A technology enthusiast, Bobby studied Computer Science at the University of Southampton before working in a number of roles across industries, from the private sector to the charitable one, at multinationals and startups. He’s helped maintain backend Java servers, designed databases and front-end interfaces, and created a bespoke content management system.
Bobby also enjoys video gaming, and has written for several outlets, including a stint as Editor-in-Chief at Switch Player Magazine and contributions to online magazine, SUPERJUMP. Bobby uses a Mac for day-to-day work and an Android phone for distractions.
Notion is a popular productivity tool, but it can be daunting at first. The app does a lot of different things and uses terminology you may not be familiar with. Take it slowly with this step-by-step guide.
Notion is a note-taker, but it’s also a task management app, a project tracker, and a home for your galleries. You can even use it to host a website! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by Notion because it’s quite different from other apps, and it packs a lot into its interface.
You can use Notion as a collaborative tool, to work on projects with teammates or share task lists. However, it’s best not to run before you can walk. By learning the fundamental concepts, and practicing how to use Notion for your personal activities first, you’ll be able to use it more effectively in a work setting.
It doesn’t matter too much which option you select, but I recommend you select For personal use for your first time. Then press Continue.
The next screen asks "What’s on your mind?" and you can select any of the available features. Notion will attempt to personalize your experience based on your selection. Again, I recommend you skip this by selecting nothing and pressing either Continue or Skip for now.
You can add a new top-level page using the previous method, but you can also add a sub-page to an existing page. For large projects, you can use a sophisticated hierarchy to organize your thoughts.
On an empty line, type a single /.
From the Basic blocks, select Page.
Give your sub-page a name and fill it out as you require.
You can also create a sub-page from the sidebar by hovering a page name and clicking the + icon (Add a page inside).
Your new page will not show in the sidebar by default. To confirm you’ve created it, simply click the page icon to the left of its parent page. This will expand the parent page, displaying its sub-pages.
Adding a sub-page will automatically add a link to it in the parent page:
Notion offers a large set of templates that you can use to create pages. Some of these have much more than basic text functionality, including meal planners, expense trackers, and lesson plans.
Start by clicking the Templates menu in the sidebar. This will open a template gallery from which you can search and select templates. Try the To-do list template and click Get template once you’ve found it.
This will create a new page from that template. Note how it is much more advanced than the To-do list block, with a table of data and two different views named Tasks and Board. This is what Notion calls a database.
A Notion database is simply a collection of pages with different views to show specific information from those pages. They are a powerful way of organizing and displaying your data, and you can even use formulas to replicate what you might otherwise use a spreadsheet for.
Databases are a Notion concept that sounds quite complicated, so it’s best to familiarize yourself with them via templates.
Notion uses the fundamental concepts of blocks, templates, and databases to provide much more functionality. From calendars to bug trackers and bookmark lists, there are many types of content you can use with Notion to manage large parts of your work and life.
