Drupal’s flexibility is legendary, and one of its most powerful—yet sometimes overlooked—features is the system for reusable blocks. Blocks are a great way to display small pieces of content or functionality across different pages, but if you’re still creating custom blocks for every use case, you might be missing out on some real efficiencies. Here’s how to get the most out of reusable blocks in your Drupal projects.

Why Use Reusable Blocks?
Reusable blocks allow you to maintain content in one place, while presenting it in multiple areas around your site. This means you can update a message, promotion, or widget just once, and see that change reflected everywhere.

Getting Started: Custom Block Types
The standard "Basic block" is just the beginning. In Drupal, you can define your own custom block types with fields that fit your needs. For example, you could have a "Promotion" block type with fields for images, headlines, and calls to action, or a "Contact Info" block with fields for addresses and phone numbers.

To create a custom block type:

1. Go to Structure > Block layout > Custom block library.
2. Click on Block types > Add custom block type.
3. Define fields under Manage fields. Add as many as your use case requires—images, links, text, and more.

Managing and Placing Reusable Blocks
Once you’ve created a reusable block, you’ll find it in the Custom block library. These blocks can be placed in any region, just like the old custom blocks, but they’re now easily reusable and centrally managed. Don’t forget about Drupal’s permissions system: set who can edit blocks for healthy site maintenance.

Pro Tip: Use the Layout Builder
If you’re using Drupal’s Layout Builder, place reusable blocks directly onto your layouts. You can even add the same block in multiple layouts without duplication of effort.

Keeping Things Organized
Name your blocks clearly and provide brief descriptions. As your site grows, you’ll thank yourself for avoiding a wild west of unnamed blocks.

Wrapping Up
Reusable blocks are more than just a convenient tool—used wisely, they can help streamline your content updates and maintain consistency. They’re a subtle but powerful way to keep your Drupal site clean, flexible, and efficient. Start building your block library today for smoother projects tomorrow!