Ever found yourself wishing you could display dates and times in Notion just the way you like? Notion, being a versatile productivity tool, offers customization, including changing the time format to suit your preferences. Let's dive into how you can do this.
Before we start, ensure you're using Notion on a web browser. The mobile app might not have all the formatting options yet. Now, let's explore how to change the time format in Notion.
Understanding Notion's Date & Time Format
Notion uses the ISO 8601 standard for dates and times by default. This means dates are displayed in 'YYYY-MM-DD' format, and times are shown in 24-hour format. But what if you prefer 'DD/MM/YYYY' or a 12-hour clock? Let's change that.
Notion allows you to customize the date and time format in your database views. This means you can have different formats for different views, keeping your workspace flexible and personalized.
Changing the Date Format
To change the date format, follow these steps:
1. Click on the database you want to customize. This could be a table, board, calendar, or list.
2. Click on the 'View' dropdown at the top right corner of your screen.
3. Select 'Customize' from the dropdown menu.
4. In the 'Date Format' field, enter your desired format. For example, to display dates as 'DD/MM/YYYY', you would enter 'DD/MM/YYYY'.
5. Click 'Done' to save your changes.
Changing the Time Format
Changing the time format follows a similar process:
1. Again, click on the 'View' dropdown and select 'Customize'.
2. In the 'Time Format' field, enter your desired format. For a 12-hour clock with AM/PM, you would enter 'hh:mm a'.
3. Click 'Done' to save your changes.
Formatting Dates and Times in Notion Text
While the above steps change the format in your database views, you can also format dates and times directly in text blocks. This is useful when you want to display dates and times in a specific format within a page or a note.
Notion uses Markdown-like syntax to format dates and times. Here's how you can do it:
Formatting Dates
To format a date, wrap it in curly braces {} and use the format you want. For example, to display '01/01/2022', you would type '{2022-01-01}'.
Notion will automatically convert this into your desired format. You can also use relative dates like '{now}', '{yesterday}', or '{tomorrow}' for today, yesterday, and tomorrow respectively.
Formatting Times
Formatting times follows a similar process. Wrap the time in curly braces and use the format you want. For example, to display '12:00 PM', you would type '{12:00 PM}'.
You can also use relative times like '{now}', '{1h}', '{2d}', etc. for now, one hour ago, two days ago, etc.
And there you have it! You're now a pro at changing time formats in Notion. Whether you're customizing your database views or formatting dates and times within text, Notion's flexibility ensures you can work just the way you like. Happy organizing!