
Relate the two databases and link each note with an entry of the Categories database.Create a new database called Categories.The second one includes notes you don’t need anymore, and the third notes you have taken but which require more editing and formatting. Create a status property and create 3 options: Active, Archived & Unprocessed.You can even add more tags to your note later without destroying the old tagging structure.īuilding a simple Notion note taking template For example, you can use several tags per note, which makes sense since most notes are relevant to different categories. Tags, on the other hand, are much more flexible. If you put something into a folder, it will be shielded from every other connection in the future. Folders act as artificial barriers to your notes. But make sure to review your notes regularly and add your own summary. Of course, you can capture quotes and copy them into Notion first. Why? Because when you are writing about a topic, you are forcing yourself to think deeply about it. This also makes sure that you really understand the subject. Instead, as said in the introduction it always pays off to paraphrase your notes in your own word. Merely copying words into Notion will not build long-lasting knowledge. If two topics are related I would also recommend creating a hyperlink between them (Read more about the benefits of links in the section about Zettelkasten). If you need to take note of a second topic, create a second page. This means that every page should just cover one specific topic. There are several rules for note-taking you should follow to keep your notes organized in Notion or any other app.
#NOTION FOR NOTE TAKING HOW TO#
How to keep your notes organized in Notion When you are doing this, every person with a link to this page can access it. Now add the name or email address of a person you want to share the page with.Īlternatively, you can also toggle on the option Share with web. Create a second database where each item serves as a category and relate each note with one of those entries.

This way you can later easily filter and sort your notes according to topics.Ī more advanced option for tagging is the use of a related database. Simply use a “Select” property and create different names for each category you need. This can easily be done by assigning labels to your notes. Therefore, it goes without saying that you should use a database for keeping your notes organized. Every database item is its own editable page. Databases in Notion are collections of pages. How to use databases for note-taking in NotionĬombining databases with pages is the main invention of Notion. If you need to take plenty of notes and want to organize them for the future, I recommend using a database for the collection of notes. However, this is probably not the best approach to keeping your notes organized. The easiest way is to just create a new Notion page and start writing down or copying the information you want to capture in a block. They give users the opportunity to build pages according to their needs. Blocks can be plain text, but also images or files. Moreover, Notion supports three different fonts.īlocks are the smallest part of Notion. Plus, you can also display parts of text in bold or italics. You can make your text more readable with headings (h1,h2,h3) and bullet points or numbered lists. Writing in Notion works similarly to writing in Google Docs or MS Word. Notion is great for note-taking because of its versatility: The app offers an easy-to-use editor, is highly customizable, and allows effortless sharing with other users. In this post, I will look at Notion’s capabilities as a note-taking app. Today, besides pen & paper, you can choose between a myriad of digital apps for note-taking: Onenote, Obsidian, Roam Research, Evernote or Notion You can only be sure that you have understood a topic if you can explain it in your own words. When you write about a subject, you will immediately notice your logical loopholes.

As Sönke Ahrens put it: “We tend to think we understand what we read - until we try to rewrite it in our own words.” Notes also help to clarify your thoughts. They look like something written by a different person, and in some way, this is also true: Your past self is as different from your present self, as your future self will be different from your present self. This is the reason why we are often surprised when reading our old notes. In reality, the majority of humans forget almost every piece of knowledge again after a short time.


If you are like most people you might believe that you will remember everything that you have read. You take notes in order to stumble over them again at the right time in the future. Note-taking is a service for your future self. In this post, I’ll show you how to use our favorite Notion app for effective note-taking.
