Organizing your daily tasks and schedules can be simplified with a digital planner. Thankfully, you don’t need to pay for a specialized app or wrestle with an overly complicated program—Google Sheets can get the job done.
Creating a digital planner in Google Sheets is both easy and straightforward. Whether you’re mapping out personal or work-related tasks, it’s got all the features you need to get organized and stay on top of your responsibilities.
Step 1: Prepare the Google Sheet
To prepare the sheet, we’ll only keep the rows and columns to fit the daily planner and delete the rest. you’re able to also opt to do this step later. Here’s how:
Step 2: Add Text to the Digital Planner
Now, let’s add some text to the digital planner. This includes labels for the header, date, top priorities, to-do list, notes, and time slots (for scheduling the day).
For this digital planner, we’ll be using 1-hour time slots from 6AM to 10PM. We’ll insert checkboxes next to each to-do item, a date picker, and extract the weekday name from the date.
If you haven’t selected any date, the weekday name defaults to Saturday (as shown in the image above).
Step 3: Customize the Appearance of the Digital Planner
At this point, the digital planner appears quite dull and basic. We’ll apply someGoogle Sheets formatting tipsto make it look better.
This includes adjusting cell widths, merging cells, applying borders, and adding some color. We’ll also hide gridlines and tweak the text appearance for a cleaner look.
Step 4: Apply Conditional Formatting to the Digital Planner
For this planner, we’ll apply a strikethrough to completed tasks in the to-do list section. This helps you see at a glance what’s done and what’s left for the next day.
Here’s the conditional formatting in action.
Tips for Maintaining and Updating Your Digital Planner in Google Sheets
Once you’ve created your digital planner in Google Sheets, it’s essential to keep it organized and easy to update. Here are a few handy tips to consider:
1. Save Your Design as a Template
After perfecting your planner’s design, rename the Google Sheets workbook as “Daily Planner Template”.
At the start of a new month, make a copy of this template—go to theFiletab and selectMake a copy. This gives you a clean start each time and lets you keep past records for future reference.
2. Keep a “Day 0” Sheet in Your Template
Place an untouched version of your daily planner at the beginning of your workbook. To plan a new day, duplicate the “Day 0” sheet, name it with the day’s date, and start planning.
3. Use Color-Coding for Clarity
Color-coding your tasks allows you to quickly assess task categories, priorities, or progress. For example, for category-based color coding, you can use blue for work-related tasks, orange for personal errands, and pink for appointments or meetings.
You can do this manually oruse conditional formattingto automate the process based on specific criteria.
Stay Focused With a Simple Digital Planner in Google Sheets
Using a digital planner in Google Sheets keeps things simple, allowing you to stay organized and focused. So, now that you have the steps to create one from scratch, put them into action to create your own. The key to achieving your goals starts here.
