I Replaced My Notion Templates with Buttons

Notion “buttons” replace repetitive template workflows by letting users trigger prebuilt actions inside a page—often with less friction than creating and managing new template pages. Templates still pre-populate entire pages on demand, but buttons can insert blocks, edit properties, and even generate new database entries with a single click, making them better suited for repeatable checklists and daily routines.

Templates work by storing a page layout that can be opened and pre-filled. In a PKM dashboard, hovering over “recent notes” reveals saved templates; selecting one (like a “booknotes” template) instantly creates a new page already categorized and filled with predefined fields and sections. The result is a ready-to-edit note where metadata and content prompts (e.g., “metadata,” “Kindle highlights,” and summary bullet points) are already in place.

Buttons, by contrast, act like mini-templates that run actions on the current workspace context. A practical example is an “edit checklist” button used before publishing an article. Instead of creating a fresh template page every time, the user bookmarks a single checklist page in Chrome and clicks the button. The click automatically inserts the checklist blocks, sets a property (changing a “note type” field to “note”), and provides a structured workflow: check items, run Grammarly and Hemingway editor steps, read the article out loud, then publish. After publishing, the checklist content is deleted and the same button can be reused immediately.

Creating a button is done via Notion’s slash command (“/button”), where the user defines an emoji label (e.g., a briefcase) and configures the action. The key action used here is “insert blocks,” along with formatting and property updates (such as adding an H2 section header and a to-do list, then setting the “note type” property). The button can also open pages, show confirmations, or edit properties—enabling workflows that feel more like automation than static page layouts.

The workflow expands further with nested and multi-step button systems. On a homepage “new daily note” button, clicking generates a new page inside a “daily note” database, names it with a date (e.g., “daily note 2023”), and opens it in full screen. Inside that daily note, additional buttons create structured “game plan” content and even an “anxiety/unblock” layer for task clarity. The system also records the exact time the note was created.

Buttons can be combined with templates for flexible “building blocks.” A “default note” uses toggles containing ready-made sections like pros/cons and outlines, allowing users to drag in formatted structures without committing to a single rigid template path.

Finally, buttons can break complex templates into sequential steps. A “video template version 4” uses multiple buttons (title/thumbnail, script template, and upload checklist) so a creator can build a YouTube workflow one stage at a time, keeping the page clean by tucking sections into toggles. Overall, buttons are positioned as a more modular, reusable alternative to templates—especially for checklists, daily planning, and multi-stage content production.