How to Set Up Reminders in Notion (3 Ways That Actually Work)

One of the most common questions from Notion template users is: "This is beautiful — but how do I make sure I actually remember to use it?"

Great question. Notion is not a calendar app, and it does not ping you out of the box the way your phone does. But with a little setup, you can build a reminder system that keeps you on track — whether you want something dead simple or fully automated.

Here are three ways to do it, from easiest to most powerful.

Option 1: Notion's native @remind feature (free, built-in, takes 10 seconds)

This is the fastest way to get a reminder without installing anything.

How it works

Notion lets you add a reminder to any date field or inside any page. When the time comes, you will get a notification in the Notion app (desktop and mobile) and an email.

Setting a reminder on a date property

1. Open any page in your database — a Task, a Goal, a Journal entry, anything with a date field
2. Click on the date field
3. You will see a Remind toggle — turn it on
4. Choose when: on the day, 30 minutes before, 1 hour before, 1 day before, or a custom time
5. Hit save

That is it. Notion will notify you when the time hits.

Setting a reminder inside a page

You can also drop a reminder anywhere in a page's body:

1. Open any Notion page
2. Type @remind followed by a date or time — for example: @remind tomorrow at 8am or @remind Friday
3. Notion parses it and schedules the notification automatically

This is great for one-off reminders like "review this goal on Sunday" or "follow up with this person next week."

Tips for using native reminders well

• Set a reminder on every Task due date — make it a habit when you create the task
• Use @remind in your Weekly Review template so Notion nudges you every Sunday
• On mobile, make sure Notion notifications are enabled in your phone settings — otherwise you will not hear a thing

Best for: People who want simple, occasional reminders without any extra tools.

Option 2: Zapier (no code, great for automations)

If you want reminders that go beyond Notion — like a text message, a Slack message, or a Gmail alert — Zapier is the easiest bridge.

What Zapier does

Zapier connects apps together. You set up a "Zap" — a trigger and an action. For example: "When a Notion task's due date is today, send me an email."

How to set up a daily task reminder via email

1. Go to zapier.com and create a free account
2. Click Create Zap
3. Trigger: Choose Schedule by Zapier and set it to run every day at your preferred time (e.g. 8am)
4. Action: Choose Notion → Find Database Items → connect your Notion account → select your Tasks database → filter by due date = today and status ≠ Done
5. Next action: Choose Gmail (or Slack, or SMS via Twilio) and send yourself the list of tasks

It sounds like more steps than it is — Zapier walks you through each one with a visual builder. No coding required.

Other useful Zaps for Notion template users

• Overdue task alert: Every morning, email me any tasks past their due date
• Weekly review nudge: Every Sunday at 6pm, send a Slack message saying "Time for your weekly review"
• Goal check-in: Every first of the month, send an email with a link to your Goals database
• People CRM follow-up: When a "Next Follow-up" date arrives in your CRM, send a reminder

The free plan allows 5 Zaps and 100 tasks per month — more than enough to get started. Paid plans start at around $20 per month if you need more.

Best for: People who want reminders outside of Notion — email, Slack, SMS — with no technical knowledge required.

Option 3: Make (formerly Integromat — more powerful, still no code)

Make is like Zapier's more powerful sibling. It has a visual drag-and-drop workflow builder, more flexibility, a more generous free plan, and better support for complex logic — like "only remind me if the task is high priority AND overdue."

How Make differs from Zapier

• Free plan: 1,000 operations per month (vs Zapier's 100)
• Logic: You can add filters, branches, and conditions easily
• Notion support: Full Notion integration including reading, creating, and updating database records
• Visual builder: You see your entire workflow as a diagram, which makes it easier to understand and debug

Setting up a morning digest with Make

1. Go to make.com and sign up for free
2. Create a new Scenario
3. Add a Schedule trigger — set it to run daily at 8am
4. Add a Notion → Search Records module — connect your Tasks database, filter for tasks due today or earlier with status not Done
5. Add a Text Aggregator to combine all task names into one message
6. Add a Gmail → Send Email (or Slack, or any other app) with the aggregated list

Make's visual canvas makes this feel like building with Lego. You can see exactly what is happening at each step.

Where Make really shines

• Conditional reminders: Only notify me if I have more than 3 overdue tasks
• Multi-step workflows: Check tasks → check inbox count → check active goals → send one combined morning brief
• Two-way sync: Update a Notion property when something happens elsewhere (e.g. mark a task Done from a Google Sheet)

Best for: People who want full control over their reminder logic, or who want one smart daily digest that combines data from multiple databases.

Which option should you choose?

If you are just getting started, use native reminders on your task due dates today. When you are ready to level up, set up a Zapier or Make workflow to get a morning digest delivered to your inbox or Slack.

The best reminder system is the one you will actually notice.

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a reminder in Notion?

Two ways, both free and built in. On a date property: open any page in a database, click the date field, turn on the Remind toggle, and choose when — on the day, 30 minutes before, 1 hour before, 1 day before, or a custom time. Inside a page body: type @remind followed by a date or time, for example @remind tomorrow at 8am or @remind Friday, and Notion parses it and schedules the notification automatically. You get the alert in the Notion desktop and mobile apps and by email.

Are Notion reminders free?

Yes. The native @remind feature and date-property reminders are built into Notion and work on the free plan with no add-ons. You only need a third-party tool such as Zapier or Make if you want the notification delivered somewhere outside Notion, like SMS, Slack or Gmail.

Why am I not getting my Notion reminders?

The usual cause is phone-level notification settings rather than anything in Notion. Check that notifications are enabled for the Notion app in your device settings — reminders fire correctly but stay silent if the operating system is blocking them. Also confirm the reminder was actually saved on the date property, since setting a date alone does not create a reminder unless the Remind toggle is on.

Can Notion send reminders by text message or Slack?

Not on its own — native reminders only reach the Notion apps and your email. To route a reminder to SMS, Slack or any other app you need an automation layer. Zapier is the easiest bridge and takes about 15 to 30 minutes to set up; Make takes 30 to 60 minutes but has a more generous free tier and handles digest-style notifications better.

What is the best way to get a daily reminder of my Notion tasks?

A morning digest built in Zapier or Make, rather than one reminder per task. Native reminders are best for one-off nudges and individual due dates; a scheduled automation that queries your task database each morning and sends a single summary to your inbox or Slack is what stops a long task list turning into a stream of separate notifications you learn to ignore.

Already using one of our Notion templates?

All the date fields — Tasks, Goals, People CRM follow-ups, Journal entries — are already set up and ready for reminders. Just pick your method above and plug it in.

Browse our Notion templates →