Notion Formulas can elevate your Notion Workspace to the next level, but even experienced users are often intimidated by them. However, it’s actually really easy to get started with Formulas in Notion. All you need are a few basic concepts and use cases. Here’s everything you ever need to know to start using Notion Formulas. ## Table of contents * Notion Formulas: Similar but different to their Sheets and Excel Counterpart * Notion formulas: a reference guide * Property Types (or Variables) * The different types of functions * Common Notion formula use cases (that you can copy!) * Still missing: The API * Download these Notion formulas into your Notion workspace _Ready to design your perfect productivity system in Notion? Our upcoming course[Supercharge Your Productivity]() is your first step to transforming your life and career._ Do you prefer video instructions to a written blog post? No worries, we’ve got you covered: ## Notion Formulas: Similar but different to their Sheets and Excel Counterpart You’ve taken the plunge. After hearing about the [buzzy productivity app called Notion](), you [migrated from Evernote]() and are excited for this new chapter in note-taking. You’ve mastered [the basics of Notion](), have set up a GTD to-do list, and even [created a Personal Wiki](). And as you sit down to write your first __If Statement__ , you expect to see a familiar Excel-like layout and it hits you: Where are the cells? Why don’t these property types align? And why do these formulas look so different? At first glance, [Notion formulas]() are not as intuitive as their Google Sheets counterparts. In this post we’ll list and explain the formula property type, operators, functions and share common formula examples that you can then use in your own workspaces. [Supercharge Your Productivity]() ## Notion formulas: a reference guide When you [create a new formula](), there are four options to choose from: __Properties, Constants, Operators and Functions.__ * __Properties:__ These are effectively your “variables.” * __Operators:__ Simple calculations like arithmetic (add/subtract) and logic (true/false). * __Functions:__ More complex, pre-defined formulas that resemble what you’re used to seeing in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. * __Constants__ : Common constants like ___pi___ or ___e___. (You probably won’t use these often.) For a preview of the __raw power__ formulas can bring to a workflow, check out this video (_queued @ 32:56_) where we effortlessly create a GTD review function: ## Property Types (or Variables) The first odd thing you’ll notice is that since Notion acts as a database, it doesn’t have variables, you can’t access an individual cell. This makes calculations like [financial modeling]() and local variables (i.e. a variable that applies to just one row) very challenging. In Excel terms, this means that you can only apply formulas to an entire column (a la _copy and paste down_). Property Types look (slightly) different than Cells In front of each __property__ , you’ll see an icon denoting its type (_number, text, date_). This is important because you’ll match this up with __functions__ (which have also have these same icons) to ensure that your calculation is _apples-to-apples_. For example, the __dateBetween__ function returns a __number__ whereas the __dateSubtract__ returns a date. __This is a common source of error.__ ## The different types of functions If you’re using Notion as a comprehensive productivity system you’ll probably draw from a similar pool of operators and functions. * __Logic and Conditional Operators:__ If, and, equal, or, not * __Math:__ min, max, abs, round * __Date:__ dateAdd, dateBetween, dateSubtract, now * __String:__ concat, format, contains, slice The most common functions [Adam Listek]() kindly aggregated all of Notion’s functions into this [massive cheat sheet](). ## Common Notion formula use cases (that you can copy!) __Basic Math (Fahrenheit to Celsius)__ A _very_ simple example on how to use __Property Types__ as variables. __Basic Logic__ __Operators__ Using the __==__ operator to compare two numbers and then the __equal()__ formula for two texts (or strings). __Basic If statements__ Using a basic __If statement__ to test and show the greater of two numbers. __Nested If statement__ Here’s a more advanced __nested If statement__ to convert a text-based tag (_Monthly)_ into a number (30). This forms the basis for a lot of Notion’s task-management capabilities and is [a powerful trick]() to apply across your pages. __Testing if a date is overdue__ Another common test (using the __=__ operator) to see if a task is overdue. __Creating a review frequency__ This formula is inspired by [David Allen’s GTD](), combining an __if statement,__ the __dateAdd__ function and __now()__ to test if an action (i.e. calling a friend in your CRM) falls outside the review window. Another use case would be an automatic review date for [documents in your company wiki](). __Combining a number and a string__ If you want descriptive text that uses the output of a formula here’s how to use the __concat__ function to display the _number of days_ a task has been overdue. It requires you to convert a number into text (a _string_) using the __format__ function. The video shows how it can be helpful to “leg into” your formulas as the nesting can make things tricky. __Visual Progress bars__ These progress bars compare two numbers (say, 1 and 100) and visually show your progress. They’re beyond the scope of this tutorial, but savvy Notioner Ben Smith has an [excellent tutorial](). ![How to create progess bars with Notion Formulas](/images/blog/Screen-Shot-2020-02-12-at-3.35.43-PM.png)Using formulas to create a progress bar ## Still missing: The API Notion Formulas are powerful in their own right, but a true API integration would be a game changer for formulas. And while there are some [Notion integrations](), may folks still [pick Airtable over Notion]() when they need heavy duty access to automated workflows. ## Download these Notion formulas into your Notion workspace The beauty of Notion’s block system is that you can duplicate any of these formulas and tables into your own workspace (or import them from our [Template Gallery]()). The next stop on our Notion tutorial is a deep-dive into [Notion Databases](). [![Blog post image](/images/blog/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-BASICS.png)]() [![Blog post image](/images/blog/Copy-of-Copy-of-BASICS.png)]() [![Blog post image](/images/blog/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-BASICS.png)]() [See all Notion Guides]()