Learning a new skill, whether it's programming, design, playing an instrument, or a new language, is often a long journey. You might have bookmarked tons of learning resources but don't know where to start, or after studying for a while, find your knowledge scattered and hard to organize into a system.
With the FLO.W Notion Template, you can transform skill learning into a well-structured, sustainable system. This tutorial uses "Learning Python Programming" as an example to walk you through the entire process from getting started to continuous improvement.
Before You Start: Slow Down and Think
After getting the template, you might be eager to start planning. But before diving in, ask yourself two questions:
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Why do you want to learn this skill?
- Is it for work? Personal interest? Or just because you see others learning it and feel you should too?
- The clearer your motivation, the more likely you'll persist.
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How much time are you willing to invest?
- 30 minutes a day? A few hours per week?
- This determines your learning pace and project planning.
These questions have no standard answers, but thinking them through helps you maintain direction throughout your learning journey.
Understanding the Role of Areas
In FLO.W Notion template, "Area" is the backbone of the entire system. It helps you answer a fundamental question: What position does this skill hold in your life?
Think of Areas as category labels on a bookshelf. Without categories, the more books you have, the messier it gets; with categories, every book finds its place. Areas help you "place" your knowledge and Projects where they belong.
There's No Standard Answer for Area Hierarchy
FLO.W Notion template has Area and sub-Area designs, but the hierarchy division entirely depends on how important this matter is to you.
For example:
- For a professional programmer, "Programming" might be their primary Area
- For a product manager looking to switch careers, "Programming" might be a sub-Area under "Career Development"
- For someone learning programming purely out of interest, "Programming" might be a sub-Area under "Personal Interests"
There's no right or wrong—the key is matching your inner positioning of this matter.
Act First, Refine Later
FLO.W Notion template's design philosophy is: Modules are not tightly bound—there's plenty of room for adjustment later.
You don't need to plan your Areas perfectly from the start. The recommended approach is:
-
Create a rough Area assignment based on intuition
- If you can't figure it out, put it under generic Areas like "Personal Growth" or "Learning & Development"
- Or simply skip Areas entirely and create a Project directly
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Create a specific learning Project and start taking action
- Once you have your first Project, you have a direction to move forward
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As you gain experience, come back to adjust your Area structure
- After completing more Projects, you'll better understand where this skill fits in your life
- Adjusting Areas at this point will be more accurate
From Goal to Project: Where Should "Learn Python" Go?
At this point, you might have a question: "I just want to learn Python—where exactly should this goal go?"
This is a great question, and it's key to understanding FLO.W Notion template's design logic.
The goal "Learn Python" should be a sub-Area in FLO.W Notion template, not a Project.
Why? Because "Learn Python" is a long-term direction—you might spend a month on basics, six months advancing, then continue using and learning for years. It doesn't have a clear "completion" moment; it's a direction you want to continuously develop.
Under this Area, you'll start one specific Project after another:
| Level | Example | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Area | Python Learning | Long-term direction, no endpoint |
| Project | Python Basics: Complete the Beginner Tutorial | Clear goal, can be completed |
| Project | Python Intermediate: Complete 100 Easy LeetCode Problems | Clear goal, can be completed |
| Project | Python Practice: Build an Auto File Organizer Tool | Clear goal, can be completed |
Think of this relationship as a "track" and "races":
- Sub-Area is the "track" you choose to develop (Python Learning)
- Projects are specific "races" along this track (each course, each milestone)
Every Project you complete takes you one step further in this Area.
Create Phase-Based Learning Projects
Now that you understand the relationship between Areas and Projects, the next step is to create your first learning Project.
Remember the principle: Projects should have clear endpoints. Not "Learn Python," but "Complete a specific course or phase."
From the top navigation bar, go to the Project hub and create a new page in the Project Category - Learning view
Enter the Project name, preferably including a specific goal, such as "Python Basics: Complete the Beginner Tutorial"
Set the Schedule Date to give yourself an expected completion time (like 1 month)
Link the Project to an appropriate sub-Area—if you haven't figured it out yet, you can skip this for now
Break Down Practice Tasks
After creating your learning Project, the next step is to break down the learning content into specific Tasks.
Enter the learning Project page you just created—you'll see the page includes Related Learning and Learning Progress Management modules by default
Record your learning resources (like online courses, tutorials) in the Related Learning module
Break down specific learning Tasks in the Learning Progress Management module, for example:
- Day 1-2: Python environment setup + Variables and data types
- Day 3-4: Conditional statements if/else + Practice 5 problems
- Day 5-6: Loop statements for/while + Practice 5 problems
- Day 7: Phase review + Complete first small program (calculator)
- Day 8-10: Function definition and calling + Practice
- Day 11-14: Lists, dictionaries, and other data structures
Set a Schedule Date for each Task—based on your time availability, keep each Task completable within 1-3 days
Record Learning Notes
During the learning process, you'll generate lots of Notes: concept explanations, code examples, pitfall records, insights, etc. FLO.W Notion template's Note System can help you organize this content systematically.
At the bottom of your learning Project page, you'll see a Learning Notes button—click it to create a Note linked to the Project
Give your Note a clear name, such as "Python Functions: Definition, Parameters, Return Values"
If you encounter problems or confusion, use the Question Notes button to create Notes for later review and resolution
Use Topic Notes to Organize Your Knowledge System
As your Notes grow, you can create "Topic Notes" as summary pages.
For example, create a Topic Note named "Python Basic Syntax Summary," then set "Variables and Data Types," "Conditional Statements," "Loop Statements" and other Notes as its "children." This forms a hierarchical knowledge structure.
For detailed explanation of Topic Notes and parent-child relationships, see Topic Notes and Parent and Child.
Collect Learning Resources
During learning, you might collect various resources: online tutorials, reference books, technical articles, video courses, etc. FLO.W's "Info Hub" module can help you manage these resources uniformly.
Avoid Resource Hoarding
There's a common trap: bookmarking 10 online courses, 20 tutorials, 5 books, but not actually completing any of them. "Collecting" does not equal "learning."
The recommended approach: Only activate 1-2 core learning resources for the current phase and focus on completing them. Leave other resources aside—start the next one after completing the current ones. The "Info Hub" is for managing resources, not hoarding them.
Verify Learning Through Practice
For many skills, just watching tutorials isn't enough—you need actual projects to verify and consolidate what you've learned.
Taking Python as an example, after learning basic syntax, set yourself a small goal:
- Build a script that automatically organizes desktop files
- Write a simple expense tracking program
- Scrape data from a website and generate a report
The difference between these "Practice Projects" and "Learning Projects" is:
- Learning Project: Follow tutorials, goal is to master knowledge
- Practice Project: Solve real problems, goal is to apply knowledge
Track Learning Progress
When you complete learning Tasks, the Project page header automatically calculates progress, letting you clearly see how far you've come.
After completing a learning Task, change the Task status to Completed
Return to the learning Project page and you'll see the progress bar update automatically
In the Homepage's Dashboard, you can also see a progress overview of all ongoing Projects
Through progress tracking, you can:
- Visually see how much learning you've completed
- Discover which content hasn't been started yet
- Gain motivation to keep moving forward
After Completing a Phase
When you complete a learning Project (like "Python Basics: Complete the Beginner Tutorial"), here are some recommended things to do:
1. Archive the Project
Change the Project status to Completed. This Project will automatically disappear from the Homepage's "In Progress" view, but all Tasks and Notes will be preserved and can be reviewed anytime.
2. Simple Review
Spend 10 minutes doing a simple review. Record in your Notes:
- What did you learn in this phase?
- Which learning methods were effective? Which wasted time?
- What do you want to focus on in the next phase?
These review Notes become valuable learning assets that will be helpful when looking back in the future.
3. Start the Next Project
Skill learning is a continuous process. After completing the beginner phase, start an intermediate Project:
- "Python Intermediate: Learn Object-Oriented Programming"
- "Python Practice: Complete 3 Small Projects"
- "Python Specialty: Data Analysis Basics"
4. Review Your Area Structure
This is a good time to look back at whether your Area settings need adjustment. After a period of learning, your understanding of this skill may have deepened, and the Area positioning may need updating.
FAQ
Related Features
- Project Management - Learn about complete Project features
- Task Properties - Learn about Task property settings
- Note Properties - Learn about Note organization methods
- Area Properties - Learn about Area and sub-Area
- Course Learning - If you're learning through online courses
- Reading a Book - If you're learning through books
- Exam Preparation - If your learning goal is passing an exam
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