One of the most common ways to plan and remember something is creating lists. Be it a shopping list, a recipe, or a weekly planner, all take the shape of a list - the use-cases are many. Lists have been around since the time paper became a commonplace but now with cutting edge tools like Notion, you can create lists on your smartphone.
In this article, we will discuss all types of lists that Notion supports, some popular ways to use them, and some unique use-cases as well. Let’s get started.
Here are the five steps to making lists in Notion:
1. Determine the purpose of making the list
The purpose of making the list will guide the type of list you will create and how you design it. It will help you decide what to include in the list and how to phrase items in it. Here are some common use-cases of creating a list in Notion:
- Task Lists: If you want to track daily tasks or responsibilities, you might want to include task descriptions, due dates, and status indicators in your list. The purpose here is to stay organized and make yourself productive.
- Project Planning: If you're planning a project, your list might include various tasks, assigned team members, timelines, and progress notes. In this case, the intent is to make sure that all project items are clearly laid-out and tracked.
- Content Creation: If you're brainstorming Notion blog post ideas or outlining a report, your list might include potential topics, main points, sources, and notes. The goal, in this case, is to gather your thoughts and organize them for writing an article.
- Inventory Management: If you are managing inventory, your list might include item names, quantities, costs, and supplier information. The purpose here is to maintain a clear overview of your stock levels. In this case, your list can evolve to turn into a Notion database.
2. Choose the type of list that suits the best
Notion supports a variety of list types, each with its own strengths and use cases. Now that you have established the purpose of creating the list, you can select one from the different types of lists in Notion:
- Bulleted Lists: In this list type, each item is preceded by a bullet point. This list type is useful for when the items do not follow an order, meaning, even if the items were shuffled, the meaning of the text and consistency won’t change. Bullet lists are ideal for brainstorming ideas or creating a list of topics.
- Numbered Lists: If the sequence of the items in the list matters, you need to select a numbered list. This Notion list type is applicable for step-by-step instructions, ordered priorities, specifying a chronological sequence of events, or any use-case where the order of items is significant.
- To-Do Lists: Notion's to-do lists feature displays checkboxes next to each item in the list, allowing you to mark them as done post completion. This category of lists is useful for task tracking, managing complex projects, or scenarios where you must track progress.
- Toggle Lists: Notion toggle lists are collapsible lists that enable you to hide or reveal information by clicking on the items in it. These are great for organizing huge blocks of text and making them easy to consume. If you plan to create a Notion website, toggle lists can double up as FAQs.
3. Create a new Notion page and search for the preferred list type
Now that the base work is done, it’s time to get into Notion and create your list. To do that, first create a New Notion page or open an existing one where you want to add the list.
Next, search for the list type that aligns with your purpose established in step 2. You can do that by typing “/” in your page and then scrolling down till you find any of the Notion list types mentioned in the previous section.
4. Enter your list items
After selecting your preferred list type, you can simply start typing the items of your list. Hitting enter will initiate a new item.
For example, we created a to-do type of list in this Notion page:
After your list is complete, you can easily click and drag items up or down the list.
5. Share your list
After your list is complete you might want to share it with your team to allow them to replicate the list or maybe just edit the content with you. You can also consider publishing the list to the web to make it available to anyone with the link to the Notion page.
Here is how you can share content in Notion:
- Sharing Within Notion: If you want to share the list with someone within the same workspace, you can simply use the “@” and start typing their name. Notion will pull up their person tag, you can click on it to tag them and send them a notification.
- Sharing a Public Link: If you intend to share Notion content publicly, click on the "Share" button at the top right corner of your Notion page. Then, toggle on the "Share to web" option and copy the link provided. Anyone with the link will be able to view your list.
- Setting Permissions: When you share your list, you can also control what others can do with it by setting permissions. You can allow them to view only, leave comments, or fully edit the list. This gives you the flexibility to decide the level of interaction others have with your list.
FAQs
Can you put a To Do list in a table in Notion?
Yes, you can put a To-Do list in a table in Notion. To do this, create a new table and turn it into a database. Next, add a column with the “Checkbox” property. This will give you a checkbox for each row in the table, effectively creating a To-Do list.
How to add a bullet list to a table Notion?
You can't add a bulleted list to a table cell in Notion.
Can you combine lists in Notion?
Notion does not have an in-built feature to combine lists. However, you can copy and paste items from one list to another to merge them. The drag and drop feature won’t work for this use-case. This allows you to create a combined list with items from different lists.
How to put lists next to each other in Notion?
You can put lists next to each other in Notion by creating columns on your page. To do this, hover over the right edge of a list block that should show at the right side of another list block until the '⋮⋮' icon appears. Click on the icon and drag it to the right to create a new column. You can also create a vertical divider to introduce a more visible division between the two blocks.
How to make a list in a table in Notion?
While Notion doesn't natively support lists within table cells, you can mimic a list by adding a new line for each item within a cell. Alternatively, you can use a 'Relation' or 'Multi-select' property to connect list-like information within a table.
How to make a list within a list in Notion?
To make a list within a list in Notion, create your main list first, then press 'Tab' after hitting 'Enter' for a new item. This will create a sub-item or nested item under the main one, effectively creating a list within a list.
How to Create a numbered list in Notion?
To create a numbered list in Notion, click where you want to start the list and type "/" to open the command menu. Start typing "numbered list," and it should appear in the dropdown. Click on it or press 'Enter' to start your numbered list.
How to Create a dropdown list in Notion?
While Notion does not have a "dropdown list" block, it compensates with its "Select" property option in databases. This property allows you to create a dropdown list and select items only from that list. You can use the “Toggle” block to create standalone dropdown lists.
