Notion for Students - Complete Guide Cheat Sheet - Quick Reference Guide

Last Updated: November 21, 2025

Essential Student Templates

Template	Purpose
Master Dashboard	`Central hub linking all courses, assignments, and tasks`
Course Notes Template	`Standardized format for each class with syllabus, notes, resources`
Assignment Tracker	`Database of all assignments with due dates, status, priority`
Study Schedule	`Weekly calendar blocking study time for each subject`
Exam Prep Dashboard	`Countdown, topics to review, practice problems, flashcards`
Cornell Notes Template	`Cornell method layout: cues, notes, summary sections`
Project Planner	`Multi-phase project tracker with milestones and deliverables`
Reading List	`Books/articles database with status, ratings, notes`

Property	Type & Configuration
Assignment Name	`Title (default)`
Course	`Select (create option for each class)`
Due Date	`Date (enable time for specific deadlines)`
Status	`Select: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Submitted`
Priority	`Select: Low, Medium, High, Urgent`
Type	`Select: Essay, Problem Set, Reading, Quiz, Exam, Project`
Estimated Time	`Number (hours needed)`
Grade	`Number (percentage or points)`
Notes	`Text (additional details)`
Attachments	`Files & media (upload rubrics, files)`

View Type	Configuration
Due This Week	`Table view filtered by Due Date (Next 7 days)`
By Priority	`Board view grouped by Priority`
By Course	`Board view grouped by Course`
Calendar View	`Calendar by Due Date property`
Overdue Items	`Table filtered by Due Date (Before today) & Status ≠ Completed`
Completed	`Table filtered by Status = Completed, sorted by Due Date descending`

Formula	Use Case
Days until due	`dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days")`
Is overdue?	`if(prop("Due Date") < now() and prop("Status") != "Completed", "⚠️ OVERDUE", "")`
Urgency indicator	`if(dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days") <= 2, "🔴 URGENT", if(dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days") <= 7, "🟡 Soon", "🟢 OK"))`
Study time remaining	`prop("Estimated Time") + " hours"`
Grade percentage	`format(prop("Points Earned") / prop("Points Possible") * 100) + "%"`
Semester progress	`format(dateBetween(prop("Semester Start"), now(), "days") / dateBetween(prop("Semester Start"), prop("Semester End"), "days") * 100) + "% complete"`

Section	Content
Header	`Course code, name, professor, office hours, email`
Quick Links	`Buttons to LMS, Zoom, course website, syllabus PDF`
Syllabus Overview	`Grading breakdown, key dates, course objectives`
Weekly Notes	`Database view: each entry = one week/lecture`
Assignments	`Linked database filtered to this course`
Resources	`Textbooks, online resources, study materials`
Questions	`Running list of questions to ask professor/TA`

Feature	How to Use
Toggle blocks	`Type > and space - great for hiding detailed notes`
Callout blocks	`Type /callout - perfect for key concepts, warnings`
Code blocks	`Type /code - for programming assignments`
Math equations	`Type /math for inline or block equations (LaTeX syntax)`
Divider	`Type --- for visual separation`
Table of contents	`Type /toc - auto-generates based on headers`
Breadcrumbs	`Type /breadcrumb - show page hierarchy`
Synced blocks	`/synced - duplicate content that updates everywhere`

Formula	Purpose
Week number	`format(ceil(dateBetween(prop("Date"), prop("Start Date"), "days") / 7))`
Semester/Quarter	`if(prop("Date") >= parseDate("2024-01-15") and prop("Date") <= parseDate("2024-05-15"), "Spring 2024", "Other")`
Workload indicator	`if(prop("Estimated Time") > 5, "⚠️ Heavy", if(prop("Estimated Time") > 2, "Medium", "Light"))`
Auto-priority	`if(dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days") <= 2, "Urgent", if(dateBetween(prop("Due Date"), now(), "days") <= 7, "High", "Normal"))`
Completion rate	`format(length(filter(prop("Tasks"), current.checked)) / length(prop("Tasks")) * 100) + "%"`


         Break/Exercise

Time Block	Monday - Friday Example
8:00 - 9:00	`Morning review - Flashcards/Quick readings`
9:00 - 12:00	`Class blocks (link to specific course pages)`
12:00 - 1:00	`Lunch + brief review of morning notes`
1:00 - 3:00	`Deep work - Assignments/Problem sets`
3:00 - 5:00	`Class or study groups`
5:00 - 6:00
7:00 - 9:00	`Evening study - Review notes, readings`
9:00 - 10:00	`Tomorrow prep - Update tracker, organize`

Relation	Setup
Courses ↔ Assignments	`Relation property linking assignment to parent course`
Courses ↔ Notes	`Each note tagged to specific course`
Projects ↔ Tasks	`Project database with related tasks database`
Exams ↔ Topics	`Exam database linked to topics to review`
Reading ↔ Notes	`Reading list items linked to note pages`
Master calendar	`Unified view showing assignments, exams, events`

Phase	Actions in Notion
3 weeks before	`Create exam page, list all topics, gather materials`
2 weeks before	`Create study schedule, break topics into daily chunks`
1 week before	`Daily toggle checklist, practice problems, review notes`
3 days before	`Focus on weak areas, create summary sheet`
1 day before	`Light review, organize materials, early sleep`
After exam	`Reflect on what worked, note difficult topics`

Tip	Implementation
Daily reflection	`Template button that creates daily reflection page`
Weekly review	`Sunday routine: review week, plan next, update trackers`
Pomodoro tracker	`Database logging study sessions with duration and subject`
Resource library	`Centralized database of useful links, videos, PDFs`
Color coding	`Use background colors for different subjects/priority levels`
Icons & covers	`Add visual identity to each course for quick recognition`
Template buttons	`One-click creation of new assignments, notes, etc.`

💡 Pro Tips: