New to Notion and not quite sure where to start? I got you!
Notion can look a little overwhelming at first because there are so many things you can do with it. But you definitely don’t need to learn everything at once.
In this beginner-friendly guide, I’ll walk you through the basics of Notion step by step, including pages, blocks, databases, views, sharing, and customizing your workspace.
By the end, you’ll understand how Notion works and have everything you need to start creating a workspace that actually works for you.
JUMP TO SECTION
Create Your Notion Account
The first step to getting started with Notion is creating your account. Visit Notion’s website or download the mobile app, then sign up with your email address or Google account. Once you’ve verified your email, you can set up your personal profile (optional).
Add your name, a profile picture, and any other relevant details you’d like to share. This personal touch will help make your Notion experience more enjoyable and personalized. Now you’re officially a part of the Notion community and ready to begin!
Free Notion Templates
Navigate the Notion Interface
When you first open Notion, most of your navigation happens through the sidebar on the left. This is where you can access your pages and organize your workspace.
When you open a page, the main part of your screen becomes your editing area. You can add text, images, databases, lists, links, and just about anything else you want inside that page.
You can also create subpages inside your pages to keep everything organized.
For example: Business Dashboard (main page)
→ Content Planner → Client Management → Projects → Finances (subpages)
This makes it easy to create one main dashboard while keeping all of the information inside it organized.
Your Digital Filing Cabinet
Your Notion workspace is like a digital filing cabinet. Pages are your folders, and everything inside those pages is the information you’re organizing.
Get Creative with Blocks
Every piece of content you add to Notion is made up of blocks. Blocks give you the freedom to express yourself and tailor Notion to fit your unique needs. They are like puzzle pieces that you can arrange and customize to create your ideal workspace
You can add a new block by clicking the + button or typing / inside a page.
Common Blocks You'll Use
- Text – Use regular text blocks for notes, instructions, descriptions, and other written content.
- Headings – Headings help organize longer pages and make them easier to scan.
- To-Do Lists – Add checkboxes for tasks, routines, and simple lists.
- Bulleted and Numbered Lists – Great for organizing information without creating a full database.
- Images and Files – Upload images, PDFs, documents, and other resources directly into your pages.
- Callouts – Highlight tips, reminders, instructions, or important information.
- Dividers – Use dividers to visually separate different sections of a page.
Here’s an example page with different block types:
Create and Organize Pages
To create a page, click on the “+” button in the sidebar or use the “/” command. You can choose from various templates or start from scratch.
Within those pages, you can now create a subpage using “/page”.
Once you’ve added your subpage, you’ll notice that it now appears in your sidebar, nested underneath its parent. This will help you maintain a tidy workspace and find information easily.
Get Started With Notion Databases
Databases are one of the features that make Notion especially powerful. A database is essentially a collection of information that you can organize, filter, sort, and view in different ways.
Each item in a Notion database is also its own page, which means you can open it and add even more information inside.
One of my favorite things about Notion databases is that you can look at the same information in different ways. You don’t need to recreate your database each time. You simply create another view.
Learn the Different Database Views
Table View – A table looks similar to a spreadsheet and is great when you want to see lots of information at once.
Great for: detailed planning, client lists, product databases, finances, and content planning.
Board View – A board organizes your database into columns. For example, you could organize your content by: Idea → Creating → Scheduled → Published
Great for: workflows, projects, tasks, and pipelines.
Calendar View – displays your database based on dates.
Great for: editorial calendars, launches, events, and schedules.
Gallery View – Displays your database as visual cards.
Great for: inspiration, products, portfolios, recipes, or anything image-heavy.
List View – A simple, minimal way to display your database.
Great for: resources, notes, directories, and simple collections.
Timeline View – lets you see projects or tasks across a longer period of time.
Great for: project planning, launches, and larger timelines.
Beginner Tip
You don’t need to use every database view. Start with a table and add another view only when it makes the information easier to use
Share and Collaborate in Notion
You can keep your Notion pages completely private or share them with other people. This makes Notion especially useful for things like:
- Team workspaces
- Shared projects
- Client portals
- Course resources
- Business documents
When sharing a page, you can control what the other person is allowed to do. Depending on your setup, you may give someone permission to view, comment, or edit.
This means you can create something like a client portal and share only the information your client actually needs rather than giving them access to your entire workspace.
Ready to Start Using Notion?
You don’t need to understand every Notion feature before you start using it.
Begin with a few pages. Experiment with different blocks. Create one simple database. Then build from there as you discover what you actually need.
Notion becomes much easier once you stop trying to understand everything at once and start using it for something real.
Build a Simple Notion Content Planner
Let’s put some of these pieces together.
- Create a new page and call it: Content Planner
- Inside the page, add a database.
- Create properties for: Status, Platform, Publish Date
- Add a few content ideas.
- Create a board view grouped by Status.
- Create a calendar view using your Publish Date.
Now you have one database that lets you see your content as a detailed list, a workflow, or a calendar.
Customize Your Notion Workspace
Once you understand the basics, you can start making your workspace feel more like your own. You can customize pages with:
Icons, Cover images, Different text styles, Columns, Dividers, Callout boxes, Colors, Images
You can also create dashboard-style pages that bring links, databases, resources, and information together in one place. Create a workspace that reflects your unique style but keep usability in mind.
A beautiful workspace isn’t very useful if it takes you five minutes to find what you need. I always recommend starting with function first and adding the pretty details afterward.
Notion Templates
Templates give you a pre-built starting point that you can customize for your own needs.
Explore my ready-to-use Notion systems designed to help you organize different parts of your business
Want to Create and Sell Notion Templates?
Once you get comfortable using Notion, you might enjoy creating your own systems too. My free Notion Creator Starter Kit will help you create Notion templates you can sell.
Final Thoughts
Whether you want to organize your own life or business, create systems for clients, or eventually sell templates of your own, you don’t have to master Notion overnight.
Start simple, build something useful, and keep improving it as you go.
Keep Reading → How to create Aesthetic Notion Dashboards