Notion 101 Self Starter Guide

Hello everyone, Welcome to Notion 101! 🚀

This is the Notion 101 Self Starter Guide that will take you from beginning to Builder.

If you're new to Notion, this document is an excellent starting point for your learning journey.

In this guide, we'll cover the basic concepts of Notion including pages, blocks, and databases. You'll learn how to organize your information effectively and start building your own workspace.

Who is it for?

This guide is useful for everyone regardless of of your technical experience.

Students

Hobbyists

Busy Professionals/Business Owners

Team Leads/Supervisors/Project Leads

If you’ve used some form of excel or words document, then Notion is easy to adapt.

By the end of this guide, you'll be comfortable navigating Notion and ready to start making your own templates and also explore more advanced features.

As part of this guide, we recommend you download the Notion App for desktop to fully have an immersive experience in building your own Notion setups.

Here's a flowchart showing the structure of the Notion 101 Self Starter Guide:

Flowchart


flowchart LR
    A["Notion 101 Self Starter Guide"] --> B["Setting Up Your Workspace"]
    A --> C["Working with Pages"]
    A --> D["Working with Blocks"]
    A --> E["Building with Databases"]
    
    C --> C1["Understanding Notion Pages"]
    C --> C2["Key Features of Pages"]
    C --> C3["Working with Pages"]
    C --> C4["Page Templates"]
    C --> C5["Useful Page Features"]
    
    D --> D1["What are Blocks?"]
    D --> D2["Creating and Adding Blocks"]
    D --> D3["Manipulating Blocks"]
    D --> D4["Converting Block Types"]
    D --> D5["Advanced Block Features"]
    
    E --> E1["What is a Notion Database?"]
    E --> E2["Key Features of Databases"]
    E --> E3["Common Uses for Databases"]
    E --> E4["Creating a Database"]
    E --> E5["Database vs. Page"]
    
    %% The flowchart represents the main sections and subsections of the Notion 101 guide
    %% Each node represents a major topic or subtopic covered in the guide

Start by clicking on the toggles below.

What is Notion?

Notion is a versatile all-in-one workspace that combines notes, documents, databases, and project management tools into a single platform. It's designed to help individuals and teams organize their work, thoughts, and projects in a highly customizable environment.

At its core, Notion provides building blocks that you can arrange and customize to create exactly what you need - whether that's a simple note, a complex project tracker, a knowledge base, or a team workspace.

What makes Notion unique is its flexibility - instead of having separate tools for different functions (like docs, spreadsheets, wikis, and task boards), Notion brings everything together in one connected space where information can flow naturally between different formats.

"We built Notion to help people organize their work and be more effective. The goal was to create a tool that could adapt to how you think and work, rather than forcing you into a specific workflow."

Ivan Zhao, Co-founder and CEO of Notion

The platform's philosophy centers around removing friction from your workflow, connecting related information, and providing powerful organization without complexity. As you explore Notion, you'll discover how its building-block approach can be shaped to support virtually any work process or information management need.

I see Notion as a Lego for softwares. You pick and choose what type of blocks you want and build something really cool.

💼 Setting Up Your Workspace

Within this section, we'll explore how to set up your Notion workspace for maximum productivity. You'll learn how to organize your sidebar, customize your workspace, and create a system that works for your specific needs.

To make your Notion workspace truly effective, it's important to customize it based on your specific needs. Your sidebar organization and workspace settings can greatly impact your productivity. Let's look at some key strategies for optimizing your workspace setup.

Here are some essential strategies for organizing your Notion sidebar:

Sidebar Organization Strategies

Use a hierarchy: Create top-level pages for major categories (Work, Personal, Projects) and nest related pages underneath them.

Implement icons and emojis: Visual cues help you quickly identify different sections and pages at a glance.

Favorites section: Add frequently accessed pages to your Favorites section for quick access.

Archive completed projects: Instead of deleting pages you no longer need, move them to an Archive section to keep your sidebar clean.

💡 Pro Tip: Review and reorganize your sidebar periodically. As your projects and priorities change, your workspace organization should evolve too.

Workspace Settings for Productivity

Beyond the sidebar, there are several workspace settings that can enhance your productivity:

Dark mode/Light mode: Choose the theme that works best for your eyes and work environment.

Set a custom domain: If you use Notion for professional purposes, consider setting up a custom domain for a more polished look.

Notification settings: Configure your notifications to ensure you stay informed without being overwhelmed.

Page width settings: Adjust the default page width to match your preferred reading and working style.

Remember that your workspace should evolve with your needs. Don't be afraid to experiment with different organizations until you find what works best for you.

📄 Getting Started With Pages

Understanding Notion Pages

Pages are the foundational building blocks of Notion. They serve as containers for all your information, ideas, and projects. Think of pages as digital piece of blank drawing paper that you can write or paste any type of content you desire.

A simple website home page with simple text documents

a life dashboard with many databases and nested pages (pages inside of pages)

to-do list, trackers, calandars (relational databases) linked together/ allow for properties and also filters.

Key Features of Notion Pages

Flexibility: Pages can be simple text document to becoming a home dashboard filled with databases, calendars, and more.

Nesting: Pages can contain other pages, allowing you to create a hierarchical structure for your information.

Rich Content: Add text, images, videos, code blocks, embeds, and more to customize your pages.

Properties: Add metadata to pages like tags, dates, and custom fields to organize and filter them.

🔑 Notion pages are super useful because they:
• Can be as simple or complex as you need
• Can be organized in folders and subfolders
• Support different types of content like images and videos
• Let you add labels and tags to keep things organized

Working with Pages

Making a page is easy. Just click the "+ New Page" button on the sidebar or type "/" and pick "Page" from the menu. After you create your page, you can:

Format text: Use headings, bullet points, numbered lists, and text styling to structure your content.

Add blocks: Insert various block types using the "/" command to add tables, callouts, toggle lists, and more.

Organize: Move pages into other pages by dragging them in the sidebar to create a nested structure.

Share: Collaborate with others by sharing pages with specific permissions.

What are Page Templates?

We will explore page templates in detail in another section but here is just a quick overview.

Notion offers templates to help you get started quickly. You can use pre-designed templates for various purposes or create your own templates for consistent page structures.

This can be helpful when dealing with repeated pages that require the same format. For example

Meeting notes template - for consistent meeting documentation

Project brief template - to standardize how project information is captured

Weekly report template - for regular team updates with consistent formatting

Alongside pages, we also have databases.

Useful Page Features

Page Icons: Add emoji or pictures to help identify your pages at a glance.

Cover Images: Add header pictures to make your pages look nice and personal.

Connecting Pages: Link pages together by mentioning them with @ or adding direct links.

Synced Blocks: Create content once and have it update everywhere it appears.

Once you master pages, you'll have the foundation needed to build a decent one pager or organise your notes.

Summary

Notion Pages: The basic building blocks for organizing information, like blank sheets of paper for your content.

Key Features: Pages are flexible, can be nested inside each other, support text and media, and can have tags and labels.

Creating Pages: Make new pages with the "+ New Page" button or "/" command. Add text, lists, and other content easily.

Templates: Save time by using ready-made page designs or create your own for things like meeting notes or reports.

Make Pages Better: Add icons, cover images, links to other pages, and content that updates everywhere at once.

Simple Exercise: Your First Notion Page (recommended)

Let's practice with a quick and easy exercise to get familiar with Notion pages:

Exercise: Create a Simple Personal Page

Follow these basic steps to create your first Notion page:

Step 1: Create a new page by clicking the "+ New Page" button in the sidebar

Step 2: Give your page a title (anything you like, such as "My First Page")

Step 3: Add an emoji as your page icon (click the icon space and select any emoji)

Step 4: Write a short paragraph about yourself or something you're interested in

Step 5: Create a simple to-do list with 3 items using the checkbox feature (type "/" and select "To-do list")

💡 Tip: Use the "/" command anytime you want to add new elements to your page. This is the quickest way to explore Notion's features.

That's it! This simple exercise will help you get comfortable with the basics of creating and customizing Notion pages.

Share your new page with your friends!

If you’re posting in socials, share tag me or #notionwithnasri

🟧 Working with Blocks

Working with Blocks in Notion

Blocks are the fundamental building units in Notion that allow you to create, organize, and customize your content. This guide will help you understand how to effectively work with blocks.

What are Blocks?

In Notion, everything is a block – text, headings, images, lists, tables, embeds, and more. Blocks can be:

Moved around and rearranged

Nested within other blocks

Styled and formatted

Turned into different block types

Duplicated or deleted

Creating and Adding Blocks

There are several ways to add new blocks to your page:

1. Using the "+" Button

Click the "+" button that appears when you hover over the beginning or end of any block. This opens the block menu with all available options.

2. Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Type "/" to open the command menu, then type a keyword or scroll to select the block type you want to add.

3. Using Markdown Syntax

Notion supports markdown shortcuts to quickly create blocks:

# for H1 heading

## for H2 heading

### for H3 heading

or * for bullet lists

for numbered lists

[] or - [ ] for to-do lists

> for quotes

` for code blocks (without spaces between backticks)

Type any of the above followed by a space to enable it.

Manipulating Blocks

Moving Blocks

Drag and drop: Hover over the six-dot handle on the left of a block, then click and drag to move it

Keyboard: Press Ctrl+Shift+Arrow keys (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+Shift+Arrow keys (Mac) to move blocks up or down

Nesting Blocks

Drag: Drag a block slightly to the right underneath another block to nest it

Tab key: Press Tab to indent (nest) a block

Shift+Tab: Press Shift+Tab to un-indent a block

Selecting Multiple Blocks

Click and drag to select multiple blocks

Hold Shift and click to select a range of blocks

Hold Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or ⌘ (Mac) and click to select non-adjacent blocks

Converting Block Types

To change a block's type:

Click the six-dot handle on the left of a block and select "Turn into"

Use the "/" command and type the new block type

Use the block menu by clicking on the + icon that appears when hovering

Advanced Block Features

Block Styling

Customize your blocks with colors and formatting:

Highlight text and use the formatting toolbar that appears

Use the six-dot handle menu to access color options for entire blocks

Use keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+B for bold, Ctrl+I for italic

This is a colored block

This is also colored block

This is a colored block text

This is also a colored block text

Block Comments

Collaborate with others by adding comments to blocks:

Highlight text within a block and click the comment icon

Resolve comments when discussions are complete

This is a comment

Block Customization

Many blocks have unique customization options:

Callout blocks: Change icons and colors

🕸️

This is a text in a callout block

Table blocks: Add rows and columns (this is different from a database table)

This	is	a	table	block
You can drag	the columns	and	rows	around
To	add	or	remove	the cells
however over the	edge and	drag	them	around

Code blocks: Select programming language for syntax highlighting


This a code block which 
can be used with many coding languages like bash, JSON, Mermaid and C++ 
for documentation

Toggle blocks: Hide and show nested content

This is a toggle block

This is a toggle block inside of a toggle block

This is a toggle in a toggle in a toggle.

This is too.

This is a bullet point in a toggle in a toggle

This is too

Tips for Working Efficiently with Blocks

Use templates: Save time by creating and reusing block combinations

Duplicate blocks: Right-click a block or use the six-dot handle menu to duplicate

Keyboard shortcuts: Learn common shortcuts to speed up your workflow

Synced blocks: Create blocks that update everywhere when changed in one place

Lock blocks: Prevent accidental edits by locking important blocks

Troubleshooting

Block won't move: Make sure it's not locked or part of a database view

Can't delete a block: Check if you have permission to edit the page

Block appears differently: Database views might display blocks differently than the original page

By mastering blocks in Notion, you'll be able to create powerful, flexible, and beautiful pages for your personal or team workspace. Start experimenting with different block types to discover the full potential of Notion!

📂 Building with Databases

What is a Notion Database?

A Notion database is a powerful and flexible organizational tool that lets you store, view, filter, and manipulate collections of information in multiple ways. Unlike traditional databases, Notion databases are approachable and visual while still maintaining powerful functionality.

How hard is it to build a database?

🕸️

I often compare it to using Excel, so if you know Excel, you will know how to build databases.

In this example, I’m going to show you how you can create a simple database that can be used as a Tasks or To-do list.

To do list

Table view

Name

Date

Status

Clean the kitchen

Aug 5, 2025

In progress

Buy Groceries

Aug 8, 2025

Done

Meet with Nasri

Aug 13, 2025

🕸️

You can add new cells in depending on how many properties you need by clicking on the “+”

Key Features of Notion Databases

Multiple Views: Display the same information as tables, kanban boards, calendars, lists, galleries, or timelines.

Custom Properties: Create and customize properties (columns) with various data types like text, numbers, dates, select options, relations to other databases, and more.

Filtering & Sorting: Organize your information based on any property or combination of properties.

Templates: Create templates for new items to save time and ensure consistency.

Linked Databases: Reference the same database in multiple locations with different views.

Common Uses for Notion Databases

Notion databases can be used for virtually any organizational need:

Task and project management

Content calendars

Resource libraries

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Habit trackers

Inventory management

Reading lists and media trackers

How to Create a Database in Notion

There are several ways to create a database in Notion:

Use the /database command in any page

Click the + New Page button in the sidebar and select a database template

Convert an existing bullet list into a database

Duplicate an existing database

Database vs. Page: Understanding the Difference

In Notion, a page is a flexible document that can contain various types of content blocks, while a database is a structured collection of pages with consistent properties. Every item in a database is actually a Notion page that belongs to that database.

This means database items can contain their own rich content including text, images, lists, embeds, and even other databases, giving you powerful nested organization capabilities.

Getting Started with Databases

The best way to understand Notion databases is to experiment with them. Try creating a simple database for something you want to track, then explore different views and property types to see how they can help you organize your information more effectively.