If you’ve ever looked at someone else’s monday.com setup and wondered how it stays so clean, you’re not alone. Pros make their boards update themselves and dashboards actually tell a story. Everyone knows where to look for answers.
It isn’t magic. It’s discipline and a few small habits that separate the experts from the rest.
Most teams start strong on monday.com: fresh boards, colorful groups and a flurry of automations. Then things get messy. Too many custom fields, confusing names and duplicated boards make it feel heavy. Automations stop making sense months later.
The platform hasn’t changed. The team simply never built the right foundation. Power users think differently. They set rules early, structure for growth and refine their system regularly.
Here’s what they know that most teams don’t.
Most teams name boards and groups whatever feels right in the moment: “Client Projects,” “Active Clients,” “Team Board.” Over time this becomes a mess.
Power users follow patterns. They use prefixes (for example, OPS for operations, CRM for sales, MRK for marketing) and write group names that reflect workflow stages like “Pre‑approval” or “In progress.”
The monday.com community recommends labelling boards, groups and columns in a way that any user can clearly discern its purpose and warns against acronyms or abbreviations. Consistent, predictable naming saves your team from guesswork and makes items easy to search.
Power users don’t build just for this quarter. They build for next year. They ask themselves:
This mindset leads them to use mirrored columns and connected boards to avoid duplication and to centralize data. With the Connect Boards column linking items and the Mirror column reflecting information across boards, they centralize important data while keeping it visible in the right places. When the original data changes, the mirrored data updates automatically.
Dependencies are one of monday.com’s most overlooked features. They allow you to control when a task can start based on other tasks. The Dependency column lets you define relationships between items, and you can choose modes that adjust dates automatically (Flexible or Strict) or simply display relationships without shifting dates.
When Task B depends on Task A, it won’t move forward until Task A is complete. Combined with automations, this keeps work flowing without constant check‑ins. For example, automations on monday.com let you set rules that update items, send notifications or move tasks based on triggers. Power users often pair a dependency change with an automation that notifies the next owner, ensuring smooth hand‑offs.
Connected boards and mirrored columns can get out of hand if you treat them like a dumping ground. Power users treat these features like an API: only data that needs to flow is connected, such as client names, deal values or campaign IDs. They avoid mirroring everything.
By linking items through the Connect Boards column and choosing specific columns to mirror, they create real‑time visibility without duplicating data. The roll‑up feature even aggregates multiple items into a single view, making dashboards more useful. The result is clear dashboards and fewer “which board has the truth?” debates.
Even the best setup drifts over time. Power users schedule reviews just like they schedule team meetings. They archive old items, clean up automations and review column usage. They ask:
A one‑hour cleanup every month keeps everything fast, accurate and less overwhelming for new hires. It also ensures your naming conventions and connected boards stay intact.
At OrangeDot, we’ve implemented hundreds of monday.com systems. Teams that treat the platform as an evolving system, not a one‑time setup, always win. If your workspace feels messy or disconnected, start by auditing your naming conventions and automations. Then document how your team builds new boards and connects them.
Remember: automations can save you from repetitive work by updating items, sending notifications or moving tasks automatically. Use them intentionally to support your process.
What’s the fastest way to clean up a messy workspace?
Archive or consolidate old boards. Rename active boards using clear naming conventions, then document your new structure so everyone follows the same rules.
Do I need to use automations to be a power user?
Not necessarily. Power users focus on clarity first—automation second. The best automations support your process rather than define it.
How often should I review my setup?
Schedule monthly reviews for active teams and quarterly reviews for smaller teams. Regular checks keep your environment clean and ensure everyone is following the agreed‑upon structure.
Power users don’t rely on more features; they rely on better habits. Start with one board: clean it up, standardize it and document how it works. You’ll be surprised how much smoother everything feels when your team treats monday.com as a living system.
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