Work Smart #1

February 7, 2024

Hi there, Welcome to issue #1 of Work Smart.

Every Wednesday, expect Notion tips and valuable content on productivity and mindset design.

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Notion's Database Button for Better Work Management: Real-Life Examples

3 min read

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Have you explored the new feature from Notion, the Database Button Property?

In my perspective, this upgrade is not just another cool tool.

It's a game-changer for managing work.

Let me break it down for you.

1. Increasing Team Engagement

With the Database Button Property, you can boost team engagement using the upvote system.

If your team has regular weekly or monthly meetings, consider using an upvote table between meetings.

It's a simple yet effective way to determine which issues are important.

This allows team members to raise and upvote issues they wish to discuss, making team meetings more engaging and effective.

Setting it up is easy.

Here's how:

🔹 The desired result:

Once your team members click the Upvote button, their names will be recorded, and the total count of upvotes will be updated.

🔹 Steps

1. Create 3 properties:
   • A Button property called “Upvote”
   • A Person property called “Upvoted By”
   • A Formula property called “Upvotes”
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2. Button Action:
   Edit the current page to Add the Person who clicked the button in the Upvoted By column.
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3. Upvotes Formula: prop("Upvoted").length()

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Now, team members can press this button to vote for issues they deem important, and the system will automatically tally the votes.

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2. Helping Teams Work Together

The Database Button Property can also be used to enhance cross-team or cross-level collaborations.

Approval buttons are especially handy for this.

🔹 The desired result:

When the supervisor clicks the "Approve" button, the task status changes to "Approved".

The system also tracks the approver's name and approval time.

🔹 Scenarios:

• Content Planning Within Marketing Teams:
  The supervisor reviews the work of copywriters and visual designers to ensure it aligns with the brand image, contains no errors, and is ready for publication.
• Task Execution / Creative Ideas:
  Team members present ideas that require supervisor approval before proceeding.

🔹 Steps

1. Create 3 properties:
   • A Button property called “Approve”
   • A Person property called “Approved By”
   • A Date property called “Approval Date”
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2. Button Actions:

• Action 1: (Optional)
  ​Show notification: Are you sure you want to approve this content? Yes / Cancel
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• Action 2:​
  Edit the current page to add / replace the Person who clicked the button in the Approved By column, and set Approval Date to now.

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3. Making Task Management Easy

Managing tasks is easier now.

Add a button to your task database that changes the task's status.

This way, you move a task from "To Do" to "In Progress" or to "Completed" with just a click.

And guess what?

You can also show what to do next, like "Review task", with a simple formula, or show a status signifier to highlight your tasks.

🔹 Steps

1. Create 3 properties:
   • A Button property
   • A Status property
   • A Formula property called “Next step” or “Status Signifiers”
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2. Button action:
   Edit the current page to change the Status column to (any status you want).
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3. Formula:
   Use ifs() formula to display different text / icon according to the status. This depends on the function you need.
   ​(We'll explore this in more detail in future issues of our Work Smart newsletter.)

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There you have it!

The Database Button Property is an incredible tool that can enhance team engagement, foster collaborations, and improve task management.

Start exploring its possibilities today!

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Quick News

We're getting ready to launch our new template soon!

This template will feature a database button property.

Keep an eye out for our limited-time giveaway.

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Have a nice day and stay productive! 🏝️

Miyavi from Small Wins

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