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Timeline Views: How to Set Up Project Timelines in Notion

By: Ryan Malaluan; Editor: Geram Lompon

Have you ever felt like project deadlines sneak up on you? Without a clear overview, managing multiple projects can quickly become a juggling act, with tasks slipping through the cracks. If you’ve been there, you know how overwhelming it can feel. That’s where Notion’s Timeline View comes in as a game-changer.

Imagine seeing all your projects laid out chronologically, making prioritizing tasks, allocating resources, and ensuring deadlines are met easier. Notion’s Timeline View is a simple yet powerful way to manage project timeline creation and visualize projects from start to finish.

Whether managing a few tasks or juggling several projects, this guide will walk you through how to set up Timeline Views and use them to streamline your workflow for ultimate clarity and collaboration.

Try Notion for free and experience its Timeline View and other amazing features. Get started now!

Why Use Timeline Views in Notion?

Benefits of Visualizing Project Timelines

When managing several projects, a bird’s-eye view is crucial. Timeline View gives you that perspective. Here’s why visualizing timelines in Notion is so powerful:

• See Project Progress at a Glance: Easily track start and end dates without wondering where things stand.

• Prioritize Tasks: Spot overlapping deadlines and concurrent tasks, allowing you to allocate resources effectively and ensure timely completion.

• Boost Collaboration: A well-organized timeline serves as your team’s roadmap, ensuring everyone is on the same page and aligned with shared goals.

By using Timeline Views, you create clarity, streamline task management, and foster smoother teamwork, setting your projects up for success.

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Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up a Timeline View

Setting up a Timeline View in Notion can be done quickly, and with a few customizations, it becomes a powerful tool for managing your projects. Follow this guide to create your first timeline or embed it into existing pages.

Quick Setup: A Basic Timeline in Minutes

If you’re setting up a timeline from scratch, This step-by-step process will have you up and running in less than a 5 min read:

1. Create a New Page

• In the Notion sidebar, click the “New Page” button.

• Name your page based on the project or purpose (e.g., “Marketing Campaign Timeline”).

2. Select Timeline as the View

• After creating the page, Notion will prompt you to choose a view for your database.

• Select “Timeline” from the list of available views. This will give you a chronological view of your tasks and projects.

3. Store the Timeline in the Right Workspace

• It’s important to choose the correct workspace when creating your timeline, especially if you are collaborating with a team.

• Ensure that the timeline is stored in a shared space that allows easy access for the entire team to collaborate effectively.

Pro Tip:
You can use one of Notion’s pre-made templates if you don’t want to start from scratch. Notion provides templates designed for task and project management that already include timelines and relevant properties.

• In the sidebar, click “Templates” , search for a task or project management template, and add it to your workspace for a quicker setup.

Adding a Timeline to an Existing Page

If you already have a page in Notion and want to add a timeline without creating a new page, you can do that in just a few clicks:

1. Use the Forward Slash (/) Command

• Navigate to the page where you want to embed the timeline.

• Press the / key to open Notion’s quick command menu.

• Type “Timeline” and select the timeline option from the dropdown list.

2. Choose Your Data Source

• You’ll have two options at this point:

  • Create a new database if you are starting from scratch.

  • Select an existing database from your workspace to pull data from another project or timeline.

Embedding a timeline within an existing page is great for integrating it into broader project management pages where you track multiple things simultaneously.

Sign up for Notion’s 14-day free trial of the Personal Pro plan and take your project management to the next level. Claim your free trial today!

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Customizing Your Timeline View

Populating the Timeline with Projects

Now that you have your basic timeline set up, it’s time to add your projects and tasks.

• Add Projects and Set Dates:

  • Click on an empty spot or hit “New” to create a new task. Enter the name and details for all the tasks you want to track.

  • Set both the start and end dates for each project to display them accurately on the timeline.

• Adjust the Timeline Scale:

  • Want to see a high-level view or zoom in on daily tasks? Adjust the scale (hourly, daily, monthly, or yearly) using the control in the top-right corner to suit your needs.

Tip: For project planning, use the monthly view to track progress at a glance. For daily task management, switch to a more detailed daily or hourly view.

Using Properties to Organize Information

Timelines in Notion aren’t just about dates—you can customize them to display key project details:

• Show or Hide Properties:

  • Display important info like status, priority, and assign tasks to the appropriate team members directly on the timeline .

  • Hide irrelevant properties by clicking the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner and toggling off unnecessary fields.

• Group Projects by Status:

  • Organize tasks by In Progress, Completed, or Pending by using the Group feature to track where things stand easily.

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Managing Complex Projects with Sub-Projects and Dependencies

Handling large projects can be overwhelming, especially with many moving parts. Breaking them into smaller sub-projects and setting clear task dependencies can help simplify the process.

In Notion’s Timeline View, this becomes easy to manage, allowing you to create a clear, structured plan without losing sight of the overall goal.

Breaking Down Big Projects into Sub-Projects

Large projects often involve multiple phases, each with its own set of tasks. By breaking these phases into sub-projects, you can better manage the workload and ensure each component is on track.

Notion’s Timeline View provides the flexibility to create these sub-projects directly within the main project timeline software.

Steps to Create Sub-Projects in Notion:

1. Open the Main Project Entry:

   • Navigate to the project you want to break down into smaller tasks.

2. Add Sub-Items:

   • Click on the main project entry and select New Sub-Item from the options. This creates a new task or sub-project linked to the main project.

3. Customize Each Sub-Project:

   • For each sub-project, input relevant details such as start and end dates, priority, and task owners. For example, within a “Website Launch” project, you could create sub-projects like “Design,” “Prototyping,” and “Marketing Strategy.”

Benefits of Using Sub-Projects:

• Clarity and Focus: Breaking down projects helps your team focus on specific tasks and ensure a successful project timeline without losing sight of the overall objective.

• Improved Tracking: You can manage deadlines, resources, and progress at a granular level, ensuring no small task is overlooked.

• Better Collaboration: Sub-projects make it easier for teams to manage their responsibilities and provide updates within the context of the entire project framework.

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Setting Dependencies Between Tasks

As projects grow more complex, certain tasks depend on the completion of others before they can begin. Setting dependencies between tasks ensures that each phase of the project flows logically from one to the next, making it easier for project managers to oversee progress.

Notion’s Timeline View allows you to visualize these dependencies in a clear visual format, making it easier to manage project schedules.

How to Set Dependencies Between Tasks:

1. Hover and Drag to Create Dependencies:

   • In Timeline View, hover over the right edge of a project or task card. An arrow will appear.

   • Click and drag this arrow to another project or task that depends on completing the first one. This establishes a visual connection between the two, signaling a dependency.

2. Visualizing Dependencies in the Timeline:

   • Once dependencies are created, they are represented as arrows connecting the tasks. This provides a clear visual indication of which tasks must be completed first.

3. Adjusting Dependencies and Timelines:

   • If a task is delayed or its timeline is adjusted, Notion automatically shifts dependent tasks to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Resolving Conflicts with Dependencies:

• Yellow Arrows: Indicate that the dependency is aligned properly, with no conflicts between task timelines.

• Red Arrows: Highlight conflicts, such as when a dependent task is scheduled to start before the preceding one is completed. You’ll need to manually adjust the timeline by dragging the dependent task to a later date.

Benefits of Managing Dependencies:

• Prevents Scheduling Conflicts: Automatically adjust timelines to reflect dependencies and avoid overlaps or delays.

• Streamlines Workflow: Ensure tasks flow smoothly from one to the next without manual intervention.

• Enhances Project Planning: Dependencies give you a better understanding of how tasks relate, similar to how Gantt charts help visualize project timelines and dependencies, allowing for more effective scheduling and resource allocation.

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Best Practices for Using Timeline Views

Optimizing your timeline views ensures you stay on top of your projects without overwhelming yourself or your team. By following these best practices, you can maintain clarity, prevent information overload, and manage projects more efficiently while fostering better collaboration.

1. Keep Information Clear and Minimal

A cluttered timeline can be hard to manage, so it’s important to keep your timelines streamlined. Here’s how to maintain clarity without sacrificing important details:

Showing Only Essential Information

Display only the most relevant data on your timeline to avoid visual clutter. Focus on these key properties:

• Start Date and End Date: Ensure your tasks are time-bound and easily trackable.

• Status: Keep an eye on whether a task is In Progress, Completed, or Pending.

Grouping Related Tasks

Grouping tasks based on similarities allows you to manage your projects more efficiently. Some ways to group tasks include:

• By Department: Categorize tasks to see what each team or department is working on.

• By Status: Divide tasks into groups, such as In Progress, Completed, and Pending, for quick status updates.

• By Priority: Group tasks by High, Medium, and Low priority to manage resources accordingly.

2. Regularly Update Your Timeline

Keeping your timeline current is essential to managing projects effectively. Here’s how to make sure your timeline stays relevant and useful:

Set Regular Check-ins

Plan regular updates to your timeline to keep information fresh. Here’s how you can stay consistent:

• Weekly Reviews: For fast-moving projects, review the timeline at the start or end of each week to adjust deadlines, dependencies, and task statuses.

• Bi-weekly or Monthly Reviews : Set aside time every two weeks or monthly for longer-term projects to ensure key milestones and project progress are on track.

Encourage Team Collaboration

Your timeline works best when it reflects the latest updates from everyone on the team. Foster collaboration by:

• Involving Team Members: Encourage team members to add or update new tasks in the timeline. This ensures that everyone stays informed about task statuses and deadlines.

• Shared Ownership: Give your team the autonomy to manage their timeline portions. This builds accountability and ensures the timeline stays current without relying solely on one person.

3. Maintaining Timeline Usability

The more organized and updated your timeline is, the easier it will be to navigate. To ensure the usability of your timeline, remember these tips:

• Lock Views for Consistency: Once your timeline is set up, lock the view to avoid accidental changes. This ensures consistency and avoids disruption.

• Duplicate Timelines for Future Projects: Save time by duplicating existing timelines for new, similar projects. This allows you to standardize workflows across multiple projects or teams.

• Use Filters to Focus on Specific Tasks : When managing multiple projects, use Notion’s filtering options to show only tasks from specific departments, team members, or upcoming ones. This makes it easier to focus on what’s most important at any given moment.

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Final Thoughts

Setting up a Timeline View in Notion can transform your project management approach. By visualizing your tasks and projects, you gain clarity, streamline collaboration, and avoid the stress of missed deadlines. With features like sub-projects, dependencies, and customized properties, you can manage big-picture planning and daily task management in one tool.

Now that you know how to set up and use Notion’s Timeline View, it’s time to implement it. Try creating a timeline for your next project and experience firsthand how this tool can boost your productivity and project clarity. Go ahead—dive into Notion’s Timeline View and see the difference it makes!

Get started with a free version or explore the Personal Pro plan with a 14-day free trial. Try Notion for free!