This guide explains how to adapt the Side Project Manager template to fit your specific workflow, whether you're a solo indie hacker or running a small team.
The default status pipeline is:
Idea → Validating → Building → Launching → Live → Paused → ArchivedIf you don't need the full pipeline, reduce it to:
Idea → Active → Shipped → ArchivedDelete the unused status options from the Select property and update any board views.
Add intermediate states if you need them:
Idea → Researching → Validating → Prototyping → Building → Alpha → Beta → Launching → Live → Maintaining → Paused → ArchivedIf you launch on multiple platforms, add a "Launch Channels" multi-select property with values like: Product Hunt, Hacker News, Reddit, Twitter, Newsletter, Blog.
The default validation formula uses these weights:
To emphasize learning over revenue, increase Personal Interest and Technical Feasibility weights:
To emphasize revenue, increase Market Size and Monetization weights:
Update the formula in formulas/FORMULAS.md with your new weights.
To add a new scoring criterion (e.g., "Competitive Moat"):
1. Add a Number property to the Ideas Backlog database (scale 1-5)
2. Update the validation formula to include the new factor
3. Add the new weight to the formula denominator
If you're working with a co-founder or small team:
1. Add an "Assignee" property (Person type) to the MVP Checklist and Launch Tracker databases
2. Create a Team Members database with Name, Role, Email, and Capacity (hours/week)
3. Add a relation from MVP Checklist → Team Members
4. Create a "My Tasks" view filtered by the current user
Add a Multi-select property called "Channels" to the Projects database:
Add a "Weekly Hours Available" number property to your Projects database. Compare this against the Effort estimates in your MVP Checklist to avoid overcommitting. Create a rollup on the Projects database that sums "Effort (hours)" from incomplete MVP Checklist tasks to see remaining work per project.
The default Revenue Log tracks one revenue type per entry. For projects with multiple streams:
1. Create separate Revenue Log entries for each stream (subscription, one-time sales, etc.)
2. Use the Revenue Type select to distinguish them
3. Create a "Revenue by Type" grouped table view
Add these properties to the Projects database:
Monthly Revenue / Revenue Goal * 100Add a "Category" multi-select to the Revenue Log's Expenses column:
Create a Gallery view on the Projects database:
Create a Board view on the MVP Checklist:
Create a Table view on the Revenue Log:
Create a Board view on User Feedback:
Notion's API can automate parts of your workflow. Here are starting points:
1. Auto-update Last Active — A cron job that updates the "Last Active" date on a project whenever you push to its repository
2. Revenue Import — Pull Stripe revenue data into the Revenue Log via the API
3. GitHub Issue Sync — Mirror GitHub issues into the User Feedback database
| Tool | Integration Point |
|---|---|
| GitHub | Link repository URLs in the Projects database. Use GitHub Actions to update project status |
| Stripe | Import monthly revenue data into the Revenue Log |
| Plausible/Fathom | Track live URLs' analytics; add "Monthly Visitors" property to Projects |
| Toggl/Clockify | Import time tracking data to update Hours Logged on Projects |
| Mailchimp/ConvertKit | Track newsletter subscriber counts as a revenue/growth metric |
Set a recurring monthly reminder to:
1. Archive projects that have been "Paused" for 3+ months
2. Update revenue figures in the Revenue Log
3. Review and prioritize the Ideas Backlog
4. Close resolved User Feedback entries
At the end of each year:
1. Export your Revenue Log to CSV for tax purposes
2. Calculate total hours invested vs. total revenue earned
3. Identify which project categories performed best
4. Update your Idea Validation weights based on what you learned
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