WAKE UP: Notion Formulas 2.0 for Dummies - 6 takeaways, US travel template + Bratz

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Sep 9, 2023

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Hey! I’m Frances, a Certified Notion Consultant + Founder of The Notion Bar (150+ clients - see my 💌 testimonials, ☎️ coaching + 🎓 course). Enjoy this little curation of what’s new in The Notion Zeitgeist/at The Notion Bar - happy scrolling

If this past week was a GIF, it would be:

I’ve been plotting. Lots of things on the horizon, so stay tuned 👀 Also had a great time speaking on the panel at the Business of Marketing Summit about efficient systems - catch the replays here

Some calm in the productivity storm

Did you know I have a journal community? Every year since 2021, I’ve released an edition of The Happiness Bar journal template filled with wellness tips submitted by YOU to discover + inspire you throughout the year (🍿video). My favourite from this week:

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📰 This week in The Notion Zeitgeist 📰

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🪩 This week in ✨Profuntivity✨🪩

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🍟 How to update 100 year-old branding | 💅🏽 BRATZ X BEYONCÉ | 👗 Legitimately the best clothes upcycling I’ve ever seen | 🛝 Black women reclaiming their hobbies | 🧈 This Kadeem Tyrell song is like butter | 🏃🏽‍♀️ NEED this step class in my city #steppertonhive | 📞 Clubhouse is trying to make fetch happen again

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🧪 Dummies Guide to Notion Formulas 2.0

Notion have upgraded their old formula language to be easier to use and allow even MORE possibilities. If you are a data-science or excel formula nerd, you are about to be hyped. If you’re not, never fear, I’ve put together some resources and inspiration to help you get started.

What’s Changed in Notion Formulas 2.0?

Full release guide + docs here - here’s the “for dummies” summary with examples!

Multi-line editor — instead of one big text block for your formulas, you now have access to a multi-line editor.
1. Game changer for chunky formulas, so ~~I’m~~ you’re not pulling your hair out over where the brackets go.
Tweet →
More outputs — formulas used to only be able to reference text, numeric, and checkbox (boolean) outputs. Now you can also display pages, dates, people, and lists.
1. Game changer for building data outputs that look and feel more connected to your workspace
  Tweet →
Reference more with related databases — when you connect databases to each other using relation properties, you can now ‘read information from the other side’ from the related data e.g. deadlines or tags from projects and tasks can be used in calculation
1. Game changer for reducing the amount of rollups and therefore columns and database bloat in your workspace - faster databases, yay!
  Tweet →
Reference more about the workspace members - so imagine if you tagged a bunch of people in your database and you wanted to automatically pull their email or Full Name - you can do that now.
1. Game changer for doing things like building automatic stakeholder contact information sections in shared portals
BYOV (Build your own variables) - Notion’s new formula has a function called ‘let’, where you can create standalone variables formulas, e.g. calculating this month’s profit. This can then be referenced elsewhere in your formula
1. Game changer as you would have previously ended up having to very clever with your brackets and building separate columns to ‘store’ your calculations
  Help Guide →
Pretty colours - There are now more formatting options which let you add colour, backgrounds, bolding and more to the outputs in your formulas
1. Game changer for building ‘report databases’, as now the key information can jump out to your straight away

Need more help?

Ben also has a Formulas 2.0 course coming out →

How are you going to use the new formulas?

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Best Energy,

Frances Odera Matthews | Founder of The Notion Bar & Certified Notion Consultant (✨Artiste✨)

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