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What is a planner dashboard?

When you open the front page of your planner or bullet journal, there's usually a divider made of cardboard or plastic. That is your dashboard!

You can opt to leave it plain, decorate it, or even add some sticky notes for later use. If you don't have that page already in your planner, there are lots of tutorials on how to make your own.

What I love about a dashboard is that it can be anything you desire. You can keep it simple and clean or add something that reflects your personality or mood. You'll see examples of what I mean in the images below.

Lots of planners have pockets and compartments in the front as well so you can decorate or add some special items to those areas as well.

Have fun with your planner dashboard!

Insider Tip! Dashboards don't have to be limited to the front page. If you have dividers in your planner/bullet journal, you can them just about anywhere in your planner.

Types of Dashboards

Customize your dashboard to suit one person...you! There lots of ways to make this space your own and you can try any of these suggested ideas or create your own hybrid version.

Inspirational - If you love positive vibes..add an inspirational quote or photos of yourself with your favorite people or pets.
Motivational - Does a "you go girl" help kick off your day? It does for me! Add your favorite motivational quotes or images. Do you have some goals you are working towards? Add them to your dashboard for a daily reminder!
Productive - This type of dashboard has important meetings to remember and to-do lists.
Round-up (Daily/Weekly) - Open your planner and see what you're up against each day or week. Add schedules, meetings, and to-do lists for a quick glance.
Fun - Throw caution to the wind with this dashboard! It's all about your personality. Add cute stickers, sayings, and pictures you love.
Functional - Turn your dashboard into a helping hand! With a functional dashboard, you can add sticky notes, decorative paper clips, and to-do lists to use throughout your planner.

Tips for Making a Dashboard for your Planner

Show your Personality - Whether it's a particular color combination, favorite pattern, quote, or photo, be sure to add a bit of yourself to your dashboard.
What Motivates You? - A favorite quote or a list of goals; use your dashboard to remind you why you are planning and working so hard. It will help you stay focused.
Be Inspired! - Use your dashboard as the go to place for feel good vibes! Do you have a favorite vacation spot, pics of family, or quotes that inspire you?
At a Glance - Your dashboard can be a spot for you to focus all of your upcoming events and ongoing tasks.
Form and Function - Make your dashboard look good and add some items that help you stay organized. Perhaps it's a place to store sticky notes, page markers, or monthly calendars. Your dashboard can be a place that works hard for you.
Have Fun! - Most of all, make your dashboard a place that reflects your mood and personality. The goal is to open your planner, get excited, and be ready to take on the day!

Gigilovesplanning chose a minimalistic dashboard. The simple black and white color combo is clean, yet it still shows lots of her personality. A mug graphic with her name, "think happy thoughts" phrase, and coordinating washi tape makes this dashboard fun and motivational.

Mrs_Negri provides so much color and inspiration with her dashboard! With the phrase "I am choosing happiness", it's easy to feel happy when you see all of these vibrant colors, flowers, plants, birds, and butterflies.

Planneraddictbritt adds lots of personality to her board! It's a combination of motivational and fun. Cute pictures of her planner and Audrey Hepburn set a sophisticated tone. Then she adds some phrases and quote as a good reminder of her planner's job.

Phrases like "goal digger," "actually, I can." "and organizing my life for my own solitude" really help to focus on why you are working so hard every day.

Lastly, there's a quote that I'm going to add to my next dashboard or quote page. "Deep down inside, you know the truth. The truth is that you can do this. The truth is that if you gave it 100%, you'd get 100%. The truth is, it's all up to you."

Lplans dashboard has lots of functional elements while still being fun. She has sticky notes and a paper clip that could be used elsewhere in her planner as well as a bit of decoration.

I love her many decorative page markers across the top of the planner, too!

Aisha_happyplannerz has such a pleasant and functional dashboard! This one is in the middle of her planner, too, not right in the front.

The dashboard is at the beginning of a week and she's added a handy monthly calendar card for easy reference.

Prettyplanningxo created a her Filofax dashboard with lots of inspiration (hello fine fella!, adorable dog, and leopard print).

The other side of the spread is completely functional with (of course!) color coordinated sticky notes.

Sagelyplanned created a dashboard that is my dashboard goal!

Her dashboard is at the very front, so she's utilized the pockets as well. On the right is a very sweet image of a girl..which in itself is so sweet as a dashboard.

Then on the left there are decorative bookmarks and paperclips, todo sticky notes, page flags, inspirational sayings and even more paperclips.

Have you made a planner dashboard? What kind of dashboard did you create and what worked best for you? Leave a note in the comments below.