Hello! I'm Rei, an official Notion Ambassador.
This time, I'd like to introduce a template for a Notion home screen that received a lot of attention on Twitter!
When looking at Notion use cases, you often see home screens. The designs and content vary, and it's interesting to think, "This person's home screen is stylish, I want to imitate it," or to see a person's personality reflected in their home screen.
However, when you try to create your own home screen, it can be surprisingly difficult...
Thinking about what to put where and how to arrange it can be fun, but since there's no right answer, I often find myself getting lost.
This time, I've created a home screen template, and using it as an example, I'd like to explain tips for designing pages and pages that are convenient to organize!
This time, I will explain this template in detail, so please read until the end!
🎬 Director：Rei
✍🏻 Writer：Minokurumi
Why do you need a home screen?
First of all, why do you need a home screen?
As you continue to use Notion, you'll accumulate more and more pages, right? Diary pages, habit tracker pages, project management pages for work...
While you can organize pages using the sidebar, it can be difficult to find pages when there are many of them. Also, there might be times when it's a bit inconvenient because frequently used pages are deep within the hierarchy and can't be opened quickly.
In such cases, it would be convenient to have a place like a dashboard where everything can be managed in one place. Roughly speaking, a home screen is a page that allows you to summarize and organize many pages to use Notion more conveniently.
Beyond just gathering your favorite pages, you can also link daily databases like diaries and input directly from your home screen.
If you've started using Notion but don't have a home screen yet, or if you want to create a home screen but don't know how, please refer to this template!
How to create a Notion home screen.
Now, let's take a look at how to create a home screen, using the template provided as an example.
The template is available at the end of this note, so if you like it, feel free to use it as is!
1. Notion allows you to divide pages
This home screen is designed by dividing one large page and arranging the layout. Each block can be moved by dragging and dropping.
At the very top of the home screen, I've divided the page into five sections to create a page index for each category.
To divide a page, use "/" in a blank area. For example, if you want to divide it into 5 columns as shown above, try typing "/5".
2. Make use of the "Embed" feature
When you look at various people's home screens, you often see stylish clocks, calendars, and weather embedded, right?
This is actually a "widget," and Notion has a feature that allows you to embed HTML from external sites, including such widgets.
By utilizing this "embed" feature, you can embed not only widgets like clocks, calendars, and weather, but also services such as Twitter into Notion, expanding the possibilities of your home screen.
I've embedded a clock widget in the template, but please feel free to find and embed your favorite services and widgets!
👇🏻 Here are some widgets I use frequently:
3. Manage habits on a page you see every day
Below the widgets, I've created a space to list daily habits and routines.
The routine utilizes a feature called "simple table." If you write down your daily rhythm and habits you want to maintain in this routine, you'll naturally pay more attention to them!
Furthermore, on the right side, I've placed a habit tracker. A month's worth is displayed on a calendar, and you can check off items from there. It's recommended to place items you check daily on your home screen so you don't forget them!
I've also introduced a habit tracker template in a previous article, so if you're interested, please check it out!
💡POINT: Link databases with linked views
By using "linked views," you can display the same database in locations other than the original page. Also, since the database is linked to the original, any checks made from either location will be reflected in both.
This is a very convenient feature when creating a page that organizes multiple pages, like the home screen this time!
4. It's best to always display tasks.
Below the habit tracker, I've placed a To-Do list to manage weekly To-Dos. Placing the To-Do list on the home screen makes it easy to see what needs to be done for the week.
This To-Do list was created by combining the "checkbox" and "button features"! It's easy to use and recommended, as you simply write down tasks for each day of the week and check the boxes.
💡POINT: Use the "button feature" for frequent actions
By utilizing the button feature, you can trigger frequent actions with a single button click!
For example, in the To-Do list above, pressing the button adds a new To-Do list at the top.
There are many other ways to create a To-Do list in Notion, and I'll introduce them another time!
5. For difficult habits, try placing them on your home screen.
Finally, I've placed a daily diary. One week's worth, starting from Monday of that week, is displayed here with a filter applied.
By clicking on the page, you can directly write your diary entry from here.
Keeping a diary can be quite difficult... When I first started, I struggled to keep it up, but by displaying it on my home screen, it became more noticeable, and I think I naturally developed the habit of writing.
It is highly recommended to display habits that are difficult to cultivate, like journaling, on your home screen!
Summary
That concludes the introduction to how to create a Notion home screen! How was it?
The content placed on the home screen here is just an example, so please create a home screen that works best for you!
For those who read a lot, a book list; for those who watch a lot of movies, a movie list; it might be interesting to incorporate your favorite pages.
There's a wide range of layout options, so please enjoy experimenting and figuring out what to place and how to arrange it!
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