Notion Training: The Basics

Notion’s core workflow comes down to three moves: build content as modular blocks, organize that content in a nested workspace, and collaborate through comments, mentions, and page-level discussions. The payoff is a single system where writing, structure, and teamwork all use the same underlying building blocks—so information stays easy to update and easy to find.

For creating and editing, everything in Notion is made of blocks. Typing directly onto a page adds a text block, and formatting appears when text is highlighted. Notion supports many block types—headings, checkboxes, images, videos, databases, and file embeds such as Google Maps or PDFs—so a page can mix narrative, media, and structured data. Blocks can be added two ways: by clicking the plus sign that appears when hovering near the page margin, or by using slash commands (press “/”) to summon a menu and insert items instantly. Slash commands also speed up formatting, including turning text into styles like headings or applying color (for example, typing “red”).

Editing isn’t limited to typing. Users can drag and drop blocks using the six-dot handle to reorder content, rearrange ideas, and create layout structures like columns. Each block also has a small menu (the six-dot icon and nearby options) for actions such as delete, duplicate, move, comment, change color, or copy an anchor link. A separate three-dot menu in the top-right controls page typography settings like text size and page width. Hyperlinks are handled by highlighting text and pasting a URL, while standard keyboard shortcuts (like Command-B for bold on Mac) and additional shortcuts (like Command-E for code) keep formatting fast.

Once content exists, Notion’s organization model replaces folder-only thinking with nested pages. The sidebar acts as a workspace index: top-level pages can be shared across a team, while nested pages keep related material grouped without burying it. Pages can be dragged between sections, reordered, or nested inside other pages, which helps maintain a tidy sidebar by keeping only a small number of top-level entries (such as a company wiki, roadmap, or team pages like engineering, sales, and marketing) and pushing deeper detail into layers.

Notion also supports quick access. Users can favorite frequently used pages so they appear in a dedicated “Favorites” section, and they can remove favorites when they’re no longer urgent. A search bar (“Quick find”) lets users jump to pages and filter results by factors like creation date and creator. Templates and imports broaden what can be built, and the sidebar can be closed or resized to reduce distraction.

Collaboration then ties back to the same blocks and pages. Workspaces can be shared by inviting teammates (team plan) or by sharing individual pages with external guests. Comments can be added to blocks or even to specific words, and mentions use “@” to notify people. Page-level discussions can be started from the top of a page, and reminders can be set inline using “remind” plus a time and “@” name. An “All updates” area in the sidebar aggregates mentions and changes, with a red badge for new items and options to reply, resolve, or archive comments. The result is asynchronous teamwork that keeps conversations and decisions from getting lost, even across time zones.