There’s so much you can do with Notion, but the basic concepts are actually really simple.
A Page functions similarly to a document in your favorite word processor.
You can write and format text in a variety of different ways. One thing to note is that Notion is a block based builder. Every time you hit enter you create a new content block.
Notion has lots of different content types you can add to a page! To see the menu of things you can add to a page, type /. Once you’re familiar with the options, you can quickly sort through the menu by typing / and immediately starting to type the name of the option you’d like to add. If you’re familiar with markdown shortcuts, you can also utilize those to speed up your formatting process.
<aside> <img src="/icons/chemistry_gray.svg" alt="/icons/chemistry_gray.svg" width="40px" />
Try it yourself!
Click into the empty space below the text in this box
Then type / and scroll through the menu (it’ll look like the image to the right)
</aside>
If you hover over the left side of a block, you’ll see a plus sign and six dots appear to the left. Clicking the plus sign adds a new block below, and clicking the six dots opens a menu of actions you can apply to that block. You can also click and hold those six dots and drag the whole block anywhere on the page to move text and elements around.
<aside> <img src="/icons/chemistry_gray.svg" alt="/icons/chemistry_gray.svg" width="40px" />
Try it yourself!
Click and hold the six dot icon to the left of this callout block and drag it to the top of the page. You’ll see a thick blue line showing you where you’re moving the block to.
Try moving it to the side of another block to create columns!
</aside>
If you hover over the right side of a block, you’ll see a speech bubble icon appear on the right. Clicking this lets you add a comment. If a comment is added, your text will be highlighted and you’ll see a filled speech bubble icon to the right even when you’re not hovering over a block. Comments work the same in Notion as they do in your favorite word processor.
Notion’s database functionality is where it begins to differ from your average word processor. In our humble opinion, being able to add databases to a page alongside text and other content is what sets Notion apart and makes it our favorite program.
<aside> <img src="/icons/chemistry_gray.svg" alt="/icons/chemistry_gray.svg" width="40px" />
Try it yourself!
Databases allow you to see your data in a lot of different ways. Click on the tabs at the top of the database above (titled Table, Board, Gallery, Calendar, and Timeline respectively) to see examples of the different types of views.
