Information overload is the norm in this digital age and managing tasks, projects, and personal life can be daunting. If you are anything like me, you’re always looking for that versatile app to streamline your workday flow. Enter Notion, the Swiss army knife of productivity apps. But the chances are, you are not exploring its full potential yet. Let’s examine a few tips to transform you into a productivity maestro in Notion.
1. Sync Block Across Pages
Notion’s foundation lies in the concept of blocks – texts, images, or databases. You and probably half the world know how to create pages within pages. However, do you know you can sync blocks across the pages too?
With the paste and sync feature, you can sync the important blocks across different pages, supercharging your productivity.
Use Ctrl + C (Windows) or CMD + C (Mac) to copy the block. When pasting with (Ctrl + V or CMD + V), select Paste and Sync from the options to sync the initial block. Once the content is updated, it will reflect everywhere.
2. Learn to Use Commands
One of the most advanced Notion tips is using its command system. Typing the / key is your shortcut to increase content creation in Notion.
Need a big heading? Type /h1. Type /todo for a to-do list, /table or /board for a new database with custom properties.
It cuts the navigation nightmare and lets you focus on what matters. Within a few keystrokes, you can switch from a table to a checklist or text without breaking a sweat.
3. Leveraging Templates for Efficiency
Templates in Notion can save you countless hours by preventing you from doing repetitive tasks. Think of them as your time-saving best friends. Why start every new project, journal, or meeting from scratch when you can jumpstart with a few clicks?
Set up a page to your liking, click the three dots, and select Save as template. Also, you can add templates via the Notion site. Once set, you can always find it under the Templates section in the sidebar to reuse.
There are endless possibilities for the templates you can create or get. You can have Notion templates for upcoming goals, personal reflections, project onboarding, and more. Using this Notion formatting tip adds consistency and speed for peak productivity.
Notes: If you are a student, we have selected the top 15 Notion templates to help with your life and school management.
4. Improve Data Management with Linked Databases
Linked databases are one of the reasons I use Notion to organize my life. By linking databases to different pages, you can view the same data with filters to display only relevant information in context.
Create a database on a page and use /linked on a different page to add a view of the database. This keeps your data clean and aids context-specific management.
In addition, you can customize these linked views with filters or sorts. For instance, you can create a view from a main project database to show items for Project X this week.
5. Integrating External Calendars
Google Calendar is not exactly an ideal tool to integrate into Notion because it doesn’t allow direct interaction. However, it’s still great to keep your schedule visible while working in Notion to ease your workflow.
You can get the embed code from Google Calendar and paste it into the Embed block in Notion to add it.
However, Zapier is a much better tool to integrate into Notion. It’s easier to automate event creation and task syncing on the two platforms.
6. The Power of Web Clipping
For researchers and writers like me, Notion Web Clipper is the secret weapon for curating content. In fact, it is baffling how underutilized this feature is.
With a click, you can save images, clip articles, or snippets from web content directly into Notion. Also, you can set up pages to determine where the clips go.
One of the ways I manage them is to use tags or create databases for easy retrieval. In addition, Web Clipping transforms Notion into your knowledge base.
Additional Hacks to Boost Productivity
Another advanced tip is the Notion AI. If you have access to this, it can improve your writing with suggestions, summarize articles, or translate content for you.
Formulas are also underused. If you want to improve your productivity in Notion, use formulas to automate calculations, status changes, and moving tasks to different stages.
You can also open new tabs by command-clicking on links to ease project management.
Each of these Notion tips adds weapons to your arsenal for peak productivity.
With the right knowledge, Notion isn’t just another note-taking app, it’s a powerhouse to enhance your productivity. Mastering these Notion tips can help you work smarter, making daily tasks and projects easier. Remember, the more you customize Notion to your needs, the better you become at being productive. If you are craving more hacks with Notion, you can learn about some of the project management features in Notion.
Images credit: Unsplash and all screenshots by Henderson Jayden Harper
