Notion basics in five minutes

You only need a few Notion skills for this template. Each one below takes seconds to try, and you can undo anything.

Everything saves as you type

Notion has no save button. It saves anything you type or change the moment you do it.

Pages and databases

A page in Notion works like a document. The template is one page, and inside it sit several databases.

A database is a collection of cards that all have the same fields. It’s similar to a spreadsheet, except that each row can open up into its own page.

The same database can be laid out in different ways, which Notion calls views. This template uses tables, boards of columns, galleries of cards and a calendar. The tabs above a database let you switch between its views. Switching changes the layout, never the content.

Opening a card

Click a card’s title to open it. It opens as a page of its own, with its fields listed at the top. Press Esc, or click outside it, to close it again.

Filling in a field

Fields are the labelled lines at the top of an opened card, such as Objective or Week of. Click the empty space to the right of a field’s name, then type or pick an option. Date fields open a small calendar. Tick boxes change with one click.

Adding a card

Click + New at the bottom of a column or list, type a title and press Enter.

Moving a card on a board

On a board, drag a card from one column to another to move it.

Deleting a card

Hover over the card, click the three dots (•••) that appear, then choose Delete.

Undoing a mistake

Press Ctrl+Z on Windows, or Cmd+Z on a Mac, to undo your last change. If you delete something by mistake, open Trash near the bottom of the sidebar and restore it from there.