Notion’s New Button Feature is a Game-Changer

Notion’s new Buttons feature finally enables true multi-step automations natively, letting users create and edit database records, generate default task lists, and streamline repeatable workflows with a single click. The video demonstrates how buttons can instantly insert habit-tracking entries, spawn pre-configured video project tasks with assignees, statuses, and dynamic dates, or open newly created pages for immediate input. It also covers editing existing records via filters, building visual progress bars from checkbox formulas, and using an advanced offset trick to calculate relative due dates from a project’s publish date. Overall, the message is that Notion Buttons replace manual setup and repetitive data entry, making automations accessible, customizable, and deeply integrated into everyday workspaces.

• ▶ 0:00 Notion introduces Buttons, enabling true multi-step automations natively inside Notion for the first time.
• ▶ 0:51 Buttons can create and edit database records automatically, as shown in the habit tracker where one click adds a dated entry and updates checkboxes and formulas.
• ▶ 2:19 Buttons solve the long-requested “default tasks” feature by generating project tasks with relations, assignees, statuses, and even dynamic due dates, plus they power centralized dashboards for spawning new items.
• ▶ 5:48 /button creates a button that runs custom automations; the setup lets you name it, add an emoji, and pick one of five action types (insert blocks, add pages, edit pages, show confirmation, open a page).
• ▶ 6:32 Choosing "Insert blocks" and naming the button "Daily Chores" turns the action into a standard Notion editor where you can build content—like a to-do list using [ ] for each task.
• ▶ 7:14 After saving, clicking the button instantly inserts four new to-do blocks onto the page, which can be checked off, deleted, or recreated each day.
• ▶ 7:24 Buttons become truly powerful when combined with databases and multi-step automations.
• ▶ 7:40 A single button click can spawn a whole list of default tasks linked to a new project, simplifying repeated workflows.
• ▶ 9:01 The tasks table is already filtered by a relation to the current video, so the button only needs to create new tasks in the tasks database that are linked to that video.
• ▶ 9:22 Name the button descriptively, e.g., "Create default video tasks," so its purpose is clear.
• ▶ 9:30 Add a video-themed icon to match the "YouTubey" task context.
• ▶ 9:35 Bonus tip: customize the icon color (red) directly from the button setup menu for extra visual alignment.
• ▶ 9:46 The button’s purpose is to generate a default list of tasks inside the Tasks table.
• ▶ 9:51 The Tasks table is a linked database that pulls from a Master Tasks database, so each created task becomes a new row in that master database.
• ▶ 9:58 Because each task equals one row, the button requires one action step per task; the example uses three tasks for conciseness.
• ▶ 10:09 Adds a new "Show confirmation" step to the button configuration before any database pages are created.
• ▶ 10:22 The confirmation step acts as a safety gate to prevent accidental button clicks from creating unwanted entries.
• ▶ 10:27 Keeps default settings, showing a summary/total that requires the user to click "Continue" before the automation proceeds.
• ▶ 10:32 Adds an Add page action to create a new page directly in the Tasks 2 database, with all properties configured like a manual page creation.
• ▶ 10:55 Sets Assignee to the dynamic variable “Person who clicked the button,” so the clicker automatically becomes the task’s assignee.
• ▶ 11:31 Configures the Content relation using the dynamic variable “This page,” which automatically links the new task back to the current page where the button lives.
• ▶ 11:55 The speaker teases an “offset” feature to be shown near the end of the video.
• ▶ 11:59 This offset feature will enable dynamic dates that pull from the video’s actual publish date, rather than static or manual dates.
• ▶ 12:06 The technique is described as “a bit more advanced,” so the speaker skips it for now and continues the current task.
• ▶ 12:11 Duplicate an existing step via the three-dot menu's "Duplicate below" to quickly create multiple default tasks with similar settings.
• ▶ 12:23 For the "Film video" task, assign it to Thomas Frank (the on-camera person) instead of the button clicker, while keeping content source and status unchanged.
• ▶ 12:43 For the "Edit video" task, assign it to editor Tony Santos, finalizing the default task setup.
• ▶ 12:51 The button configuration is complete; no extra “open page” step is needed since the user is already on the target page.
• ▶ 13:01 The creator clicks “Done” to save the button, then tests it at ▶ 13:05.
• ▶ 13:09 The test confirms the button works: one click automatically creates the three default video tasks in the database.
• ▶ 13:12 The Notion button automatically creates tasks like “edit film” and “script” with their assignees and statuses already attached, so tasks come pre-configured rather than blank.
• ▶ 13:14 This built-in automation removes the manual data entry of setting assignees and statuses, cutting out a “whole lot of work” from the default task creation process.
• [13:14–13:18] Embedding assignees and statuses directly into the button action makes each new batch of default tasks immediately actionable and correctly routed to the right teammate with the proper workflow state.
• ▶ 14:37 Build a button with /button that adds a page to a specified database (e.g., All Tasks) and sets defaults like Priority, Kanban Status, and Due = Today.
• ▶ 16:12 Add an “Open page” step with Side peek so the newly created task/note opens automatically for immediate naming and context.
• ▶ 17:33 For notes, set the Type property to Fleeting to preserve template behavior (e.g., eventual archiving), showing that choosing correct property values is key.
• ▶ 18:39 Buttons can do more than add pages—they can also edit existing database pages by using filter criteria to target specific records, such as today’s habit page.
• ▶ 19:46 Key configuration: the "Edit pages in" action uses database-view-style filters (e.g., date is "today") so the button updates only the matching page, not a manually selected one.
• ▶ 21:53 A "day score" formula converts checkboxes to 1/0 with a unary plus (e.g., +prop("In bed by 10")), divides by 4, and displays the result as a visual progress bar.
• ▶ 22:20 The "relative dates trick" uses a Due Suggested formula that subtracts a numeric Offset from a project's publish date, providing suggested due dates for tasks (e.g., script locked 5 days before publish).
• ▶ 24:52 You can configure the existing "Create Default Video Tasks" button to assign per-task offsets (Script=5, Film=3, Edit=2), so newly created tasks automatically show calculated suggested due dates.
• ▶ 25:49 The host plugs a full Notion formula reference at thomasjfrank.com, covering functions, operators, and constants.
• ▶ 26:29 Join the Notion Tips newsletter at thomasjfrank.com/fundamentals for weekly tips and free templates/resources.
• ▶ 26:50 The Ultimate Brain template is available at thomasjfrank.com/brain with discount code letsgo2023 for 50% off.
• ▶ 27:09 Leave questions in the comments or reach out on Twitter @tomfrankly; subscribe for more videos.

• ▶ 0:00 Introduction and Examples (0:00 - 5:36) - - Introduces Notion Buttons and shows examples like habit trackers, project tasks, and a dashboard demo.
• ▶ 5:36 Building a Default Tasks Button (5:36 - 13:20) - - Walks through creating a first button and a multi-step default tasks automation for new YouTube videos.
• ▶ 13:20 Recreating Ultimate Brain Buttons (13:20 - 18:41) - - Recreates create-area buttons, including a new task due today button and a fleeting note button.
• ▶ 18:39 Habit Tracker Buttons and Day Score (18:39 - 22:20) - - Shows buttons that edit existing habit tracker pages and adds a day score formula with progress bars.
• ▶ 22:20 Relative Dates Trick and Formula Reference (22:20 - 26:19) - - Demonstrates the advanced relative dates trick for suggested due dates and points to the formula reference.
• ▶ 26:19 Closing and Resources (26:19 - 27:40) - - Wraps up with closing remarks, the Ultimate Brain offer, and social media links.