Transcription
If you've ever felt like your notes, tasks, and ideas are scattered across different apps, this is going to change that. By the end of this video, you'll go from Notion Zero to Hero and be able to build your own complete productivity system from scratch.
Notion is more than just a note-taking app. You can use it to gather thoughts, manage projects, organize databases, publish simple websites, and even run parts of a business. It's flexible enough to adapt to personal planning or full team collaboration.
In this tutorial, you'll learn how to set up your account, understand the interface, create structured pages, build databases, connect everything into a dashboard, and customize your workspace to fit your workflow. And the best part is you can get started completely free.
Before we dive in, if you want to master Notion in just 2 hours instead of spending weeks figuring it out on your own, I've got a complete Notion Pro program and community with everything you need. Links in the description. But first, let's get you started with the basics. Let's get into it.
I know that signing up for a productivity tool and immediately felt overwhelmed. Don't worry, notion setup is actually simple as long as you follow it step by step. Let's get your account created the right way so you can start without building much confusion.
Open your browser and go to notion.com. Once you're in a website, click on the pricing so you can see the available plans. You'll notice the options for pay monthly and pay yearly. And the plans include free, plus, business, and enterprise. If you're just getting started, the free plan is more than enough. It's already powerful for personal productivity and building a structured workspace, so there's no need to upgrade at that stage.
Under the free plan, click sign up. You'll be taken to the login screen where Notion gives you several signup options, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Pasi, SSO, or email. In this tutorial, we're using the Google sign-in method. Select Google, enter your account credentials, and allow Notion to complete the authentication process.
Once that's done, you'll automatically be redirected to the workspace setup stage. You may briefly see a loading screen while your workspace is being created. After that, Notion will ask how you plan to use the platform. In this tutorial, we're selecting personal life. You might also see a prompt encouraging you to download the desktop app. For now, choose skip for now so we can continue inside the web version.
Once everything loads, your workspace will open with a default page titled welcome to notion. On the left sidebar, you'll see the main navigation options such as search, home, inbox, settings, and templates. This confirms your account setup is complete and your workspace is ready.
Before moving on, let's quickly customize your profile. Click settings in the sidebar and wait for the settings window to appear. Then click your profile or avatar icon. You can either upload a photo directly from your computer or choose to create a custom self-portrait using Notion faces. If you choose the avatar option, you'll be redirected to Notion's customization page where you can adjust facial features, accessories, and style. After finishing, click continue. Download the avatar with a transparent background. Return to Notion and upload it as your profile image. You can also change your preferred name. In this tutorial, it's set to test. Once finished, close the settings window.
At this point, you now have a fully working Notion account. Your workspace is ready and you can begin creating pages, databases, and dashboards.
Now that your account is set up, let's understand how Notion is structured. If you understand the interface early, everything else becomes easier. Notion is simple, but only once you know where things live.
Start with the left sidebar. This is your command center. At the very top left, click your workspace name. In this video, it shows test accounts space. Click settings and a window will appear. Inside the settings panel, you can change your workspace name, manage members, adjust security settings, configure integrations, and modify appearance options. Click on general and change the workspace name. In this example, it's renamed to daily plans. You can also click the workspace icon to replace it with any icon you prefer. When you're done, simply click outside the window to close it.
Back in the sidebar, you'll notice a double arrow icon. Click the icon to collapse the sidebar into a pop-up view. Click the three horizontal lines to expand it back to the full view. Right beside the collapse icon, you'll see a notepad with a pen icon, which allows you to quickly open a new page. There's also a more options drop-down button. When you click it, you'll see options to add a page, create AI meeting notes, build a database, or access templates. If you click templates, you'll be redirected to the discover section. Here you can browse a pre-built templates such as monthly planner, Ramadan planner, weekly planner, and class notes. Templates are organized into categories like work, life, and school. Let's preview here the weekly planner template by clicking into it and scrolling through its layout. Templates are helpful because they allow you to start with structure instead of building everything from scratch.
Now, look at the center of your screen. This is the main editor window. This is where everything happens. It's where you write notes, build pages, create databases, and add different types of content blocks. The sidebar is also how you access your pages. Under private, click on to-do list. This opens a sample page created by Notion for new users. You can edit this page directly. You can check off task by clicking the check boxes. To modify text, hover near an entry and click the small pen icon or simply double click the text and start typing. Here the first task is changed to pick up groceries. And the second is updated to take kids to school. If you want to delete an entry, you can rightclick it and choose delete or hover over it, click the six dot icon and select delete. You can also select multiple entries by clicking and dragging your mouse over them. Then rightclick and delete them in bulk. To add a new task, click new task at the bottom of the list. A new checkbox line will appear and you can type something like water the plants.
Once you understand the sidebar and the editor window, you will now be in control of how your workspace behaves and how your information is structured.
You might be wondering whether you should use Notion in your browser or download the desktop app. The good news is that both versions function almost the same. The difference mainly comes down to performance and focus.
The bed version is accessed by going to notion.com in your browser. There's no installation required and you can log in from any device with internet access. Everything syncs automatically across devices which makes it ideal for quick access. You can create pages, edit content, use databases, access templates, and collaborate in real time just like in the desktop app. The only downside is that performance depends on your browser and if you tend to keep many tabs open, it can feel slightly slower or cluttered.
If you prefer a more dedicated workspace, you can install the desktop app. To do that, click your workspace name at the top left corner and choose get Windows app or the Mac option if you're using Mac OS. This will begin the download process. Open the downloaded file and install it like any regular application. Once installed, open Notion as a standalone application. You'll notice that the interface looks exactly the same as the web version. The sidebar, pages, databases, and overall layout remains unchanged. The main advantages of the desktop app are faster and more stable performance, a cleaner experience without browser distractions, a better keyboard shortcut integration, and easier switching between workspaces. Functionally, both versions are the same, so the choice depends on how you prefer to work.
Now, let's create your first page. In Notion, everything starts with a page, and there are several ways to create one, depending on where you are in the workspace.
The first method is using the sidebar. On the left side, click the notepad with a pen icon beside your workspace name. A new blank page will be created instantly. At the top, type a title like baking ideas. Then add simple content below it like cookies and brownies. That's it.
The second method is creating a shared page. In the sidebar under shared, click plus start collaborating. A small window will appear in the upper right corner asking you to invite someone by email. Enter an email address and click invite. After that, a new page will appear under the shared section. Add sample content such as work plans as a heading and create monthly plans underneath. That's how pages can be created specifically for collaboration.
The third method is creating a subpage inside an existing page. Hover your mouse over to-do list in the sidebar and click the plus icon beside it. This creates a subpage within the to-do list page showing how hierarchy works. Inside the new page, add a heading like pick up groceries. Do the date and create a short sample list. This method will help you organize related content under a main page.
The fourth method happens inside a database. Go back to the to-do list page and click plus new page underneath the database table. Add a sample task in daily chores. When you hover beside that entry, you'll see an open icon. Click it and the page will open in a side panel. Inside that panel, you can add more details such as water the plants or clean the house. This shows that database entries are not just rows, but full pages.
Now, let's organize and customize these pages. In the to-do list database, click the small paper icon beside each task to change its icon. You can choose an emoji, a default notion icon, or upload your own. I'll use a bacon emoji for pick up groceries, and a broom emoji for daily chores. These small visual cues make pages easier to recognize.
If you hover over the page title, you'll see options like add icon, add cover, and add description. Click add icon to change the main page icon. We'll select that check emoji, and you can see it updated in both the page and the sidebar. Then click add cover to insert a cover image at the top. To customize it, click change in the upper right corner of the image. You can choose from notion's gallery, upload a file, add a link, or select an image from Unsplash. Here, a random Unsplash photo is selected. After choosing the image, click reposition to adjust how the cover appears. And there you go.
Now, we're going to cover one of the most important concepts in Notion, which is the block system. Once you understand blocks, you understand how notion actually works.
Open an existing page or create a new one. In this example, the page baking ideas is open. Everything inside is deleted and the title is changed to my future bakery. At the bottom of the page, you'll notice quick options like ask AI, create AI meeting notes, add database, add form, and choose templates. There's also a three dots menu that lets you insert elements such as a table, board, list, timeline, calendar images from the gallery, or import files from your computer.
Here's the key idea. Everything in Notion is a block. A single line of text is a block. A heading is a block. A checklist item is a block. To create your first block, click underneath the title, my future bakery, and start typing. Let's add a sentence. This contains the plans for my future bakery. That automatically creates a text block.
To add another block using a different method, hover your mouse below the text and click the plus icon that appears. A full list of block options will open. Scroll through to see the different types available, including built-in blocks and third-party integrations. Choose heading one and type menu. Another faster method is using the slash command. Type slash in your keyboard and the block menu will appear again. You can then type the name of what you want. Let's type /t and there it is. The table option is selected to create a table under the menu section. Inside the table, sample items are cupcakes, cake, and brownies are added.
Next, structure the page further. Using the slash command again, add another heading and type ideal locations. Under that heading, type /bulleted list to create a list and add items like near schools and near churches. Add another heading called ideal designs. Then type /image to insert an image. You can upload one from your computer, paste a link or choose from Unsplash. Then add another heading called renovation needs and use /todo list to create a checklist of renovation tasks.
Blocks are flexible and you can convert them into other types. For example, select the list under renovation needs. Click the six dot icon beside it and choose turn into. You can see here that it's converted into a bulleted list, then changed back into a to-do list using the same method. The ideal locations heading is also converted into a toggle list, which creates a drop-down that can hide or show its content. Another method is selecting the block directly, clicking the block menu that appears above it, choosing toggle list, and then converting it again to another format such as heading two.
You now know how to create, move, and convert blocks, which is the core skill for building anything inside Notion.
At some point, simple notes stop being enough. You need structure. This is where Notion starts to feel powerful because you're no longer just writing things down. You're organizing an entire system.
Start by adding a new section inside the My Future Bakery page using a heading two block and title it company locations. Under that heading, insert an image block. You can upload an image from your computer or embed one using a link. We will use here a Google Drive image link. To do this, open the file in Google Drive. Click share in the upper right corner. Change the access to anyone with a link and then copy the link. Paste that link into notion and select embed image. Once inserted, you can resize the image. Use the magnifying glass or plus icon to zoom in and use the arrow icon to open the original file. Under the image, add a short list of sample locations.
To highlight important content, type /gif to insert a GIF block. Here, a top secret GIF from Gy is added as a visual warning. Resize the GIF by dragging its edges. This is a small behavior in Notion where uploaded images stay aligned left until resized. So adjusting the size also helps center it visually. Hover to the left of the image to reveal the six dot icon which allows you to drag the image anywhere on the page. You can move it above a section to act as a warning banner or place it wherever it makes sense in the layout. When hovering above the image, you'll see additional options such as adding a comment, inserting a caption, changing alignment, zooming in, or downloading the media. Let's add here a caption saying, "The content of this page is confidential." The three dot menu includes these same options along with extra settings, including linking the media to other pages.
Next, move content into subpages to create a hierarchy. Scroll to the company location section and create a subpage by clicking the plus icon beside my future bakery in the sidebar. Name it company locations. Then customize it with an icon and cover. After closing the window, select the content under the original company location section. Click the six dot icon. Choose move to and select the new subpage. When you open the subpage, the content will now live there. In the sidebar, you'll see it nested under my future bakery, forming a clear structure.
There is another way to create subpages directly from content. Back on the main page, select idea locations. Click the side dot icon, choose turn into, and then select page in. Choose my future bakery to create it as a subpage. Move the related content into this new page using the same process. For cleaner hierarchy, drag the ideal location subpage under company locations in the sidebar. You can reorder pages simply by dragging them up or down. To create a deeper structure, drag ideal locations onto company locations so it becomes a nested page inside another subpage. When you open ideal locations, you'll see breadcrumb navigation at the top that reads my future bakery/ ideal locations. Clicking my future bakery will take you back to the main page without using the sidebar. This breadcrumb system will make navigation clear as your workspace grows.
What you saw only means that notion is not just for writing notes. It also allows you to build structured systems using pages within pages.
As your workspace grows, finding pages quickly will be important. Instead of scrolling through the sidebar every time, Notion can give you simple tools to speed things up.
Start by opening any existing page from the sidebar. At the top right corner near the page title, click the star icon. Once you click it, that page will automatically appear under the favorites section in the sidebar. This allows you to access important pages instantly without searching for them each time. You can also adjust where the favorites section appears. Click the three dots beside favorites and a menu will appear with options to show a certain number of pages. Move the section up or down, hide it or open it in the library. I'll try to select move up here and that places the favorite section above the recent section. This helps you prioritize the pages you use most.
Next, open the page settings. Click the three dot menu at the top right of any page. From here, you can change the font style. You can also toggle full width to expand the content across the screen or keep it constrained for a narrower layout. Additional customization options include enabling back links, turning on page discussions, showing or hiding a table of contents, and modifying inline comment settings. You can see here how the table of contents changes the layout when enabled versus disabled.
To prevent accidental edits, you can lock the page. In the same menu, toggle lock page. When a page is locked, content cannot be modified and only comments or reactions are allowed. Beside the page title, you can adjust the lock settings by choosing unlock for me, which allows only you to edit or unlock for everyone to enable editing access again. This is useful when you want to protect finalized content. There is also a translate option available with a subscription which allows you to convert the page into different languages.
Finally, use quick search to move even faster. Press control + P on Windows or command + P on Mac to open the search panel. Start typing the name of a page and results will appear instantly. You can also apply filters such as searching for who created the page or narrowing results to a specific location. This makes navigation efficient, especially in larger workspaces.
At first glance, regular tables and databases look very similar in Notion, but they behave very differently. In this section, we're going to compare them side by side so you can clearly see the difference.
Let's start with a regular table inside a page. I'm going to add a new column by clicking the plus sign at the end of the table and then I'll type directly into the cells. If I want to create a bulleted list inside a cell, I have to type a dash followed by a space before the text. I can't use slash commands inside a regular table and I can't insert separate blocks within it. This behaves like a simple grid for static information. We can type text but we don't get advanced property types and we don't get filtering, sorting or multiple views. It's just a basic content block.
Now let's create a database for comparison. Under the table I'm going to type / database and choose table in line. Immediately, Notion creates a structured table with a default name column. I'm going to rename that column to food. Unlike a regular table, these columns are properties and we can control what type of data they hold. Next, we're going to click add property. I'll choose text first. Rename it to amount to bake and then change the property type to number. This is where databases become powerful. We can choose different property types such as text, number, select, multi select, status, date, checkbox, files, and media, and people. Each property controls how information behaves, not just how it looks. Let's add a date property as well. Then we'll add new entries like cupcake, cake, and brownies. I'll customize their icons and fill in the amount to bake and the assigned date.
When we click on cupcake, it opens in a side panel. This shows us something important. Each row in a database is actually its own page. Inside that page, we can add blocks like ingredients, instructions, checklists, or any detailed information we want.
Now, we're going to add a status property. I'll create options like complete and delivered. We can also set a default option by clicking on one of the statuses and choosing default option, which makes not started the automatic selection for new entries. Changing the status is as simple as clicking the dropdown. If we want to open the cupcake page fully, we can click the double arrow icon at the top of the side panel. Breadcrumb navigation appears at the top, allowing us to move back to the main database page. Finally, we'll rename the database itself to menu to reflect its purpose.
So, here's the core difference. A regular table is static content with a simple grid layout and no advanced properties. A database is dynamic and structured. It allows custom property types, filtering, sorting, and most importantly, each row acts as its own expandable page. A table stores information, but a database manages a system.
Up to this point, you've worked with inline databases. A full page database takes things further by turning an entire page into a structured system.
Start by clicking the plus icon in the sidebar besides My Future Bakery to create a new page. When prompted to choose a page type, select database and then choose empty database. This creates a full page database. Rename it to company locations. If you previously created a regular page with the same name, open that old page, select the list inside it, and move the content into this new database. After moving a list, each item automatically becomes its own row and each row becomes its own page. Customize the database by adding an icon at the top and renaming the first column from name to location. Then add a new property and choose the place type. When adding locations, allow the browser to access your location if prompted. Fill in location details for some of the rows. You can also open each row and customize it individually. You can see that country flag icons are added to different entries. We will also open the Japan page and add sample content inside to show that each row functions as a full page. Next, add another column called established date and another called status. The status property can track whether a building is completed, in progress, or not started. Modify the status options and update a few entries to reflect different stages. You can also add additional properties like address or date if needed. When working with a date property, you can adjust the date and time format. There is also an option to enable an end date, which turns the date into a range. For this one, a building project is set from February 20 of 2025 to February of 20, 2030. You can even set reminders tied to specific dates.
Let's continue using the same company locations full page database. When we open it, the default view you see is usually the table view. In this layout, rows appear as entries. Columns act as properties, and we can edit fields directly inside a grid. It looks similar to a spreadsheet, which makes it ideal for structured data input.
Now, we're going to create a new view. At the top of the database, click the current view name, such as table, and then click the plus sign beside it. This allows us to choose a different view type. Notion gives several options including board, calendar, gallery, list, chart, timeline, feed, map, form, and even the option to add a new data source. Let's select the board view. Once selected, the database reorganizes the same entries into columns based on a property, usually status. Each column represents a category such as not started, in progress, or done. The entries appear as cards and we can drag them between columns to update their status. We can also click any card to open it as a page. This layout is ideal for tracking workflow visually.
Next, we're going to add another new view and choose calendar. This view displays entries based on their date property. Items now appear on specific dates and we can drag them between dates to adjust schedules. We can also click on any date to create a new entry directly from the calendar. This view is useful for deadline management.
Switching between views is simple. We just click on the view names at the top such as table, calendar or board. The important thing to understand is that all views display the same data. Nothing is duplicated. Only the layout changes.
Now let's look at adding a new data source. Click add a new data source and a side panel appears with options like new empty data source, build with AI, import CSV, suggested templates or link to existing data source. For demonstration, we select document hub under suggested templates. A setup window appears where features can be adjusted, but we'll keep the default settings and click get started. Then done. A new customized database appears in the main window. We can also add another view and choose add a new data source. Then select new empty data source. This creates a fresh database table view similar to the first one we built.
If we want to delete a view, we select the view, open its menu, and click delete view. We can choose to delete only the view or delete both the view and its data source. Once confirmed, it's removed. To hide a data source title, select the view and choose hide data source titles. The title disappears from the layout. To bring it back, repeat the same process and choose show data source titles. We can also change the database source of a view. Select the view, open the menu, click source, and choose a different database such as the menu page. The view instantly updates to display that database's content. If you want to open the source database directly, we select the view and choose open source database which opens it in its full page view.
This section shows that one database can have multiple views and each view presents the same information in different formats. The data stays consistent. Only the way we look at it changes.
As your database grows, scrolling through everything becomes inefficient. This is where filtering and sorting help you focus only on what matters.
Let's open the company locations database and make sure we're inside the table view. We're going to use this database to demonstrate filtering and sorting.
The first method is using the column header. I'll click on the location column header and a menu appears. From there, I choose filter and add a condition. In this case, I select Spain and press enter. the the table immediately updates to show only entries that match that condition. If I want to remove the filter, I select it, click the three dots beside it, and choose delayed filter. I can repeat the same process for the status column and filter rows where the status is building in progress.
To sort the data, I click on the establish date column header and choose sort. Then I select ascending. The rows rearrange automatically based on the date from earliest to latest. Sorting changes the order of the data while filtering limits what we see.
The second method is using the plus filter button located under the views. I click plus filter, choose a property such as place and set the condition to is not empty. I can then click add filter again to layer another condition. For example, I can set status to in progress and establish date to within this week. This allows us to combine multiple conditions using and logic. So the database only shows entries that meet all selected criteria.
The third method is through settings. I click the settings button beside new in the top right corner and choose filter. The same filtering panel appears allowing me to create layered conditions just like before. When I'm done, I close the panel by clicking the arrow or the X. The database now displays only entries that satisfy the applied filters. To remove them, I return to settings, open filters, click each filters three dot menu, and choose delete filter.
We can also group entries for better organization. Inside settings, I choose group and select a property such as date. The rows are now grouped by that property, creating separate sections in the database. I can toggle on hide empty groups to remove sections without content. I can also hide specific groups by clicking the eye icon and unhide them the same way. If I want to remove grouping completely, I click remove grouping.
Finally, within the same settings menu, I can click edit property to modify any property directly from this panel. Filtering narrows focus sorting controls order and grouping organizes layout. These tools allow us to control how information is displayed without changing the actual data inside a database.
Up to this point, we've been looking at databases from the outside. Now, we're going to look inside the individual records and see how powerful they really are.
Start by navigating to the database we created earlier. In the sidebar, click the arrow icon beside the database name to expand it. This shows the different views associated with that database. Select the table view to open it as a full page. From here, click on any row, for example, New York. The row opens in a side panel. And what we're seeing is not just a cell, but an actual page. Inside this panel, we can add blocks just like we would in any other notion page. We can type notes, create checklist, insert headings, or add any other content. The same behavior applies in other views. If we switch to the board view and click on Spain, it opens up as a side panel page as well. We can insert content directly inside it. If we move to the calendar view and click on Japan, it opens the same way. No matter the view, clicking an entry opens its full page. This shows an important concept. Database entries are not just rows in a grid. Each one is its own expandable page that can hold detailed information. The database organizes the records, but the real content lives inside each individual page.
Notion becomes much more powerful when you start collaborating. Sharing in notion is done per page. So, we need to open the specific page we want to share.
First, navigate to the page you want others to access and make sure you are inside that page. Then, click the share button at the top right corner. A sharing panel will appear. Inside the invite field, enter the person's email address. Before sending the invite, click the permission drop-down, which usually shows full access by default. Here you can choose the level of access. Can view allows the person to only read the content. Can comment allows them to leave comments but not edit. Canedit allows them to modify the page, though this option requires a subscription. Full access allows them to edit and share the page with others. Once you select the appropriate permission, click invite. The person will receive a notification in their notion account and gain access based on the permission you assigned.
If you need to change permissions later, reopen the share panel. Locate the invited user, click the permission dropown beside their name, and adjust their access level. You can also choose remove access from that same dropdown to revoke their access completely.
When collaborating in real time, you may also notice small member icons at the top right of the page. If someone else is currently viewing the same page, their icon will appear there. This lets you see who is inside the page at the same time as you.
Beyond sharing individual pages, we can also control access at the workspace level. To do this, scroll down the sidebar and click settings. Then locate people under the workspace section. Inside this window, we see categories such as guests, members, groups, and contacts. Under guests, we can see which pages each guest has access to by clicking the number shown under access, such as two pages. If we click the three dots beside a guest's name, we can upgrade them to admin or remove them from the workspace entirely. Under members, we can adjust roles by clicking the drop-down under the role column. Depending on the plan, we can assign roles such as workspace owner, member or restricted member or remove the person from the workspace. These roles determine what level of control someone has inside the workspace. This is how we manage broader access beyond a single page. Page level sharing controls who can access specific content, while workspace settings control who has overall access and what they are allowed to do inside the system.
Collaboration in notion is not just about sharing pages. It's also about communicating clearly inside the content itself. Comments allow us to give feedback without changing the actual text.
To add a comment to specific content, open any page and hover over a word, sentence, or block. A small comment icon appears when you hover over the block. Click that icon. Type your message such as fix this please and then click send. the comment becomes visible to everyone who has access to that page. There's another way to do this. Highlight the block you want to comment on, click the six dot icon, and choose comment from the menu. A comment box appears where you can type something like change the sentence at member. When you mention someone using the at symbol, they receive a notification and it clearly shows that they are being referenced for that specific block.
To respond to comments, open the inbox from the sidebar. This shows notifications including mentions. Click on a notification to jump directly to the page in the exact comment thread. Even if the original text is edited, the comment remains attached to the block until it is resolved. To resolve a comment, click the comment icon beside the block and then click the resolve or check icon. You can also react to a comment using the reaction icon next to the resolve button. If you click the three dots inside a comment thread, you'll see additional options such as marking it as unread, copying the link, or deleting the comment. Once a comment is resolved, it disappears from the active view for the commenter. This system keeps communication organized and directly connected to the content, making collaboration structured instead of messy.
To see how notifications work from another perspective, go to the sidebar and click inbox. A side panel appears showing recent activity, including reactions and replies to comments. You'll notice that only reactions and replies generate notifications. When a comment is resolved, there is no separate notification for that action. Click on a reaction notification and notion opens a side panel showing the related discussion thread. From here, you can view the full conversation connected to that block. In the top corner of this panel, there are three lines that allow you to sort and filter discussions. This helps you manage conversations more efficiently, especially when working with multiple collaborators.
Notion doesn't just keep your content private. We can also publish a page to the web and turn it into a simple public site.
Start by opening the page you want to publish, for example, company locations. Make sure the content is finalized before sharing because web publishing is done per page. Once you're ready, click the share button at the top right corner. In the sharing panel, choose publish, then click the publish button. This makes the page public and generates a sharable link. After publishing, we can adjust the public settings. Options include making the page discoverable on the web and allowing others to duplicate it as a template. There's also an option called manage all sites and links. When we click this, a settings window opens showing all published pages and their status. By clicking the three dots beside a page, we can choose update domain name and change it to something like company locations bakery. Creating multiple domains or setting up a homepage requires a subscription. Once done, we exit the window.
Back in the share panel, we can click customize site styling. This opens a clean public-f facing version of the page that looks more like a minimal website. With a subscription, we can change themes, customize the header, and add Google Analytics. The share panel also includes options to embed the page into your own website or share it directly via social media. To preview the published version, click view site. This opens the public web page where visitors can view and interact with the content, but they cannot edit it. that shows how notion can function not only as a workspace tool but also as a simple website builder.
Notion isn't meant to replace everything you already use overnight. Instead, we can bring existing content into notion and centralize it in one place.
To start, go to the left sidebar and open the page where you want the important file to appear. In this example, we're using My Future Bakery. Click the three dots at the top right corner of the page and choose import. This opens the import options panel. Inside the panel, we can see different import sources. We can upload a file directly from our computer or choose file-based format such as CSV, PDF, text and markdown, HTML or Word. There are also third-party options like Evernote, Trello, Asana, Google Docs, Confluence, Workflowy, Jira, Monday.com and Quip. These options allow us to transfer content from other platforms into Notion. For this example, we're going to import a Word file. Select Word from the list. Upload the file from your computer and wait while notion processes it. Once it finishes, click continue. The entire document appears as a new page inside Notion and the structure is preserved as closely as possible. After importing, review the content carefully. Check the formatting, adjust headings or lists if necessary, and confirm that any images or embedded elements transferred correctly. This ensures the content is clean and usable inside your workspace.
We can also embed third-party apps directly into a page. For example, open the Spain page by searching for it in the sidebar. Inside a page, type /map and choose Google Maps. Then, open a new browser tab. Search for the location you want to embed. Click share and copy the link. Paste that link into the map block in notion and click embed map. If the embed doesn't work immediately, open the Google map site directly. Use the share option from the right panel. Copy the link again and replace it inside the notion block. One thing's for sure, Notion can pull in external data and tools, allowing you to centralize documents, media, and even interactive content inside a single workspace.
And that's it. You didn't just learn notion, you built a system. We started from zero, created structured pages, turned simple tables into powerful databases, connected everything into a dashboard, collaborated, published to the web, and even pulled in external data. That's not basic notetaking. That's building your own digital headquarters. The best part, this is just the foundation. The more you use it, the more it adapts to you. Now it's your turn. Open your workspace, tweak it, break it, rebuild it, and make it yours. I'll see you in the next.