1) The real problem most dashboards create

They add more information than you can use.

This is how overwhelm is created:

• too many charts

• too many metrics

• too many pages

The brain stops reading.
And when the brain stops reading → the dashboard becomes decor.

2) What changes when your data fits on one page

When data fits on one page, something subtle happens:

You can see immediately:

• are we going up

• are we going down

• does this need my attention today

Clarity creates decision.
Decision creates calm.

This is the real goal.

3) The 4 criteria of a dashboard that reduces stress

A good dashboard is:

1. One page

2. One glance = direction understood

3. One metric per question (not 6 variations)

4. One main action implied (what to do next is obvious)

If your dashboard fails one of these → it stops being useful.

4) What to include (and what to remove)

Include:

• leading indicators (movement)

• conversion points (where energy leaks)

• daily/weekly rate of change

• the one metric that defines success for the week

Remove:

• vanity metrics (audience size, followers, impressions)

• revenue screens if they don’t relate to cause (no context)

• duplicated metrics (keep only the version that matters)

5) Recommended stack (simple and clean)

• Notion → the page and primary view

• Manual input or small automations (not everything auto)

• Airtable / Make / n8n → only for the 1–2 metrics worth syncing

Governance = part of this:
→ If it breaks often, reduce it.

The simplest working version is the correct version.

6) How to build it in 60 minutes

1. define the target metric of the week (the “one thing”)

2. select 3 leading metrics that drive that “one thing”

3. create 4 blocks in Notion → one per metric

4. update daily (manual or auto)

5. review every Friday (10 minutes)

That’s it.
Most people overbuild.

7) Maintenance rules

• delete one metric every time you add one

• keep it to a single page

• never add commentary inside the dashboard → commentary goes in notes

• only track what you actually use to decide something

A dashboard isn’t about seeing everything.
It’s about seeing what matters.

A concrete example: a real estate agency

For a local real estate agency, a 1-page dashboard could simply show:

• new incoming inquiries this week

• visits booked

• visits completed

• offers received

• deals in progress

• commissions pending

6 lines.
Not more.

You don’t need a heavy CRM view to know if the week is healthy or on fire.

A director of an agency once told me something very true:
“I need to see the heart of the business, not the noise.”

If a metric doesn’t change a daily or weekly decision → it doesn’t belong on the dashboard.

The brain decides better when it’s not drowning.