Planning is an essential part of organizing and managing tasks effectively. While there are dedicated planning applications and physical agendas, Google Sheets can also be a powerful tool for creating functional and customizable planning templates. In this article, we will explore the advantages of using Google Sheets for planning, the steps to create a planning template, and tips to make the most out of your Google Sheets planning template.
Advantages of Using Google Sheets for Planning
Why should you consider using Google Sheets for creating a planning template? Here are some key advantages:
- Time-saving: Instead of starting from scratch every time, you can simply open a pre-built planning template on Google Sheets and make modifications as needed. This saves a significant amount of time.
- Enhanced focus on other tasks: By eliminating the need to create planning templates from scratch, you have more time and energy to focus on other productive tasks.
- Easy customization: Google Sheets allows for easy customization based on your specific needs. You can assign specific colors to different tasks, allocate tasks to different teams, or modify schedules based on your work environment.
- Shareability with stakeholders: Google Sheets can be easily shared with colleagues by sending them the link. You can also choose whether the links allow for editing or just viewing, providing you with additional control over your planning template. Any changes made to the template will be reflected for everyone with access, eliminating the need to send updated schedules individually.
- Cost-effective: Google Sheets is free for individuals and small businesses, making it a great option for planning templates. It is also highly accessible as anyone can access it without any payment.
- Multi-platform file formats: Google Sheets uses the same file format as most other spreadsheet applications, enabling you to export files and import them into Excel or even convert them into PDFs.
- Real-time collaboration: Google Docs and Sheets are designed for collaboration, with real-time saving functionality. This means that every change made to the planning template is automatically saved in the cloud, ensuring you never lose your work even in case of power outages.
How to Create a Planning Template on Google Sheets
Creating a planning template on Google Sheets is a simple process. Here are three easy steps to get you started:
Step 1: Open Google Sheets and click on the “Template Gallery” button at the top. This will display a variety of templates.
Click on “Planning” to open a new spreadsheet with the planning template that you can customize.
Step 2 – Customization: The blank planning template can now be customized according to your preferences. It has a convenient and easily modifiable layout. Each day has a date and its own column. The days are further divided into 30-minute time slots that can be modified as needed. You can also add notes under the planning section for each week.
Step 3: Set the start date of the planning template in cell C2. As soon as you set the date, you will see rows 3 and 4 change dynamically based on the date you have set, displaying the correct days and dates for the week.
If you are using this as a weekly planner, choose the start of the week as the starting point based on whether Sunday or Monday is the beginning of the week according to your preference.
You can also assign specific colors to cells based on tasks. For example, if you are using the planning template for academic work, you can color-code your physics class in green and your biology class in red.
This template is handy if you make small changes every week without modifying the entire planning template. Simply change the start date in cell C2 and make necessary modifications in the required cells.
Customize Your Google Sheets Planning Template with Conditional Formatting
You can further personalize your planning template using conditional formatting. Follow these steps:
Step 1: To use conditional formatting on your spreadsheet, select the entire sheet by pressing Ctrl + A. Click on “Format” in the top bar, then select “Conditional formatting”. A sidebar will appear on the right side of the screen.
Step 2: Click on the box under “Format cells if” and choose the option that says “Text contains” from the dropdown menu. You can choose any other option based on your needs, but in this example, we want to color-code cells that contain a specific word.
Step 3: In the text box below, enter the keyword that will be checked to determine if a cell should be color-coded or not. In this case, we are using the word “Meeting” – if it is found, it will be color-coded in cyan.
Step 4: Now that the condition is set, we need to choose the color to apply for automatically highlighting cells that contain the keyword. In the same box, you can also change the text format, make it bold, change the color, or underline it.
Conditional formatting is an excellent way to improve the visual appearance of your planning template and also makes it easier to spot specific elements. For example, you can highlight confirmed meetings compared to unconfirmed ones.
This feature allows for unlimited customization of your planning template and is a great way to enhance productivity. You can also use it to manage recurring tasks in your planning.
Freeze Columns and Rows for Efficiency
Freezing certain columns and rows allows you to scroll without losing track of important information. This essentially enables you to see which day or time a task is scheduled for as you scroll.
Step 1: Click on the row or column you want to freeze. Make sure to click on the leftmost or topmost bar representing the row or column, not the actual cell. You will see it stay in place as soon as you click on it.
Step 2: Now, click on “View” in the top bar, then click on “Freeze”.
Step 3: A dropdown menu will show you the options for the number of rows you can freeze. Select the option that suits your needs.
The same steps can be followed to freeze columns as well. For a more detailed guide, check out this article on how to freeze rows.
Add a Pop-up Calendar to Your Planning Template
You can also add a pop-up calendar to a cell or column in your weekly planning template on Google Sheets. This is a useful way to track dates without cluttering your spreadsheet with too much data.
Here’s how to do it:
- Select the column or cell where the calendar will appear.
- In the toolbar, go to “Data”, then “Data validation”.
- Modify the criteria for “Date”.
- Select the option to reject input and click “Save”.
If you double-click on the cell or any cell in the selected column, the calendar will appear. Otherwise, it will remain hidden. The start date of your week will be automatically set in the calendar.
Make Google Sheets Available Offline
Google Sheets has real-time saving functionality, which means you need constant internet access. However, there might be times when you don’t have internet access but still need to make changes to your spreadsheet. This issue can be resolved with a simple 5-minute solution.
Step 1: Install the Google Docs Offline extension on Google Chrome using the link to the store page.
Step 2: Go to docs.google.com.
Step 3: Click on the three bars at the top left to expand the menu.
Step 4: Click on “Settings”.
Step 5: Enable the “Offline” option.
Now, you won’t lose access to your Docs window if your internet access is interrupted or if you simply want to work offline on your documents. Since Google Sheets and Google Docs are part of the same suite, Google Sheets will now also work offline.
Google Sheets Planning Template Options
Google offers several templates that can be perfect for various purposes. However, there might be times when you need to create a custom template that suits your specific needs. This won’t take much time, and you only have to create it once and can reuse it later. If you need to add or remove something, you can easily do so. However, if you don’t have the time to create templates, you can use one of ours.
Once you have used a template, you need to create your own copy by clicking on “File” in the top bar, then clicking on “Make a copy”.
Once saved, you can make necessary changes to the file.
Regardless of the type of planning template you choose, make sure the cell formatting is set to “Wrap text”.
Daily Planning Template on Google Sheets
If you need a planning template for daily life, you can find one here.
Annual and Monthly Planning Templates
You can easily use a spreadsheet calendar as a monthly planning template. They allow you to enter daily tasks in cells under each month’s days.
For the above example, we used this calendar template.
If you need a content calendar as a planning template, you can use the template from this article.
Tips to Make the Most out of Your Google Sheets Planning Template
Creating a planning template on Google Sheets can be highly beneficial for several reasons. Here are some tips to make the most out of your Google Sheets planning template:
- If you manage a business or are a small manager, you can use the Shift Scheduler add-on in your team’s planning sheets to manage, add, and modify schedules. These changes will be automatically shared with the rest of the team through Google Sheets’ real-time collaborative features.
- You can also color-code your planning template using conditional formatting. This is an excellent way to visually present your planning and help you track it effectively.
- You can download your planning template to have an offline copy that you can access anywhere, anytime, even without an internet connection.
- You can have a daily planner and a weekly planner in a single sheet using sheet tabs. This is a highly efficient way to have all your planning in one place, aiding in tasks such as project management.
- You can combine your Google Sheets appointment template with a calendar template to streamline date tracking. There are also add-ons available that allow you to sync your Google Calendar with your Google Sheets planning, such as Time Tackle and Calendar to Sheets.
Conclusion
Using Google Sheets to plan your schedule may seem daunting at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can be a great free alternative to using specialized software. Now that you know how to create a planning template on Google Sheets, you have an easy-to-use tool with numerous features that allow you to share the template with colleagues. You can also create a social media calendar that schedules your posts for you!
Furthermore, the collaboration features enable team members to view and edit the planning template, with all other members being notified via email. It’s simple, efficient, and collaborative.
So why spend unnecessary time and money on complex planning tools when you can create your own functional and customizable planning templates with Google Sheets?
