Spencer Lanoue
Notion is one of those tools that makes you rethink how you organize your digital life. It's flexible, dynamic, and endlessly customizable. But when it comes to adjusting the layout, like moving columns around, things can get a little tricky. The good news is that once you get the hang of it, you'll find it's pretty intuitive. Let's walk through moving columns in Notion and make your workspace just the way you like it.
Understanding Notion's Layout
Before we jump into the steps, it's helpful to understand how Notion's layout works. In Notion, everything is built around a block system. Think of blocks as the building bricks of your page. Text, images, databases, and even columns are blocks. You can move these blocks around to reorganize your content. Columns in Notion are essentially just blocks placed side by side. Easy, right?
One thing to note is that Notion doesn't have an explicit "column" feature like some other platforms. Instead, you create columns by arranging blocks next to each other. While this might sound a bit complicated, it offers a lot of flexibility in how you can layout your pages.
Interestingly enough, this block system means that moving columns involves moving the blocks themselves. So, if you want to move a column, you'll be moving the blocks inside that column. The process is straightforward once you know how it works. Let's dive into the nitty-gritty of moving these blocks around.
Creating Columns in Notion
Before you can move columns, you need to know how to create them. Creating columns in Notion is as simple as dragging and dropping. Here's how:
- Create a Block: Start by typing / to bring up the block menu. Choose the type of block you want, such as a text block, heading, or image.
- Drag and Drop: Click and hold the six dots to the left of the block you've just created. Drag it to the right of another block until you see a blue line appear. That's your cue that you can drop the block to create a column.
- Adjust the Width: You can adjust the width of your columns by dragging the vertical blue line between them.
And just like that, you've created columns in Notion! You can add more blocks to your columns by dragging new blocks into them. Now that you know how to create columns, you're ready to move them around.
Moving Columns: The Basic Method
Moving columns in Notion involves moving the blocks that make up those columns. Here's how you can do it:
- Select the Block: Click on the six dots to the left of a block to select it.
- Drag to Move: With the block selected, drag it to where you want it. To move it to a different column, drag it to the right or left of the column boundary until you see a blue line.
- Release to Drop: Once you've found the right spot, release the mouse to drop the block in place.
This method works perfectly for moving single blocks. But what if your column is made up of multiple blocks? In that case, you might want to move them all at once.
Moving Multiple Blocks at Once
If your column contains multiple blocks, moving each one individually can be a bit of a hassle. Thankfully, Notion lets you move multiple blocks at once. Here's how:
- Select Multiple Blocks: Click and drag your mouse over the blocks you want to move, or hold down Shift and click each block.
- Drag and Drop: Once you've selected the blocks, click on the six dots of any selected block and drag them to the new location.
- Release to Place: Drop the blocks in their new location. You'll see a blue line indicating where they'll go.
This is a great way to save time when you need to reorganize your workspace. Plus, it keeps your workflow smooth and efficient. The next section will cover some tips to make the process even smoother.
Tips for Moving Columns Efficiently
While moving columns in Notion is straightforward, a few tips can make the process even smoother:
- Use Keyboard Shortcuts: Notion offers several keyboard shortcuts that can speed up the process. For instance, CMD/CTRL + D duplicates a block, which can be handy when reorganizing content.
- Plan Your Layout: Before moving blocks, take a moment to plan your layout. This can save time later by reducing the need to move blocks multiple times.
- Use Templates: Notion's templates can be a lifesaver. If you find yourself frequently using the same layout, save it as a template to quickly replicate it in the future.
These tips can help streamline your workflow and make moving columns a breeze. But what if you need to move an entire section of your page? Let's cover that next.
Moving Entire Sections
Sometimes, you might need to move an entire section of your page, rather than just a few blocks. Here's how you can do that:
- Select the Section: Click and drag your mouse over the section you want to move. This should highlight all the blocks in that section.
- Move the Section: Click on the six dots of any selected block and drag it to the new location.
- Drop the Section: Release the mouse to drop the section in its new location.
By moving entire sections, you can quickly reorganize large parts of your page. This is especially useful when working with complex layouts or large pages.
Using Notion's Toggle Feature
The toggle feature in Notion is another handy tool that can help when moving columns. Toggles allow you to collapse and expand content, making it easier to manage large sections. Here's how to use it:
- Create a Toggle Block: Type /toggle to create a toggle block.
- Move Content Inside: Drag and drop blocks into the toggle block.
- Collapse and Move: Collapse the toggle to make it easier to move the entire section.
The toggle feature is great for organizing content and can make moving sections much more manageable. You might find it particularly useful for pages with a lot of content.
Dealing with Nested Columns
Nesting columns within other columns can add complexity to your layout, but it also offers more flexibility. Here's how you can handle nested columns:
- Create Nested Columns: Drag a block into an existing column to nest it within that column.
- Move Nested Columns: To move a nested column, select the blocks within it and drag them together.
- Adjust Nested Columns: You can adjust the width and position of nested columns just like regular columns.
Nesting columns can take some getting used to, but it opens up a lot of possibilities for customizing your layout. Just be mindful of how complex your layout becomes, as it can become tricky to manage if it gets too complicated.
Spell and Notion: A Perfect Match
As you work on organizing your Notion workspace, you might find yourself needing to draft or edit documents quickly. This is where Spell comes in. Spell is an AI document editor that helps you write and edit high-quality documents in seconds. It's like having an AI assistant built right into your document editor.
With Spell, you can generate drafts, refine your writing, and even collaborate with your team in real time. Imagine being able to create polished documents without the usual hassle of formatting and editing. Whether you're working on a personal project or collaborating with a team, Spell can save you time and effort.
By integrating Spell into your workflow, you can enhance your productivity and make your Notion workspace even more efficient. It's a great way to complement the flexibility and power of Notion.
Final Thoughts
Reorganizing columns in Notion might seem daunting at first, but with a bit of practice, it becomes second nature. The flexibility of Notion's block system allows for endless customization, and once you get comfortable with it, the possibilities are endless. For those times when you need to draft or refine documents quickly, Spell is there to help, turning hours of work into minutes with its AI-powered tools. By combining the strengths of Notion and Spell, you can create a workspace that's both efficient and powerful.
