the database. Go to Integrations, click + New, name it and save.
2. Give Access to the Integration
Go to the Notion page with your people table. Click share, invite and add the new integration. Give it permission to view the page.
3. Access the Org Chart Actor
Now go to Notion Org Chart Generator on Apify Store and click "Try for Free". Sign up if you don‘t have an Apify account.
4. Configure Required Inputs
On the actor page, you need to provide:
- Integration token – The token of the integration you created
- Source page URL – URL of your Notion people database
5. Customize Advanced Settings
Expand "Advanced configuration" to customize:
- Chart orientation – top-down, left-right, etc.
- Node styles – colors, borders, fonts
- Display options – avatars, titles, labels etc.
6. Run the Actor
Click "Run" to execute the actor. Once complete, it saves the generated org chart as org-chart.png in Apify‘s default key-value store.
7. Download the Image
Go to the "Runs" tab, select the latest run and click "KeyValueStore". Your org chart will be available for download!
Now whenever your Notion people database changes, just re-run the actor to generate an updated org chart image. Schedule it to always stay current!
More Awesome Notion Tips and Tools
To conclude, here are some additional tips to take your Notion skills to the next level:
Master keyboard shortcuts – Navigation and formatting is much faster ditching the mouse.
Create templates – Use as blueprints for workspaces, pages, docs and databases.
Import data – Pull in Excel sheets to kickstart databases easily.
Develop APIs – Automate Notion‘s capabilities leveraging its API.
Embed media – Enhance pages by embedding videos, Figma, Typeform, Spotify and more.
Toggle views – Easily change between table, board, gallery etc as needed.
Assign roles – Manage access with editor, viewer, commenter roles per user.
Link databases– Relate using rollups, lookups and backlinks to build a knowledge base.
Add formulas – Build formulas for auto-calculated properties like sums, averages etc.
Manage statuses – Customize colors and labels for task status workflows.
Install mobile – Stay productive on the go with iOS and Android apps.
Integrate apps – Connect tools like Slack, Google Drive, GitHub etc.
With a little practice, these tips will have you working faster and unlocking more of Notion‘s versatility. Combine them with the time-saving Apify actors covered here, and you have a supercharged Notion setup!
So try out Notion Automatic Backup and Notion Org Chart Generator today to automate your workflows. And let us know if you have any other favorite Notion tools or tips!
