How to make a progress bar in Notion

Making a progress bar in Notion is a great way to measure and track your progress toward a given goal. This can motivate you and keep you focused while you work. This article covers the basics of how to create a progress bar in Notion.

Create a progress bar

Typically, two methods can be used to create progress bars in Notion. The first is to copy and paste existing progress into your bar formula or progress with custom formulas. You can make any modifications you want.

Step 1 – Choose how you want to configure the progress bar

This is the first step. You need to know exactly what you want to track. Different Notion properties can be used within the progress bar formula. Below are common properties used in bar formulas:

• Numbers: This compares the completed items to the total items.
• Checkboxes: Used for habit tracking.
• Dates: Allow you to count the days between or after two dates.
• Rollup – This allows you to track the progress of properties or pages in related databases.

Step 2: create your properties

Once you decide what should be tracked, you can add the properties intended for use in the database. For beginners or those unfamiliar with summaries and relationships, try to keep things as simple as possible. Stick to the date, checkbox, and number properties.

This is how you set the properties on the progress bar:

1. Open a new or existing page where the progress bar is needed.
   
2. Click “Add Property” at the top.
   
3. Select the type of property you want to use. You can choose a property like “Date” to track the start and end date of a project. You could use a “Number” property to keep track of what percentage is complete and what is left.
   
4. Choose a name for the property and “Enter.” This should indicate what it represents. You can be creative here.
   
5. Set any additional options or details you want about the property. For example, for a “Date” property, you can specify the date format.
   
6. You can repeat the steps to add more necessary properties in the progress bar.

After configuration, the properties can be used in your formulas in the progress bar. This allows you to monitor a project closely. The progress bar can be added to a page. You must work with two numeric properties when tracking the progress of total items versus completed items. In those cases, name one “Completed” and the other “Total.” Make sure the numbers are connected before continuing.

Step 3: Set up the progress bar formula in Notion

After setting its properties, it’s time to set up the formula. You can write one or modify what is available. You should be familiar with common operators used in progress bar formulas. These are:

• format(): This converts numbers to text.
• round(): Used to round decimals to whole numbers.
• if(): Displays the resulting values ​​if some conditions are met.
• slice(): removes a portion of the text from the string.

Follow these steps to set up the formula:

1. Open an existing page or create a new one where you want to add your progress bar.
   
2. Click “Add Property” at the top of the page. Click the formula to add the new formula.
   
3. Enter the formula you want to use to calculate task or project progress in the formula editor. The formulas differ depending on the properties used.
   
4. Click “Save” once the formula has been entered.
   
5. Click “Edit Property” and then select “Progress Bar” to add a progress bar block.
   
6. Click on the progress bar settings and choose the “Formula” option of your bar value.
   
7. Enter the name of the formula property (the one created in step two) inside the formula editor.
8. Set the style and color of the progress bar as you see fit.
   
9. Choose “Save” to save your progress bar.

Following the steps above adds a progress bar on the selected page. Based on your formula, you will see the progress of the task or project.

Step 4 – Select emojis or characters to indicate your progress visually

Notion progress bars can be customized. You can use emojis and special characters. Two characters can be used here. The first is for the “filled” part and the other for the “hollow part”. When special characters are used, the appearance and width of the progress bar are modified depending on the text style used.

1. Open an existing page or create another page that you want to work on.
   
2. Click “Add Property” at the top of the page. Click the formula to add the new formula.
   
3. Enter the formula you want to use to calculate task or project progress in the formula editor. The formulas differ depending on the properties used.
   
4. Click “Done” once the formula is entered.
   
5. You will now see the “Progress Bar” in your workspace that can track any number of goals or objectives.
   

The progress bar is displayed on the page with a special character or emoji to show the progress of the project. You can customize the progress and style of the progress bar based on branding and other preferences.

Creating bottom-up progress bars can be quite a daunting task. This is especially true for beginners who are not familiar with how these formulas work. The formula is not always the same. They vary depending on how the database is configured. Other factors include preferred design.

Progress Bar Use Cases

There are some popular uses for Notion’s progress bar, including:

• Projects and Tasks: Tracking projects and tasks is one of the most popular ways to use progress bars in Notion. You should keep things simple with numeric properties that can be updated manually. Another option is to set up automatic progress bars with summaries and relationships.
• Gamify life: This is a fun way to use Notion’s progress bars. The “Gamify Your Life” template allows you to see your progress to the next level.
• Goals: Notion allows you to set goals and use the progress bar to show how far you’ve come. The goal tracking template keeps things simple, especially for beginners.
• Habits: Habit tracking is also popular. You can set a habit progress bar. In this case, you need information about relationships and summaries.
• Reading List – This can track books left in a TBR stack. You can also indicate the number of pages covered so far. In this case, use two numeric properties that indicate total pages versus pages read.

Track your goals with Notion progress bars

Different progress bar layouts can be used along with your Notion templates. You can create efficient trackers and journals. There is also the possibility of developing aesthetic aspects. You can choose minimalist or bold designs.

Have you ever created a progress bar in Notion? What was your experience? Tell us in the comments p below.