When to use Notion’s new group feature (game changer!)

Notion’s latest update adds two major upgrades: a refreshed, more vibrant color palette and a new grouping feature that fundamentally changes how database data can be visualized and analyzed. The grouping tools let users organize database items into collapsible “toggles” based on any property—checkboxes, selects, dates, formulas, and even relation-linked databases—while also calculating counts and percentages inside each group. That combination turns Notion databases from static lists into interactive dashboards for workflows like task tracking, habit monitoring, and content review.

In the checklist example, grouping is used to split active versus inactive tasks by a done checkbox. Once grouped, each section becomes a toggle that can be hidden or shown, and Notion displays a count per group (a calculation of items inside that group). Grouping also supports date-based organization: items can be grouped by day, week, month, or year, with the option to hide “no date” buckets. In that same checklist setup, the group calculations can switch from simple counts to metrics like percent checked—so each group becomes a quick progress snapshot rather than just a container.

The update’s flexibility shows up in multiple experimental database templates. A “twitter thread editor” setup groups threads by an active checkbox, then further organizes by reception (a star-based select), weekday, and formula results tied to character-limit progress—where the percentage changes as more characters are added. A habit tracker uses grouping by week and formula-driven weekday, plus mood selects and a progress formula that computes completion percentages for a day. Importantly, Notion can average numeric formula results across grouped items, producing an overall weekly progress figure (e.g., an 83% average).

Board-style views (kanban/pipeline) also benefit. Grouping by a select property like mood creates columns, while sub-grouping by date can be paired with filters that define “this week” using a formula range (Monday through Sunday). The transcript emphasizes a practical gotcha: grouping by date only displays items that already have dates filled in—empty date properties yield empty groups.

More advanced workflows use grouping to mimic established productivity frameworks. An Eisenhower Matrix is built by grouping tasks by urgency and sub-grouping by importance, with filters to hide completed work. A short formula creates a status like “inbox” when urgency or importance is missing, then moves tasks into “working” once tags are assigned, and into an “archive” when done is checked.

The grouping feature extends beyond single databases through relations. In a goal-and-project system, tasks in a subordinate “project management” database link back to “goal setting.” Grouping by the relation lets users see tasks under each project, calculate completion percentages, and even add new related projects directly from the grouped view—then jump into the linked database to manage them. A notebook example applies the same idea by grouping linked notes by tag relations and filtering by understanding levels (review now vs review later).

Overall, the update positions grouping as the centerpiece: it supports collapsible organization, formula-driven categories, numeric rollups like percent and averages, and cross-database navigation—making many older, non-grouped templates feel less useful unless they’re updated to take advantage of the new structure.