Your thesis
Days to submission, words written, chapters final, the words a day you need to finish your draft and what you wrote in the last 7 days.
Notion Thesis Planner Template
Turn your word count into a daily goal, track each chapter and keep your sources and advisor notes in one place.
$9 One-time paymentInstant access
Magnet Creative Recommended Creator on Notion
Methods
Stage Draft
2,400 of 3,000 words
Type the chapter’s total from Word or Docs, then click Log.
Your thesis
Due in 140 days
10,170 of 20,000 words · 1 of 6 chapters final
Write 99 words a day to finish your draft by Feb 6
Last 7 days: 1,240 words · goal 693
or type a new count and click Log.
- Works on the free Notion plan
- A daily word goal to your draft date
- Log a session in one click
At a glance
- What it is
- A thesis planner in Notion: a word target for each chapter, a daily goal to your draft date, your sources and what your advisor asked for.
- Who it’s for
- Master’s and PhD students, and final-year students writing a dissertation. No Notion experience needed.
- Price
- $9, one payment. It’s yours to keep.
- Free Notion plan
- Yes. Databases, formulas and buttons, nothing more.
- Time
- About five minutes to set up, then a few seconds to log each writing session.
Watch the 49-second tour
The daily word goal, the chapters, a logged session, sources and an advisor meeting, filmed in the real template.
What it does that most thesis templates don’t
Most thesis templates on Notion are lists of chapters, readings and deadlines. This one turns your word count into a goal for today, so a big draft becomes a number you can hit.
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A goal for today
Give each chapter a word target. The main page spreads the words left over the days to your full draft date.
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Log in one click
Type the chapter’s count from Word, Google Docs or Overleaf and click Log. It works out how many words you added.
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Stages as well as words
Each chapter moves from Outline to Final. Set it to Final and its bar fills up, whatever the word count.
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Advisor notes become tasks
Add what your advisor asked for as to-dos linked to the chapter. Open ones show on its card until you tick Done.
We set it up from a fresh copy, the way you’ll get it: logged 200 words on Methods and saw the goal drop from 99 to 97 words a day, added a seventh chapter, cleared the sample and started a chapter from zero.
What’s inside
The main page goes from your daily goal to your chapters, the next deadlines, open to-dos and the sources to read next. Each chapter, source and meeting has a page of its own.
Chapters
A card per chapter with its stage, words against its target, a progress bar, the due date and any open to-dos.
Chapter page
Words now and Log at the top, then a short guide to what goes in the chapter, a checklist before you mark it Final and every session you logged.
Sources
Each paper or book with its status, how important it is, its themes and key finding. Read next lists what you still have to read, Key sources first.
Up next and to-dos
Your next milestones with the days left, then open to-dos with your advisor’s at the top.
Also in the template
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Advisor meetings
Write your questions in Agenda before you go. Afterwards, add what your advisor asked for as to-dos on the chapter.
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Timeline
Proposal, ethics approval, data collection, full draft, submission and defense, each with a countdown, plus a Before you submit checklist.
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Chapter guides
Introduction to Conclusion each say what goes in them and what to check before you call them done. Rename them to fit your outline.
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Sample data
A master’s thesis about halfway done. One button hides the samples and sets your chapters back to zero.
How to use it
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After you write, open the chapter, type its total in Words now and click Log.
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Look at Your thesis on the main page to see how much to write today.
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Add each paper you find to Sources and answer its questions while you read.
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After each advisor meeting, add what they asked for as to-dos on the chapter.
Set it up in about five minutes
You do this once. It’s easiest on a computer.
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Buy it on Etsy and download the Start here PDF. Open the template link in it and click the Duplicate icon (two small squares) at the top. A free Notion account is enough.
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Open Start here and click the button to clear the sample first. It also sets the chapters’ word counts back to zero.
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Open each chapter, rename it if you like and type its word Target. Add a Due date if your advisor gave you one.
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Open Timeline and type a Date for each milestone. Your daily goal counts down to the full draft.
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Type each chapter’s current count in Words now and click Log once, even at 0. Do the same after every session.
Add sources as you find them, and a meeting page before each talk with your advisor.
Is it right for you?
A good fit if
- You’re writing a master’s thesis or a PhD dissertation and want a daily word goal.
- You write in Word, Google Docs or Overleaf and want your progress in one place.
- You have a lot of papers to read and want to know which matter most.
- Your advisor gives you feedback and you lose track of what they asked for.
Look elsewhere if
- You want to write the thesis itself in Notion. It tracks the draft, it doesn’t count its words.
- You want classes, grades and exams. That’s a student planner.
- You want a reference manager that formats citations for you.
- You plan a whole lab’s work. It’s made for one writer.
Questions
Does it work on the free Notion plan?
Yes. It runs on databases, formulas and buttons, and the free plan has all three.
How does it know how many words I wrote?
You tell it. Type the chapter’s whole count in Words now and click Log. It subtracts what you logged last time and saves the difference as a session.
What if I write everything in one file?
Select one chapter’s text and read the count. Word shows it at the bottom, and Google Docs under Tools, Word count. In Overleaf, count each chapter’s file or log it all under one chapter.
What happens when I cut text?
Type the lower count and click Log. The session shows a negative number, the chapter’s progress goes down to match and the last 7 days only count words you added.
Does it work for a master’s thesis or a final-year dissertation?
Yes. The sample is a master’s thesis with six chapters and 20,000 words. Change the chapters, targets and dates to fit yours, whatever the length.
Can I add or rename chapters?
Yes. Rename the six chapters to match your outline, or click New on Chapters to add one. It joins the main page card on its own.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. Setup is easiest on a computer. On a phone, logging a session takes a few taps and your daily goal is on the main page.
Where does the template go after I pay?
You download a Start here PDF from Etsy with the template link. Open the link and click the Duplicate icon at the top of the page, and the copy is yours to keep and change.
What if I get stuck?
Email us at hello@magnetcreativestudio.com with the template name and what you see, and we’ll help you get it working.
For power users
How it’s built, if you like to change things.
The databases
| Database | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Chapters | Stage, Words now, Target, Due date and the Log button, with progress, open to-dos and linked sources. |
| Writing log | One row per Log: Chapter, Date, Words added, Count, Minutes and Note. |
| Sources | Status, Importance, Themes, Type, Authors, Year, Link or DOI, Key finding, Method and the chapters that cite it. |
| Meetings | Date, Agenda, notes in the page and the to-dos that came out of it. |
| To-dos | Chapter, Meeting, Due date and Done. From shows Advisor when the to-do came from a meeting. |
| Milestones | Type, Date, Done and a countdown for each step from proposal to defense. |
How it works inside
- Log
- A button on each chapter that adds a session of Words now minus everything logged so far.
- Daily goal
- Words left in chapters that aren’t Final, divided by the days to the full draft, or to submission without one.
- Last 7 days
- Words added in the past week. A chapter’s first Log and any cuts are left out.
- Progress
- Words now against Target, or full once the Stage is Final.
- Next date
- Ticking Done on a milestone moves the goal to the next Full draft or Submission date.
- Clear the sample
- Hides every sample session, meeting, to-do and source and resets the chapters to zero.
Know what to write today
Pay once, clear the sample and type your first chapter’s target.
