Looking for a simple Notion Tutorial that will get you up to speed with this buzz-creating productivity tool? But you don’t have the time to watch countless hours of Youtube videos piecing together information? Don’t worry, here’s a complete Notion tutorial that you can finish in 10 minutes (or less). ## Table of contents * Why even use Notion? * Why Notion feels complicated at first: Legos without the instructions * Your first Notion Tutorial * 1\. An introduction to Notion * 2\. Notion Tutorial First Steps * 3\. Navigating the Sidebar and your Workspace * 4\. Understanding Blocks * 5\. Understanding how “Pages” work * 6\. Notion’s File System * 7\. The Versatility of Pages * 8\. The Magic of Toggles * 9\. A Wonderful User Experience * 10\. Sharing is caring * 11\. Notion Tutorial: Finally understand Databases * 12\. Manipulating Tables with “Views” * 13\. Using the Web Clipper * Next step… _Ready to design your perfect productivity system in Notion? Our upcoming course[Supercharge Your Productivity]() is your first step to transforming your life and career._ Do you prefer video instructions to a written blog post? No worries, we’ve got you covered: ## Why even use Notion? Getting your shoes fixed at the cobbler is a pretty straightforward task, easily handled by any to-do list app. Yet in the viral _Buzzfeed_ piece on [Millennial Burnout](), Anne Helen Petersen struggles to figure out why “small, straightforward tasks on my to-do list felt so impossible.” My theory: we’re suffering from _app fatigue_ and _productivity paralysis_? We’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of apps out there aimed at making slivers of our lives more productive. But there’s a new app in town, one that promises to [streamline your to-do list](), note-taking, calendar, kanban, [wikis](), spreadsheets, and [databases]() into a unified platform: meet [Notion](). ![Blog post image](/images/blog/should_i_use.gif) ## Why Notion feels complicated at first: Legos without the instructions My 6 year old is getting really good at Legos and has mastered the 500-piece sets that recreate an entire town. The number of pieces isn’t daunting thanks to the extensive instructions that come with each set. Notion is like a giant set of legos – by putting the various components together, you can create a simple tree house or the Eiffel Tower. The uses cases are extensive, ranging from mood boards, net worth trackers, and personal life dashboards. But there’s a catch – open the app and you’re __greeted by a blank page.__ Literally, just a flashing cursor. Wait, this is the game-changing app that will enable us to create [a corporate wiki](), a [net worth tracker]() and [consultant dashboard]()? Well, you could check out [the template gallery]() to kickstart your workspace. Or you could head to Notion’s [extensive Help and Support section]() or you could follow along with the tutorial below and build your first project encompassing all of Notion’s key features. ## Your first Notion Tutorial We’ve created an interactive guide (think case study) with two purposes: teaching you how to use each component (or _feature_) while having you build your own Notion workspace so that you can master the Notion app yourself. ### 1\. An introduction to Notion I’ve got a track record of spotting __game-changing productivity tools.__ [Omnifocus in 2008](). [Evernote]() in 2010. [Airtable]() in 2015. My obsession with productivity is quite simple. When I’m not organized, I’m anxious. And when I’m anxious, I don’t show up for the most important parts of my life: my family, my health, and my business. Notion finally gave me the pieces to unify all my disparate systems. Watch Video 1: [Introduction (1 minute)]() ### 2\. Notion Tutorial First Steps Before you get started, make sure you take the following 4 steps: * [Download]() the app (iOS and Android) * [Download]() the Desktop App (Mac and Windows) * Install the Notion [Web Clipper]() * Grab your [share link]() (to earn referral credits) ![Notion Tutorial: Webclipper](/images/blog/notion-web-clipper.jpg)The Notion Clipper lets you add any site to your workspace Watch Video 2: [Getting set up (1 min)]() ### 3\. Navigating the Sidebar and your Workspace In this video, you’ll learn about the sidebar, on-page navigation, and manipulating blocks. Your left sidebar will serve as your hub for navigation, acting like a Finder/File Explorer. Your top sidebar will also facilitate navigation with breadcrumbs and search. Watch Video 3: [Navigating your Workspace (2 mins)]() ### 4\. Understanding Blocks Moving on to the next part of this Notion Tutorial: Blocks. Everything is a block – text, headers, images, databases, quotes, and other pages. What makes blocks special is that they’re recursive, meaning that a block (i.e. a table can be comprised of other pages) can contain another block. Here’s a list of Notion’s basic blocks: * Text * Headers * Images * Toggle Lists * To-do lists * Tables * Call-outs * Embeds (Video, Maps) Watch Video 4: [It’s all about blocks (1 min)]() ### 5\. Understanding how “Pages” work Pages are where you aggregate all the blocks listed above and are Notion’s equivalent to files. As we’ll later see, pages are the core building blocks of Tables and Databases. As you write, you can highlight text to add __bold,__ _italics_ , and pre-formatted code. You will also notice that you can insert a new block by __simply typing the “/” command.__ Watch video 5: [How pages work (2 mins)]() ### 6\. Notion’s File System Notion combines a traditional hierarchical file structure with the hyperlinked structure of the web. The cool part is that if you move pages (i.e. files) around, the hyperlinking adjusts automatically. The easiest place to look at your file structure is via the left sidebar (while expanding the toggles). You can also move any block into another page by right-clicking the block and selecting __“move to.”__ Watch video 6: [How files work (2 mins)]() ### 7\. The Versatility of Pages Pages are more than just collections of words and headers. They can include all types of embeds, dividers, files, pictures, to-do lists. You can also drag-and-drop any block to move them around or create columns. ![Blog post image](/images/blog/notion-columns.gif) Watch video 7: [The versatility of pages (3 mins)]() ### 8\. The Magic of Toggles Toggles are a simple but new and innovative way to organize your thinking and one of __[Notion’s most powerful (yet under-appreciated) features]().__ Here are a few ways toggles can improve your thinking and workflow: * Prioritize/de-prioritize text * Visualize ideas as you go from draft to final * Interact with your reader (i.e. FAQs) Watch video 8: [The magic of toggles (4 mins)]() ### 9\. A Wonderful User Experience The app is beautifully designed like the iPhone. Little finishes go a long way in inspiring your creativity, boosting shareability, while getting out of your way so that you can create your best work. Watch video 9: [A delightful UX (3 mins)]() ### 10\. Sharing is caring Sharing documents is clean and crisp. Your friends will think you’re a secret web designer Watch video 10: [Sharing is caring (2 mins)]() ### 11\. Notion Tutorial: Finally understand Databases Tables are like Google Sheets on frigging steroids. They’re tricky to learn, but help you structure, visualize, and organize your data. (Here’s how [a Tiger King uses tables]().) Here are some of the data types you can use in tables: * Links * Emails * Numbers * Check boxes * Single-select tags * Multi-select tags * Images * Formulas (here’s our [complete reference]()) * Files Watch video 11: [Introduction to tables (5 minutes)]() If you want to see the power of Notion’s tables in action, check out our GTD video (queued to 15:26): ### 12\. Manipulating Tables with “Views” As if tables weren’t good enough, you can take the data and present it in different views while applying __sorting__ and __filtering__. (Here’s an example of how you can [use Notion to recreate Evernote]() using views). Later, this will be one of the core building blocks for your [Notion Dashboards](). ![Notion Tutorial: Views](/images/blog/notion-views.gif) Watch Video 12: [Table views (2 mins)]() ### 13\. Using the Web Clipper We made it to the end! Here’s a bonus video on taking any web page and importing its __full contents__ (including all text, images and formatting) into any table of your choice. You could take this example and create an [algorithmic Pocket/Instapaper]() that surfaces up relevant reading notes. Watch Video 13: [Using the web clipper (6 mins)]() ## Next step… If this was your first time learning about Notion, congratulations on making it this far! I hope this guide has fueled your excitement for productivity with Notion. Next stop on your journey is to learn [how to take note taking to a new level with Notion](). Or if you plan on using Notion professionally, check out our [Ultimate Guide to Notion For Business](). [![notion basics](/images/blog/Copy-of-BASICS.png)]() [![Blog post image](/images/blog/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-BASICS.png)]() [![Blog post image](/images/blog/Copy-of-Copy-of-BASICS.png)]() [See all Notion Guides]()