Notion Basics: How to Use Template Blocks and Database Templates

Let’s say you’ve got a complex checklist that you need to use on a repeat basis. Ideally, you’d create a new copy of this checklist each time you need to use it. How would you do that?

Well, in Notion, the answer is simple: You’d use either a template block or a database template.

These are two of Notion’s most powerful features, and learning how to use them can save you from repeating the same tasks over and over again.

The template block give you a handy button that can create a copy of almost any other block – or even a combination of blocks. Here are couple of examples:

• Create a multi-item checklist in one click (great for repeated processes, like publishing YouTube videos)
• Create a copy of a page
• Create a copy of an entire database (my Among Us game tracker makes use of this)

Meanwhile, database templates can help you create complex pages inside a database in an instant.

As a YouTuber, I use database templates in my video project tracker. Instead of creating a new page from scratch each time I want to make a video, I have a template that creates a page with:

• Internal script and research pages
• Editing and publishing checklists
• A handy B-roll database

If you take some time to learn how these two features work, you’ll greatly expand your ability to build useful tools and systems inside of Notion.

And in the video tutorial above, I’ll show you all of the fundamentals – plus a couple advanced tricks.

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