Template

July 21, 2023 Update: I am in the process of rebuilding this Notion Puzzle Database to include additional functionality. While the tutorial below is still relevant, I will be releasing a new tutorial and reference database to copy soon!

I offer these tutorials and templates for free, but some have asked if I will accept a small donation. If this is helpful, you can buy me a coffee!

Rebecca Emmerd

Quick note added March 15, 2022 : Notion has a new release where some of the features have been updated and the screenshots/steps below aren’t a perfect match.

Introduction

I’ve always enjoyed doing puzzles but my collection exploded in late 2019 and into 2020 thanks to the back to back whammies of a broken leg followed by the COVID lockdown. Once my collection grew to more than 50 puzzles I decided I needed a method to organize them digitally.

As of February 13, 2022, the collection I’m tracking stands at almost 250 puzzles. Not all 250 are physically in my possession since I trade/give away/donate most completed puzzles, but I still like to keep a record of them.

This is what my collection looks like from a storage perspective. Most are still to do. While it’s fun to sit and gaze upon my stash, it’s hard to remember everything there!

IMG_5221.jpg

There are lots of ways I could have approached this, so before choosing a tool or application, I wrote out some of my goals:

  1. Log completed puzzles. I give away/donate/trade most completed puzzles so I wanted a place where I could log and remember them.
  2. Browse my collection when I want to pick out a new puzzle
  3. Make sure I don’t collect duplicates
  4. Track the source of my puzzles (gift? from who? Or did I buy it? Where? How much? Traded? When?)
  5. Track where my completed puzzles go. (Donated? Traded? Given to a friend? Thrown away because it was an old thrifted puzzle that was missing too many pieces? Kept in my collection to redo or for nostalgia sake?)
  6. Track stats like # of pieces done, time spent puzzling, etc.