How to Create Free Automatic Notifications in Notion Using Functions

Notion is really convenient, isn’t it? I switched from Trello and find it very useful, but there’s one disappointing aspect.

No Notifications When Time’s Up…

After using it for a few days, I noticed that reminders weren’t coming through.

Unlike Trello, Notion doesn’t automatically remind you when you set a time. You need to either type /remind or toggle a switch when setting it in the calendar property.

For those thinking “Oh, it’s just toggling a switch!” - here’s the catch!

If you forget to toggle it while quickly taking notes, you won’t get any notifications when the due date arrives. This is really inconvenient.

So, I decided to solve this limitation by using external tools.

the:gist

You can create automatic reminders for free using “the gist”. This app sends notifications by detecting specific events.

“the:gist” Price: Freemium (First one free) Function: Detects Notion events

Let’s Set Up “the:gist”!

While the:gist is useful software, it needs some configuration to work as a reminder. Since I couldn’t find this information elsewhere, I decided to document it here.

Notion Settings

As mentioned earlier, the:gist reacts to specific actions, so we need Notion to trigger an action when the time comes. For this, we’ll use calendar and formula properties.

We’ll calculate the remaining days using the datebetween property to remind us one day before the deadline, then send notifications through the:gist.

First, select Formula from properties.

Then, enter the datebetween command in the created property. Replace “Date?” with your calendar property name.

dateBetween(prop("Date?"), now(), "days")

This allows us to calculate the remaining days.

Next, set up an action to trigger when one day remains.

Add another Formula property and copy-paste the following. Replace (remaining days) with the name of your datebetween property.

if(prop("remaining days") < 1, "yes", "no") == "yes"

Now a checkbox will be checked when one day remains!

the:gist Settings

We’re almost there!

First, connect the:gist following the instructions (it’s automatic). The process is self-explanatory.

Name: Reminder name In: Database name if: Set the checkbox property name to trigger when ✅ > then: Action when detected. Set email to be sent when checked.

Follow these settings and you should receive email notifications. Great job!

There’s an Even Easier Way…

Actually, there’s another external tool called “Notion Automations” that allows two-way synchronization with Google Calendar. It’s more user-friendly than “the:gist”. However, it costs $5 monthly (about 500 yen), which might be a bit expensive for occasional personal use.

“Notion Automations” Price: $5 (500 yen monthly) Function: Two-way calendar synchronization