As a freelancer, I use Notion for all types of things. I like to organize my life digitally, and Notion makes it easy to keep everything in one place. That’s why I was inspired to finally share my own freelancing dashboard for Notion with you all!
My freelancing dashboard is where to keep all of my projects, due dates, calendars, ideas, and more. It’s all there in one safe, easy-to-find spot, and I can access my data from any device.
While Notion is a powerful tool, it takes a bit of time to set up your account to look the way you like. Having an aesthetic workspace is important to me, even in a digital world. That’s why I’m sharing my current freelancing dashboard for free—so you can hit the ground running right away.
Whether you’re a newbie freelancer or you’ve been at this for a while, staying organized can’t be an afterthought. Let’s get right into it! ✨
In this blog:
- What is Notion?
- What’s included in the Notion Freelancing Dashboard?
- Access your Freelancing Dashboard for Notion
- How to customize your dashboard
What Is Notion?
To begin, what even is Notion? If you’ve never used this online tool, you’re in for a treat. This is a project management platform that’s available both online (in your browser) and through an app.
Released in 2018, Notion is relatively new compared to other cloud tools like Google Drive. You can use it to create, plan, collaborate, and stay organized. Some of it’s unique features include:
- Calendars
- Synching with other apps
- Database creation
- Canban boards (like Trello)
- Easy building blocks
I like to think of Notion like Legos for the internet. You can create your own beautiful, clean space with different blocks, piecing together what works for you. While Notion has its own templates you can choose from, I like to design my own. Lucky for you, my freelancing dashboard is in this guide for you to add to your own Notion setup—no skill required.
Does Notion cost money?
One of the questions you might be asking (and rightfully so) is whether Notion is free. Yes! It’s entirely free to use, and you can sign up in just a few seconds.
While there are some premium features you can add on for a fee, I don’t personally use any of these. There are also paid templates, but those aren’t necessary by any means. As a free tool, Notion is hard to beat.
What’s Included in the Freelancing Dashboard?
With that in mind, what’s included in the freelancing dashboard for Notion? I designed this to fit the things I need most when I’m working day in and day out. Because this is a dashboard, it has lots of sub-pages. The goal is to help you to stay organized and on-task!
- Inspiration: A quick section for saving the things that inspire you, like your favorite playlists, reading lists, and websites.
- Task database: Organize your tasks into a simple to use database to make sure you’re always prioritizing the most important stuff first without losing anything in the fray.
- Content ideas: Store all of your content ideas in one place, staying on track with your own content calendar.
- Client profiles: List all of your client details, projects, and goals in one place, linking to client-specific deadlines and meetings.
- Calendar: Sync your calendar to avoid missing deadlines or facing burnout.
- Reminder: Easily access daily or weekly reminders on the front page.
- Weather: The weather can impact your productivity, so why not have this right on the front page?
- To-do list: Finally, a daily to-do list highlights your most important tasks of the day so you’re always doing the most productive things.
The freelancing dashboard for Notion is completely customizable, making it the best way to share what’s most important to you. Add pages, delete pages, and add new sections as needed.
Access Your Free Dashboard for Notion
Ready to get your free dashboard for Notion? It’s easy to add this template to your own Notion workspace. To get your dashboard, click the link below.
When you click this link above, you’ll see the freelancing dashboard template in the Notion platform itself. From there, make sure you’re logged into your Notion account (or create one).
At the top right corner the page, you’ll see “Duplicate.” Click that in the control bar, and the template will be duplicated within your own workspace. When you make changes to this duplicate, it won’t make changes to the template for everyone.
How to Customize Your Freelancing Dashboard
While you might be ready to hit the ground running with your freelancing dashboard right away, I thought I’d take a moment to share some of the customization options.
Step 1. Customize the main dashboard
To begin, here’s how to customize the main dashboard. You can easily change the text, quotes, links, and more just by clicking and typing new content.
The section under “Today’s List” will adjust automatically when you add new tasks to your “Tasks” page. By default, it’s set to list only today’s tasks. If you’d rather this list weekly, monthly, or client-specific tasks, click “Filter” and add a tag to organize by (like “due date,” “priority,” etc).
Finally, you can adjust your weather widget through a third-party tool called Indify. Login through Indify (it’s free), create a new weather widget, and follow the instructions to copy-paste it into your dashboard.
Step 2. Update your task list
Next, the most important part of your freelancer dashboard in Notion is likely your task list. Once you open your task list, you can add specific tasks by clicking “New.”
Organize each task into client groups under “Client/Project,” and identify a due date.
I recommend adding a priority level to each task, from low to high. Finally, you can note where you’re at in your status in the final column. This database automatically updates into your dashboard homepage.
Step 3. Complete your client profiles
Third, take a few minutes to add content to your client profiles. This is where you can stay on top of each client relationship, making sure everything is clearly in one place.
Aside from basic client details, identify client goals, whether they’re set by your client or yourself. Lastly, anything tagged with your client’s name in your calendar will show up under “Upcoming.” This makes sure you don’t miss any deadlines, due dates, or meetings.
Once again, you can add things to the “Upcoming” field using the filter option. Learn more about filters for databases in Notion with this guide.
Step 4. Update your calendar
Now, update your calendar to stay on top of things you need to do. You can add anything to your calendar by clicking on the specific date and the “+” button.
From here, give each calendar event a name. Under tags, select a client name or add a new one. These should coordinate with the filters under the “Upcoming” tab in the client profiles we discussed in the section above.
Under type, select an event type (meeting, deadline, etc.) to meet your needs.
If you need to, add comments or other information to your calendar event.
Step 5. Make it your style
Lastly, let’s make sure your freelancing dashboard matches your aesthetic style. There are so many ways to optimize your Notion to match your style, no matter what you think looks best.
To adjust the image on the top of your freelancing dashboard, hover over the image in the lower right corner. Click “Change Cover” to access other cover options. You can upload a new one or choose one through a platform like Unsplash.
If you’d like to change the fonts, at the top right click the horizontal dots (“…”) and select a new font under “Style.” The easiest way to change font colors and backgrounds is by highlighting the specific text, and clicking the downward arrow next to “A.”
Optimize Your Freelancing Business
Ultimately, that’s are there is to it when it comes to optimizing your freelancing business with Notion. I’ve been using Notion for years to stay on top of all the small aspects of my business. Now, I’m so excited to share this dashboard with you all to help with your own budding businesses!
If you’re just getting started, you’re in the right place. Learn how to set up your freelancing contract, as well as the things to do before you land your first freelancing client.
Have you used Notion as a freelancer? If so, let me know your experience! I’d love to hear what works best for you when it comes to templates and dashboards.
- Freelancing Dashboard for Notion [Free Template] - July 19, 2022
- Do These 5 Things Before Landing Your First Freelancing Client - July 13, 2022
- How to Create Your Own Freelancing Contract - July 7, 2022