Notion Masterclass: Build a Notes Dashboard with Me

TL;DR

Build one authoritative “All Notes” database and one “Tags” database, then drive every screen through linked database views with filters and sorts.

Briefing Cornell Notes

Briefing

A full note-taking system in Notion can be built from scratch by combining one “source of truth” database with multiple linked views—then layering on inbox-style capture, favorites, recents, tag pages, and an archive workflow. The payoff is a dashboard that behaves like traditional note software (quick capture + fast filtering) while staying modular enough to work on mobile and scale into a full knowledge system.

The build starts with a template called “Ultimate Notes,” positioned as a lighter, standalone version of the note system inside Thomas Frank’s paid “Ultimate Brain.” The dashboard layout is designed around four core areas: an Inbox for uncategorized capture, Favorites for curated quick access, Recents for workspace-wide “last edited” sorting, and Tags for organizing notes like folders. A Noteboard (board-style drag-and-drop) lets users move notes between tag/type columns without digging through filters.

Under the hood, everything hinges on databases and linked database views. The “All Notes” database stores the actual notes as pages, with properties such as: - favorite (checkbox) - archive (checkbox) - type (select/multi-select like lecture, voice note, book note) - URL (for web clips) - tag (relation to a separate Tags database) - created/last edited timestamps

A second “Tags” database holds tag pages. Notes relate to tags through a relation property, enabling each tag page to automatically show its associated notes. Linked views then act like software screens: the Inbox view filters for notes where tag is empty (and archive is unchecked, URL is empty), while the Web Clips view filters for URL not empty. Recents removes the tag constraint and sorts by last edited time. A Voice Notes view filters by type containing “voice note.” Favorites uses a forcing-function pattern: when a view filters on favorite = checked, newly created pages can be auto-set to favorite so they appear immediately in that view.

The system also emphasizes mobile performance and navigation. Instead of forcing a single heavy dashboard to load everywhere, the template creates separate pages (Inbox, Favorites, Recents, Tags, Noteboard, Process, Archive, Databases) that copy the relevant linked views. A “Quick Links” bar is replicated across these pages using link blocks (not page copies) to keep navigation consistent without duplicating content.

Finally, the advanced layer uses Notion formulas to add “last note per tag” and other computed metadata. On each tag page, formulas can calculate the latest note date and identify the most recently edited note in that tag, then surface it as a clickable link (often via side peek). Additional formula properties support features like “days since edited” styling and extracting a base URL from web clip links so web clips can be grouped by source site.

By the end, the result is a complete, production-style note system: fast capture, structured organization, drag-and-drop processing, archive safety, and tag pages that behave like mini-dashboards—without requiring users to manually maintain filters or reorganize everything by hand.

Cornell Notes

The core idea is to build a Notion note system around one “All Notes” database and a “Tags” database, then create multiple linked views that filter and sort the same underlying data for different purposes. Inbox, Recents, Favorites, Web Clips, Voice Notes, and Archive are all implemented as linked database views with specific filter rules (e.g., Inbox requires tag empty, archive unchecked, URL empty). Tag pages work because notes relate to tags, and tag templates use self-referential filters so the correct tag automatically populates the page’s views. Formulas add the final polish by computing metadata like “days since edited” and “latest note per tag,” enabling one-click navigation to the most recent item in each tag. This matters because it turns Notion into a software-like workflow: capture quickly, process regularly, and navigate instantly—especially on mobile.

How does the system make an “Inbox” that’s truly for quick capture instead of a random list of notes?

It uses a linked view of the All Notes database with an advanced filter that matches the inbox definition: tag is empty (meaning the note hasn’t been categorized yet), archive is unchecked (so archived items don’t clutter it), and URL is empty (so web clips don’t appear in the notes inbox). The view also sorts by last edited time descending so the newest captured items rise to the top. The same pattern is duplicated for Web Clips, except the filter flips to URL is not empty.

What’s the role of the Tags database and the relation between databases?

The Tags database stores tag pages (like “SaaS” or “Gardening”). The All Notes database includes a relation property (tag) that points to Tags. When a note is related to a tag page, linked views on that tag page can automatically show only the notes that belong to it. This is what powers tag pages functioning like mini-dashboards without manually maintaining lists.

Why do “forcing functions” matter for Favorites and other filtered views?

When a view filters on a property (for example, favorite is checked), new pages created inside that view should automatically satisfy the filter. The template achieves this by using a button automation that sets favorite = checked when creating a new favorite note. Without that step, a newly created page might not appear in the Favorites view because it wouldn’t meet the view’s filter criteria.

How do self-referential filters make tag templates work automatically?

Tag templates include linked views whose filters reference the current tag page itself. For example, the notes view inside a tag page filters where the note’s tag relation contains the tag page being viewed (described in the transcript as a self-referential filter). When a new tag page is created (e.g., “Gardening”), the filter updates to target that new page automatically, so the tag page instantly shows the correct related notes, favorites, and web clips.

What do formulas add beyond filtering and sorting?

Formulas compute derived metadata that can’t be expressed purely with basic filters. Examples include: (1) “edited” styling that shows how many days ago a note was edited using dateBetween(now, last edited time, days); (2) “base URL” extraction from a URL using regular expressions so web clips can be grouped by site; and (3) “latest note per tag,” which uses relation data (map/sort/reverse/first patterns) to identify the most recently edited note in a tag and expose it as a link.

Why split the system into separate pages instead of one big dashboard?

Mobile usability and load performance. A single dashboard with many linked views can be slow or overwhelming on iOS/Android. The template creates dedicated pages (Inbox, Favorites, Recents, Tags, Noteboard, Process, Archive) that each load only the relevant linked views. Navigation is kept consistent via a replicated Quick Links bar using link blocks, so users can jump to the right screen quickly.

Review Questions

If you wanted an additional “Mentions” view for notes that contain a specific property value, what database property would you add and which filter rules would you apply to a linked view?
Explain how a tag page can show its related notes without manually editing the view each time a new tag is created.
Describe one formula-based feature in the template and how it improves navigation or organization compared with sorting alone.

Key Points

1
Build one authoritative “All Notes” database and one “Tags” database, then drive every screen through linked database views with filters and sorts.
2
Implement Inbox and Web Clips as separate linked views using URL empty vs URL not empty, plus archive unchecked to keep archived items out of active workflows.
3
Use a Favorites checkbox and forcing-function automations (buttons) so newly created favorite items immediately satisfy the Favorites view filter.
4
Create mobile-friendly navigation by splitting the dashboard into dedicated pages (Inbox, Favorites, Recents, Tags, Noteboard, Process, Archive) and reusing a Quick Links bar with link blocks.
5
Use tag templates with self-referential filters so each new tag page automatically populates its notes/favorites/web clips without manual filter edits.
6
Add “latest note per tag” and “days since edited” using formulas to reduce friction and provide one-click access to what matters most.
7
Extract base domains from URL strings with a formula (regex) to group web clips by source site when you have many captures.

Highlights

The system’s “software-like” behavior comes from linked database views: one database stores everything, while each dashboard section is just a filtered query over that same data.

Inbox processing is defined by constraints (tag empty, archive unchecked, URL empty), turning capture into a predictable workflow rather than a messy list.

Tag pages don’t require manual setup each time: self-referential filters let a tag template automatically target the current tag page.

Forcing functions make filtered views usable in practice—buttons can set properties so new pages immediately appear in Favorites.

Formulas provide the last-mile UX: computed “latest note per tag” links and “days since edited” styling make navigation faster than scanning timestamps.

Topics

Mentioned

Thomas Frank