Question

How do you organize sections in your dashboard?

Answer 1

How you split the sections is the part that usually goes wrong.

I do it by when I look, not by which database exists. Top of the page is today: a linked tasks view, this week plus overdue. Under that, one linked view per thing I actually open (projects, notes, money), each with its own filter. A heading and a divider between them so it does not become one long table.

Hide properties you do not need that hour. A dashboard with every column showing is just the database again.

If the workspace has Dashboard views, that is cleaner than stacking linked views on a blank page. Edit mode for layout, View mode for daily use.

One thing people skip: the today view should filter on This week or This month. Do not try to roll everything up into one number.

Answer 2

Adding to the answer above, here's a concrete layout that works well for a work/freelance dashboard, top to bottom:

1. Header row (2–3 columns): quick-add buttons ("+ Task", "+ Client", "+ Invoice") using Notion Button blocks, plus a short callout with this week's focus.

2. Today: linked view of Tasks, filter Due is on or before Today and Status is not Done, sorted by priority. Show only Name, Project and Due.

3. Active work: linked view of Projects as a Board grouped by Status, filtered to hide Done/Archived. Board makes it obvious what's stuck.

4. Money: linked view of Invoices filtered to Status = Unpaid, sorted by due date, with a formula column flagging overdue ones:
if(prop("Status") == "Unpaid" and prop("Due") < now(), "Overdue", "")
Below it, a table grouped by a "Month" formula (formatDate(prop("Paid on"), "YYYY-MM")) with the Amount column calculation set to Sum, which gives you income per month.

5. Reference (collapsed): a toggle heading holding links to the full databases, SOPs and templates, so they're one click away but not cluttering the page.

General rules: one linked view per question you ask yourself ("what's due?", "who owes me?"), hide every property you don't need in that view, and put the things you check daily at the top.

If you want to see this structure already built, we made a free starter version with clients, projects and invoices wired together: https://2rds.github.io/freelancer-ops/lite.html?ref=notionanswers