Imagine being able to easily create a personalized planner on Google Sheets. It sounds pretty convenient, doesn’t it? In this article, we will show you the simple steps to create a daily planner, save it as a template, and create rules to automatically highlight certain tasks and events.
Creating a Daily Planner on Google Sheets
- Open a weekly planner template from the Google Sheets template gallery by selecting New > Google Sheets > From a template.
- Choose the Planner template.
- Double-click on cell C2 and modify the start date according to your preference. Although the Google Sheets planner template starts on Monday, you can choose any day of the week!
- This step is optional. Select the top and bottom cells to change the background color of the template. Do the same for the text cells (“Notes”, “To-do”).
- Add your tasks to the planner.
- Create conditional formatting rules to color code appointments, events, meetings, and reminders by clicking the Select all button below the formula bar.
- Right-click anywhere on the sheet > More cell actions > Conditional formatting.
If you are struggling to create color categories, take a little break here! Don’t worry too much about making your planner Pinterest-worthy. The important thing is to make it practical. In the example below, I have created five rules with three color categories (meetings, personal, and focus sessions):
- If the text contains “mtg”, set the cell to green.
- If the text contains “deep work”, set the cell to blue.
- If the text contains “lunch”, set the cell to purple.
- If the text contains “appointment”, set the cell to purple.
- If the text contains “walk the dog”, set the cell to purple.
Now, it’s your turn!
- Open the dropdown menu under Conditional formatting rules to apply a rule. Then, adjust the style you want under Formatting style.
- Save the planner as a new template by adding “Template” to the sheet’s title.
- Click on the folder icon next to the sheet’s title > New folder icon.
- Name the folder and click the Checkmark icon to save.
- Click Move here to save the planner template in the folder you created.
Success! You now have a new daily planner that you can reuse and customize as you wish.
We have other resources and Google Workspace recommendations if you are looking for other alternatives to improve your planning needs!
Google Sheets vs Modern Calendar Software
As they say, life is unpredictable: your laptop breaks down. Riley sends you a text saying the soccer coach is changing the training sessions from Tuesday to Thursday. The project that needs to be completed in a few weeks is falling behind schedule.
Compared to modern calendar software that can turn a static schedule into a real-time resource, Google Sheets has three major disadvantages:
- Lack of task management features to communicate or collaborate with stakeholders.
- No native integration with project management systems.
- Inability to scale.
If you’re thinking, “But Google Sheets is free and I don’t have time to learn new software!” I completely understand. All things considered, how would you feel if modern calendar software could do this for you:
- Reporting features for better project planning in the future? Covered.
- Task estimates to anticipate the unexpected? Enabled.
- Multiple calendars on a single screen? Done.
In retrospect, modern calendar software is a necessity to save time. And you have free alternatives to Google Sheets! The best free software? I’m so glad you asked.
ClickUp: A Free Remedy for Google Sheets Headaches
ClickUp is the ultimate productivity platform that allows teams to manage projects, collaborate smarter, and consolidate all work under one tool. Whether you’re new to productivity apps or a seasoned planner, ClickUp’s customization can help you organize your best days!
Integrate documents, spreadsheets, real-time chat, and much more in a fully customizable ClickUp workspace.
A modern calendar software like ClickUp offers more than just a daily planner template:
- Multiple project views, including Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and ClickUp tables.
- Native integrations with other apps to maintain your current workflow.
- Task/event descriptions for quickly understanding their significance.
- Mobile access to stay informed wherever you are.
- Recurring tasks to make sure nothing is forgotten.
- Shareable with team members and guests.
- Time tracking and hourly estimation.
Bonus: Digital Planning Apps!
What is something you would accomplish at work or at home if you had a few extra hours in your week? With ClickUp’s Calendar view, anything is possible!
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