Notion is a productivity and note-taking app, which can be used to plan, organise, manage and document your family history research. It should be used to supplement your family history software or online family tree.
My guide to using Notion focuses on its application to family history. If you need background information about the app and more detailed lessons on using it, please refer to the Notion website.
Suggested articles on the Notion website:
- Downloading the app
- Comparing the desktop, web and mobile apps, system requirements and the web clipper
- Explanation of blocks, pages and databases
- Workspace and sidebar navigation
- Editing and formatting pages
- Security and privacy
Step 1 Download Notion
Download the app to your computer or Mac. I suggest you do not set it up on an iPad or iPhone in the first instance, as formatting is easier on a larger screen. You can install it on other devices later.
Create an account. You can just use your Google log-in, if you wish.
Step 2 Familiarise yourself
Familiarise yourself with the layout of Notion.
The navigation bar is on the left. You can add Favourites to it, after you create some Pages. To the right of your name in the Navigation bar there is a V drop down button. You use that when you want to log out.
To the right of the V is a box and pencil icon. Clicking on this will create a new Page, but I rarely create Pages this way. Creating them in other ways gives you more control over where the new Page sits.
The right side of the screen is a blank new Page. In the top left corner of the Page are breadcrumbs, which can be used to navigate around your workspace after you have added Pages. Breadcrumbs display a hierarchy of the current page in relation to the site’s structure.
In the top right corner of the Page there are some control buttons. Take a look at the drop down list from the 3 dots. This is where you find the button to delete a Page, if needed.
Read the articles listed above, if you need a more detailed explanation.
Learn some keyboard shortcuts
There is a full list of Notion keyboard shortcuts here. My favourites are:
| undo an action | CTRL-z |
| Insert Heading Style 1 | # spacebar |
| Insert Heading Style 2 | ## spacebar |
| Insert Heading Style 3 | ### spacebar |
| add a numbered list | 1. spacebar |
| add a bulleted list | + spacebar |
| insert table of contents | /toc |
Step 3 Create a Home Page
Your Home Page is the place that you will go to first, when you open Notion. This is where you record important information, summaries, lists and tables. A well-designed Home Page will help you plan your research, track upcoming tasks and help you find your notes on any topic.
Make the first Page your Home Page. Place your cursor where it says New Page and type the title of your page: Home.
Hover your mouse above the title and you will see in light grey text it says Add icon. Click on that to bring up the icon and emoji box. You can use any icon or emoji, but for this exercise, click on the Icons tab, select the coloured dot in the top right and change it to your favourite colour, type Home in the search bar and select the icon that looks like a house.
Hover your mouse above the title again and you will see in light grey text it says Add cover. Click on that and a random picture will be added as a banner. You can keep that or change it. To change it, hover your mouse over the picture and a button will appear that says Change Cover. Click on that to bring up image screen. You can choose an image from the Gallery, upload your own image or select an image from Unsplash.
Click on the image you want and it will be added as the cover banner for your Home Page. You can go back and change it later, if you wish.
Note: You do not need to click a button to save your work in Notion. Saving occurs automatically.
