13 Ways to Use the Dot Grid and Graph Grid Pages in Your Laurel Denise Planner
If you've ever flipped to the back of your Laurel Denise planner and thought "...now what?", you're not alone.
The dot grid and graph grid pages are some of the most flexible real estate in the entire planner. But flexible can feel very overwhelming, especially when you're used to your pages telling you what to do. So let's fix that.
Dot Grid vs. Graph Grid - What's the Difference?
Both page types give you a subtle background pattern to work with, but they behave a little differently depending on what you're creating.
Dot grid pages have small, evenly spaced dots instead of lines. They're visually open, which makes them great for freeform writing, doodling, and layouts you're designing by feel.
Graph grid pages have full horizontal and vertical lines forming small squares, essentially built-in graph paper. They're especially handy for anything structural, like tables, trackers, or layouts where consistent spacing matters.
Neither is wrong. Use whichever one feels right for the idea you're trying to capture.
13 Ways to Use Your Back Pages
1. Track Planner Release Dates and Wish Lists
This is one of my favorites, hehe. If you're deep in the planning hobby, and if you're here, you probably are…keeping up with your favorite companies' drop schedules is basically a part-time job. Use a back page to build a running tracker: company name, drop date, items you want, budget set aside. It's oddly satisfying to flip back to during a launch and feel like the most prepared person in the room.
Laurel Denise drops 100% belong on this list. 😉
2. Gratitude List
A dedicated gratitude page doesn't need to be precious or formatted. A running list with the date and what you’re grateful for in the moment is perfect. I love this because you don’t need a separate planner, notebook, or journal to do this. Just flipped to the back and jot it down when it comes to mind.
3. Squirrel List
A squirrel list is for the random thoughts that interrupt you mid-planning session. The thing you suddenly need to Google. The gift idea that popped into your head during your weekly review. The song you want to look up later. Get it out of your brain and onto the page so you can get back to what you were doing.
4. Frog List and Rabbit List 🐸🐇
A frog is the task you keep avoiding. A rabbit is the task you're too excited about and want to dive deep on. To me, keeping a dedicated page for each helps me spot patterns in how I’m getting things done over time. The longer these lists get, the more useful they seem to get!
5. Doodles
Simple and worth saying out loud: you are allowed to use planner pages just for doodling. Both grid types are great for this. The pattern guides your proportions without dominating the page. Fill a whole spread with nothing but little mushrooms if you want to. Your planner is not a museum…well, I guess it is kind a museum of your mind?? 🤔
6. Password and Login Tracker
Practical and underrated. A back page makes a clean, easy-to-reference tracker. Add the site, username, and a password hint and you’re set. If you'd rather not write full passwords, use a hint system only you'd understand. Pro tip: tuck this page somewhere in the middle of your back section rather than at the very end.
7. Meal Menu
This one changed how I approach meal planning completely. Use a back page to build a running master meal list with every meal your household actually eats and likes, organized however makes sense to you: by protein, by effort level, by who it's for. When it's time to plan meals for the week, you're not starting from scratch every week. It saves a surprising amount of mental energy.
8. Brain Dumps
Everything in your head, onto paper. To-dos, worries, ideas, things you're excited about, things you're dreading. All of it. The grid keeps a brain dump from feeling completely chaotic without forcing structure on it. After you dump, you can sort. Circle the action items, star the ideas, let the rest just sit there. Five minutes of this is worth more than an hour of trying to plan through mental noise.
9. Bullet Journaling Spreads
If you love the idea of bullet journaling but don't want another notebook, your Laurel Denise back pages are a perfect low-commitment playground. Habit trackers, mood logs, migration lists, or that spread you saw on Instagram the other day. The possibilities are endless, for real. It’s great for starting small and seeing what sticks before you commit to an entire bullet journal. I know this because this is how I discovered bullet journaling isn’t for me…thank me later.
10. Personal Dashboard
Dedicate one or two pages to a personal dashboard: a home base for goal progress, recurring reminders, and a quote you keep coming back to. Use simple hand-drawn dividers to section it out. Update it at the start of each quarter and reference it often or at least at regular intervals.
11. Create Your Own Custom Pages
Here's something worth saying plainly: you don't need to buy inserts for everything you want to track. If you want a habit tracker, draw one. A mood log, draw one. A weekly dashboard that's completely your own, draw one. Start with a hand-drawn version before investing in inserts. You'll learn exactly what you actually need, and what you thought you needed but don't.
12. Currently Page and Split Log
A Currently page is a snapshot of your life right now: what you're reading, watching, listening to, loving, struggling with. Fill one out at the start of each quarter. It’s a great way to memory keep!
A split log is a running list of what you started and when. Think books, shows, podcasts. It’s great so that you always know where you left off. It’s simple and doesn’t require much set up. Plus, it’s satisfying to keep track of.
13. Planning Hobby Memory Log
Use one page to log the planner moments that made you happy this year. The spread that actually worked. The sticker combination that came together perfectly. The week you showed up every single day. When planning starts to feel like a chore, and it will sometimes, this page can be like a reset button to remind you of your “why”.
The Bottom Line
The dot grid and graph grid pages in your Laurel Denise planner aren't filler. They're flex space and extremely useful and function. I also say all this to say you don’t have to use these pages either. It’s totally valid to leave them blank too! BUT if you do want to use them, start with one or two ideas from this list, see what sticks, and make the rest your own. Happy planning!
🛍️ Shop Laurel Denise at laureldenise.com and use code IMPERFECT10 for 10% off. My LD planner is my daily driver and I won't stop talking about it.
📌 Save this to Pinterest so you have it when you're staring at a blank back page. Would love it if you followed me as well while you’re at it!
📲 Follow @plannedimperfectly on Instagram - I show how I actually use my Laurel Denise planners almost every week.
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