Running your business is a whole lot easier when your tools are organized and working for you. If your Dubsado account is feeling cluttered, unorganized, or overwhelming, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Cleaning up your Dubsado it can save time, reduce stress, and make sure your client experience shines. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get your account looking and working its best.

Step 1: Organize Your Project Statuses

Your project statuses are the backbone of keeping everything in Dubsado organized. If you’ve got too many, unclear labels, or outdated statuses, it’s time to refresh.

• Review your current statuses. Look at your project pipeline. Are all the statuses necessary? Are any outdated or redundant?
• Simplify the workflow. Rename statuses to reflect where a project truly is (e.g., “Proposal Sent,” “Awaiting Contract,” “In Progress”). Hint: You should NOT be using statuses to separate your job types (e.g., “wedding”, “portraits”, etc.). Use Project Tags for that instead!
• Delete what you don’t need. Be cautious, though—if a status is attached to an active project, update the project before deleting the status – that way you have accurate records.

Pro Tip

Keep your project statuses consistent with your workflow so you always know where everything stands at a glance.

Step 2: Audit Your Templates

Dubsado templates save time, but duplicate or outdated templates create confusion.

• Go through your canned emails. Delete any that are repetitive or irrelevant to your current offerings. Rename existing emails for clarity (e.g., “[Service Name] Welcome Email”). You can add an asterisk to the front of titles you want to keep to help you keep track!
• Review your form templates. Archive or delete any outdated proposals, questionnaires, or contracts. Archive by adding a “z” to the front of the title. OR create a project called “Form Archives” and assign yourself as the client. Then you can apply the form templates you don’t need anymore to the forms tab. Then delete the template from the templates section. This way you can always get the template back if needed!
• Avoid person-specific templates. If you have a form named “Smith Proposal” or anything else tied to a specific client, delete it. Your templates section should only have forms that are general and reusable.
• Streamline with consistency. Use similar formatting and branding across all templates to keep your client experience polished.

Pro Tip

If you’re not sure whether to keep something, archive it. You can always revisit it later without cluttering your active workspace.

Step 3: Archive Old Projects

If your projects tab is bursting at the seams, it’s time for a cleanup.

• Sort by project status. Filter for projects that are completed or inactive.
• Archive in bulk. Select and archive completed projects to keep your active dashboard focused.
• Keep your client history accessible. Archiving doesn’t delete projects, so you can always reference them when needed.

Pro Tip

Regularly archive completed projects to stay on top of your dashboard. If you’re using workflows, the last step in the last workflow should always be to “Archive Project.”

Step 4: Standardize Your Naming Conventions

Consistent naming conventions across your account can prevent a lot of confusion.

• Create a naming structure. For example, “[Client Name] | [Service]” for project titles or “[Service Name] | Welcome Email” for canned emails.
• Apply retroactively. Rename templates, workflows, and forms to match your new structure.

Pro Tip

A consistent naming convention makes it easier to search for and identify what you need quickly.

Step 5: Clean Up Your Workflows

Your workflows are the heart of your Dubsado automation, but cluttered or outdated workflows can slow you down.

• Audit existing workflows. Are they still relevant to your services? Are any missing steps or triggers?
• Add Dividers. Create empty workflows with section titles. Add emojis and use capitalization to make them stand out. You can do this based on phase OR service type, whichever works best for your brain. For example: 💜— LEAD WORKFLOWS —💜 or ❤️— SERVICE NAME WORKFLOWS —❤️. Once you’ve made the empty template, you can simply click and drag the workflows around to reorder them in their sections.
• Test your workflows. Make sure each step functions as intended, and test for edge cases where something might break. If something isn’t working right, try to track it down yourself, ask the Dubsado team in the chat bubble, or hire a Dubsado Certified Specialist like Cait Potter for a Strategy Session to get things cleaned up.
• Delete what’s no longer useful. If you’ve retired a service, either create an ARCHIVE section as described in #2 or delete the corresponding workflow.

Pro Tip

Keep workflows named clearly (e.g., “[Service Name] Onboarding” or “General Follow-Up”).

Step 6: Integrate for Automation

Once your account is cleaned up, consider integrations to further streamline your processes.

• Start using the Dubsado Scheduler. Automate appointment bookings to eliminate back-and-forth emails.
• Create payment reminders. Reduce late payments with automated follow-ups in your Payment Plans.

Step 7: Sign Pending Contracts

Your dashboard might show contracts that need your countersignature. Sign these contracts to clear them off your dashboard. Don’t worry—your client won’t be notified of the signing, so there’s no reason not to get this done and tidy up.

Step 8: Schedule Regular Maintenance

Don’t let your Dubsado get cluttered again! Make time for routine upkeep.

• Quarterly Reviews. Check your templates, workflows, and project statuses every three months.
• Client Offboarding. Archive projects immediately after they’re completed.
• Stay Current. Update templates and workflows as your services evolve.

Cleaning up your Dubsado isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about creating a seamless, stress-free experience for both you and your clients. Ready to tackle your account? Start with one small section and work your way through. Your future self will thank you for it!

Need more help?

Check out Forms & Flows resources for tools and templates that make organizing your Dubsado a breeze.

Let’s get organized! 🚀