I quit YouTube's homepage (but not YouTube) with a Notion dashboard

Podge Thomas

28 Oct 2025 — 2 min read

The Anti-Algorithm Experiment: Building My Own YouTube Feed in Notion

When big tech gets greedy with your attention, sometimes you have to get creative with your rebellion

I've had it with feeling like I have no control over my own impulses when it comes to YouTube.

Don't get me wrong - I love YouTube. I use it to learn new skills, dive into video essays and generally feed my curious brain. But there's this imbalance of power between us and big tech's algorithms and I’m always looking for ways to interrupt that balance.

The real villain though when I’m on YouTube? YouTube Shorts.

They're designed to be addictive little dopamine hits that raise my cortisol levels while failing to give me the deep satisfaction I get from immersing myself in long-form content. It's like eating candy when what I really want is a proper meal (or in the case of some creators, a 5-course prix fixe with wine pairings).

So I decided to fight back - with Notion.

Here's what I built: A YouTube Feed Dashboard that puts me back in control

Instead of letting the algorithm decide what I watch, I created a simple system using just 2 databases:

My Library database (filtered for video content)
My Media database (filtered for my favourite YouTube channels)

The magic happens in how I use it:

I browse intentionally - I check my curated list of channels (politics, bushcraft, carpentry, watercolour, homesteading, gardening) and pick based on what I'm actually in the mood for
I bypass the algorithm completely - I go directly to that channel's page, avoiding YouTube's homepage with its endless shorts and distractions
I watch in my own space - Using Notion's web clipper and video embeds, I watch everything inside my cozy dashboard without ever seeing YouTube's "recommended for you" sidebar

The best part? I've made this dashboard feel personal and inviting - a place I actually want to visit. It's my own little corner of the internet where I can enjoy the content I love without the manipulation.

This is what's possible when we get creative with our tools.

We don't have to accept tech overwhelm as inevitable. We can build systems that work for us instead of against us. And we can make it fun while we're at it.

I've been using this system for a short time, but already I'm loving how it feels to watch YouTube on my own terms.

Want to see it in action? Here's a video tour of my setup:

My YouTube Feed in Notion - Watch Video

What digital overwhelm are you fighting right now? Shoot me an email - maybe we can brainstorm a Notion solution together.

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