Notion Fundamentals: What are Blocks?

This video lesson demystifies Notion’s core building blocks, framing them as versatile containers for anything from text and images to entire pages, and demonstrating that a page itself is a block. The instructor showcases practical ways to create and manipulate these blocks—using slash commands, the six-dot block menu, and keyboard shortcuts for quotes, lists, and to-dos—while building a personal dashboard. Key highlights include embedding nested pages, linking to existing Notion pages, adding URL bookmarks, and using callouts plus synced blocks to reuse content across pages. The lesson also covers customizing block options, attaching files to comments, and converting or moving blocks with the "Turn Into" and "Move To" actions. It concludes with a recap that the current single-column dashboard is unfinished, teasing the next lesson on creating complex multi-column layouts.

• ▶ 0:12 A block is a container for data that can take many forms—text, images, embedded videos, databases, and even pages themselves.
• ▶ 0:44 A page is itself a block that contains other blocks, which you can prove by converting a page into a different block type like a toggle.
• ▶ 1:06 In this course, you'll build a personal dashboard as your Notion "home base," demonstrating how different block types work together.
• ▶ 2:45 Use the slash command (/) to open the full list of block types, then filter or scroll to select one, e.g., inserting a Heading 2 block.
• ▶ 3:30 Every block has a six-dot icon on its left; this is the block menu, which gives access to most actions for that block.
• ▶ 5:13 You can add multiple headings (like Notes, References, Web Links) and use the color menu to change a block’s background color to make it stand out.
• ▶ 5:58 Several block types (quote, bulleted list, numbered list, toggle list) can be created instantly by typing a special character followed by space, avoiding the slash menu.
• ▶ 6:47 To-do items can be created with the [] shortcut, and the plus icon to the left of any block offers another way to add blocks like additional to-dos.
• ▶ 7:34 You can embed a page inside the current page by using a slash command to create a page block, which then appears as a nested page on the dashboard.
• ▶ 8:17 Use the + block menu and search "link to page" to add a link to any existing Notion page; these linked pages appear in the sidebar, making external pages easy to access without favoriting.
• ▶ 9:43 Pasting a URL directly onto a page lets you choose to create an embed, a visual bookmark, or dismiss it to leave plain text.
• ▶ 10:23 Press the quote mark key (') followed by space to instantly create a block quote, and type /gray back to quickly apply a gray background to a block.
• ▶ 10:54 Quick Links toggle with an embedded Table of Contents lets you jump directly to page headers, which is especially useful on mobile.
• ▶ 12:03 A callout with a personal affirmation is added at the top of the dashboard, then moved into a synced block so it can be reused in multiple places.
• ▶ 13:15 Copying and pasting a synced block keeps content in sync across pages, and clicking into it shows all pages where the block appears.
• ▶ 14:13 Block options vary by block type; e.g., block quotes have a "Quote Size" toggle, and images offer options like View original, Make full screen, Download, Replace, and Add caption.
• ▶ 15:04 Nearly every block supports comments, and a notable new feature is attaching files to comments; a comment icon then appears for viewing or discussion.
• ▶ 15:28 Blocks can be moved via "Move To" or by dragging them onto sidebar pages, and "Turn Into" converts blocks to other types (headings, lists, toggles) with content nesting depending on the target type.
• ▶ 17:14 Recap: The built dashboard is currently single-column and doesn't yet match the finished layout.
• ▶ 17:29 Next lesson: viewers will learn to create complex, multi-column layouts in Notion to match the finished dashboard.
• ▶ 17:38 Additional resources are available at thomasjfrank.com/fundamentals, including a written lesson, a Notion block reference, and a Notion tips email list.

• ▶ 0:00 Introduction, What Blocks Are, and Course Setup (0:00 - 2:23) - Summary: Thomas introduces Notion blocks, the personal dashboard project, and course resources.
• ▶ 2:23 Slash Commands and Basic Block Creation (2:23 - 5:48) - Summary: Covers slash-command block creation, the block menu and reference, and color-coded headings.
• ▶ 5:48 More Ways to Create Blocks (5:48 - 7:58) - Summary: Shows keyboard shortcuts, to-do items, the plus icon, and creating pages inside pages.
• ▶ 7:58 Links, Media, Quotes, and Block Styling (7:58 - 10:54) - Summary: Covers linking existing pages, web bookmarks, pasted images, block quotes, and changing block backgrounds.
• ▶ 10:54 Dashboard Extras: Toggles, Callouts, and Synced Blocks (10:54 - 14:13) - Summary: Adds quick-link toggles, a table of contents, a callout, an affirmation block, and reviews the dashboard.
• ▶ 14:13 Block Options and Manipulation (14:13 - 17:14) - Summary: Explores extra block options, image/quote settings, comments, moving blocks, and converting block types.
• ▶ 17:14 Wrap-Up and Additional Resources (17:14 - 18:13) - Summary: Recaps the lesson, points to supplemental materials and the email list, then closes with Q&A and social links.