First StepGet First Step

Notion Template

For students who know exactly what’s due and still can’t start.

A Notion planner where every task carries its own tiny first step, built around starting, not tracking deadlines.

Get First StepSee how it works

Works on the free Notion plan. No setup, no automations.

Task

Read Ch. 4 — Cell transport

Next move

Write a first step — make it embarrassingly small

Click the task to see it get a first step.

Why I built this

I’ve never lost track of a deadline in my life. I know exactly what’s due and when. What I couldn’t do, what nobody had actually built a planner for, was open the laptop and start.

Every planner I tried did the same thing: track what you owe, remind you, color-code it, sort it by date. None of them touched the actual moment things fall apart, which isn’t the deadline. It’s five seconds earlier, staring at “write the essay” as one enormous grey block your brain won’t pick up.

So First Step does one thing differently.

Every task gets a first step: not “study for the midterm,” but “skim the syllabus for what it covers.”

Small enough to be almost embarrassing. Small enough that you can actually do it.

Two Notion task rows stacked: one with an empty first-step prompt reading 'Write a first step, make it embarrassingly small,' and one filled in reading 'Open the shared doc and read one paragraph'

That’s the whole trick. It’s not motivation, it’s not a system, it’s just handing you something small enough to start.

  1. 1Duplicate First Step into your Notion. The free plan works, nothing to install.
  2. 2Add your courses, then work through your syllabi once and drop in assignments with their due dates.
  3. 3Open the dashboard. Instead of a task name, you get one small action.

What it actually looks like

Real screenshots of the actual template, not mockups.

Full First Step dashboard in Notion: Right now list, Brain dump capture panel, and the course gallery
One dashboard: what to start, what to dump, what's further out, and a focus timer.
Right now list in Notion with the Next move column filled in
The Right now list, with Next move already filled in for every task.
Right now list in Notion showing the full Next move column across four tasks, with Due in and Status columns
Next move across four tasks. The whole product is one column.
A past-due task row reading Still open, 5 days ago, with a neutral grey Not Started badge, no red anywhere
Late work reads “Still open,” never a red badge.

What you get

  • The First step field: every task carries its own tiny opening action
  • Next move column that shows you the action, not the assignment
  • “Started” tracked as its own stage, one click from the dashboard
  • Past-due work reads Still open, nothing turns red, ever
  • Three-second capture with zero required fields, and one-click sorting
  • ⏱️ Got 15 minutes?, filtered by how much time you actually have
  • ⚖️ Pair light + heavy, by executive load, not by difficulty
  • 10 pre-built views across table, board and calendar
  • A page per course: assignments, key info, links and lecture notes
  • Lecture notes tagged by type, with a Questions-to-ask view for office hours
  • A focus timer on the dashboard, next to what you just picked
  • Live per-course counts of open work and work still missing a first step
  • Built-in How this works guide and a Weekly reset you can do without leaving the page
  • Works on free Notion, no automations, no setup

What’s left out on purpose

  • No streaks. No daily checkboxes. Nothing that punishes a gap.
  • No grade calculator. It's a starting tool, not a GPA spreadsheet.
  • No widgets tied to a third-party account that could vanish and break your dashboard.
  • No automations to configure. Everything runs off fields you were already filling in.

FAQ

Do I need a paid Notion plan?

No. Everything works on the free plan. There are no automations and nothing to connect.

How long does setup take?

About ten minutes: add your courses, then work through your syllabi once. You do not need to write first steps for everything, three is enough to start.

What if I stop using it for a month?

Nothing breaks. There are no streaks to lose and no rollover to run. Open ▶️ Pick one thing, pick one line, do the first step.

Can I change the wording?

Yes, rename any field. Brain load, First step, Next move are just labels; use whatever your brain answers to.

Is this only for people with ADHD?

It was designed around task initiation, which is an ADHD-specific bottleneck. But nothing in it is diagnostic or exclusive. If you're a chronic procrastinator, it's built for the same moment.

Do I get updates?

Yes, free updates to this template, whenever it's refreshed.

From the founder

I built First Step because I needed it myself. Knowing what’s due was never my problem, starting was. It’s probably not for you if you want a full life-management system or grade tracking. Those exist and some of them are genuinely great. This does one smaller thing, on purpose.

Pricing

$12

One-time purchase. Free updates forever.

  • The First step field on every task
  • Next move column: the action, not the assignment
  • “Started” tracked as its own stage
  • Past-due work reads “Still open,” nothing turns red
  • Three-second capture, zero required fields
  • Works on free Notion, no automations, no setup

✓30-day money-back guarantee

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