How to (Easily) Make Perfect Content Calendars in Google Sheets

What do you employ spreadsheets for? In the event you’re something like me, you seemingly use them to gather information, monitor marketing campaign or blog post analytics, or preserve monitor of weekly assignments.

However have you ever ever thought of utilizing spreadsheets to make a calendar? If not, let me inform you why Google Sheets is the right instrument in your content material calendar.

In the event you usually work on campaigns for a couple of completely different purchasers, creating particular person calendars in Google Sheets could possibly be uniquely helpful for making certain the shopper understands when sure content material will go reside. Alternatively, maybe you must create an inner Google Sheet calendar in your workforce to maintain monitor of upcoming tasks.

Making a calendar in a instrument that is generally used for spreadsheets sounds a bit of intimidating, however don’t be concerned, the method is definitely fairly intuitive. And with the assistance of some suggestions, you may simply make a practical calendar you can sync your schedule with.

Under, we’ll go over how one can make a calendar in Google Sheets and embody some suggestions that’ll make it easier to elevate the design. On the finish, your calendar will look one thing like this:

Open up Google Sheets and prepare to create your very personal calendar. 📅

1. Open a brand new spreadsheet and select your month.

First, open a new spreadsheet.

Then, select your month. For this instance, I did January [YYYY], so I stuffed that into the primary cell. What’s nice about Google Sheets is that it robotically acknowledges dates, so typing in a month, adopted by the 12 months in YYYY format will inform Google that you will be working with dates.

2. Start to format your calendar.

Subsequent, format your calendar. I chosen the textual content, January [YYYY], in Column A, Row 1. I highlighted seven columns (A-G), and clicked Merge to make that cell span throughout your entire column. You’ll find this button to the suitable of the Fill instrument.

Right here, I additionally center-aligned my textual content utilizing the instrument subsequent to Merge. Afterward, I’ll enhance the font dimension and daring the month.

3. Use a system to fill within the days of the week.

Subsequent, fill within the days of the week in every column (A-G). You are able to do this manually however I made a decision to make use of a system. Sheets has a perform that allows you to sort in formulation to finish sure actions directly.

To fill in days of the week, within the cell the place you need your first weekday to be, sort: =TEXT(1, “DDDD”). What this tells Google is that your quantity can be changed by a date or time and the format you are utilizing is weekdays.

Spotlight the #1 within the system and change it with: COLUMN(). Then, press enter and choose your first day. You are going to copy the system in Sunday’s cell by dragging the selector to the tip of your row, (A-G), and urgent enter once more.

Urgent enter ought to robotically fill in the remainder of the week. Bear in mind, if this does not give you the results you want, you may at all times fill within the days manually.

4. Fill within the numbers.

Wonderful! You’ve got your days of the week. Now we’ll fill within the numerical values. Earlier than this step, I took the time so as to add coloration to the times row and altered the font to at least one I favored a bit of extra.

For the numerical values, we’ll merely establish the primary day of the month and click on and drag to fill in the remainder.

How?

Place the #1 on the field proper beneath the primary day of the month, then click on and drag horizontally. Relying on the day of the week, you could have to comply with this course of utilizing the second day of the month so you may click on and drag horizontally.

For this instance, we’ll use Sunday as the primary day of the month, however keep in mind that the primary day will fluctuate from 12 months to 12 months.

5. Fill in the remainder of the numbers.

Word: On this step, I stuffed within the calendar numbers each different row to assist with my formatting later.

Now that you simply’ve stuffed out your first row, it’s time to fill in the remainder. Manually insert the following quantity, then click on and drag horizontally to fill in the remainder.

Repeat the method for the following rows. You’ll insert the primary quantity manually, then click on and drag down the row. Right here’s what that appears like for the following row in January.

Word: Be sure that to finish the month on the suitable quantity! For January, that will be the thirty first.

6. Reformat your calendar if vital.

All the pieces is beginning to appear like a calendar, proper? At this stage, I reformatted issues to wash up the look of my calendar a bit of.

Bear in mind these additional rows in between the numbered rows? I expanded these rows to create packing containers beneath the numbers. To do that, I merely dragged the rows all the way down to make these cells larger.

Listed below are some further formatting suggestions:

• Choose the empty rows beneath your numbers and middle them utilizing the middle textual content alignment instrument.
• Choose your complete calendar and vertically align all components in order that they’re within the middle of their cells. To do that, use the vertical alignment instrument.
• Daring your day numbers.
• If desired, evenly shade your numbered rows.
• If desired, grey out the Saturday and Sunday columns in order that your workdays stand out.

7. Add design components to professionalize the look.

Lastly, you may add in some enjoyable design components to personalize the appear and feel of your calendar. If it is for a shopper or upcoming mission, you may need to incorporate the required launch days right here.

For this step, I added in a couple of enjoyable photos, included a couple of hypothetical calendar occasions, and performed with font sizes.

8. Repeat the method from February to December.

It’s time to repeat for the month of February to December. Merely duplicate your January calendar when you’ve designed it the way you need it to look. To do that, right-click the sheet’s tab and choose Duplicate from the menu.

To fill within the numbers, you’ll solely have to know the start day, then click on and drag to fill in the remainder of the rows. Listed below are the primary days for each month for the 12 months 2023:

• January: Sunday
• February: Wednesday
• March: Wednesday
• April: Saturday
• Could: Monday
• June: Thursday
• July: Saturday
• August: Tuesday
• September: Friday
• October: Sunday
• November: Wednesday
• December: Friday

Subsequent, you’ll need to know what number of days you’ll have to fill in. Listed below are the variety of days you’ll want for every month:

• January: 31
• February: 28 or 29
• March: 31
• April: 30
• Could: 31
• June: 30
• July: 31
• August: 31
• September: 30
• October: 31
• November: 30
• December: 31

After which, you are finished!

It is useful to make use of Sheets as a result of you may open your calendar proper in your browser. You can too preserve monitor of your schedule in a spot that is separate out of your cellphone.

In the event you don’t have the time or the endurance to create a calendar from scratch, beneath are two further strategies.

Learn how to Make a Calendar Utilizing a Google Sheets Template

Google Sheets gives a built-in template for calendar-making. The one draw back is that customization choices are restricted — you may solely use Google Sheets’ themes. That mentioned, this is a superb choice in case you’re in a rush.

1. Go to sheets.google.com.

Make sure you’re logged into your Google account, or log in when prompted. It will take you on to the Sheets house web page, the place you may entry the templates.

Alternatively, go to drive.google.com, faucet New, click on the right-hand arrow subsequent to Google Sheets, and faucet From a template.

2. Entry the template gallery.

In the event you accessed the Google Sheets templates through Google Drive, you received’t have to take this step.

In any other case, within the prime banner titled Begin a brand new spreadsheet, faucet Template gallery.

3. Discover the annual calendar template.

Templates are divided by classes similar to “Work” and “Venture administration.” Scroll down till you attain the Private part, then faucet Annual Calendar.

4. Change the formatting as wanted.

All finished! Your calendar has been created. Subsequent, it’s time to alter the formatting utilizing Google Sheets’ out there themes. You can too change the fonts as you’d favor.

Another choice to utilizing Google Sheets’ built-in template is utilizing third-party templates, which might will let you create necessary business documents similar to social and editorial calendars. Under, I share a number of templates which can be good for the duty.

Google Sheets Calendar Templates

Excellent news: You’re not simply restricted to Google Sheets’ single built-in template. In the event you want a extra practical annual calendar, I’ve acquired you lined with the choices beneath.

1. Free Editorial Calendar Template for Google Sheets

Download the Free Template

This editorial calendar template is designed for Google Sheets and covers your entire editorial planning wants. With this template, you may lay out a powerful editorial technique on a each day and month-to-month foundation in a single accessible, scannable sheet.

Designed for utmost usability and readability, it features a vertical format for the dates, in addition to columns the place you may add particulars such because the Writer, Subject, Content material Particulars, and Key phrases.

A vertical, year-long design like this one can be used for different efforts, similar to skilled and private objectives. You may change the columns as want be to suit your and your workforce’s goals for the upcoming 12 months.

2. Free Spreadsheet Social Media Content Calendar Template

Download the Free Template

This Excel-based social media calendar template is right for entrepreneurs who’d prefer to construct a powerful social technique for the upcoming 12 months. The very best half? It comes bundled with a consumer information for individuals who are new to social media strategy planning.

If you have already got a social plan, you may as well use this calendar for any multi-channel effort, similar to content material advertising and marketing throughout a number of platforms and visitor running a blog on completely different publishers’ web sites. Merely change the titles on the tabs to suit your objectives.

This template can simply be transformed right into a Google Sheets doc. To add it into Google Drive, merely head to drive.google.com and drag the file out of your file explorer into your checklist of Google Drive paperwork.

Alternatively, head to sheets.new to create a brand new Google Sheets spreadsheet. Then, click on File > Import > Add. There, you’ll have the ability to import the Excel file with no loss in high quality.

3. Common Calendar Templates for Google Sheets

In want of a common Google Sheets calendar template? Take a look at these assets:

• Spreadsheet Class: Offers a premade, easy-to-use template that’s just like the one we created from scratch. You’ll want to alter the colours and fonts to your liking.
• Smartsheet: Offers a number of premade Google Sheets calendar templates with a extra company coloration scheme.

Use a Google Sheets Calendar to Manage Your Duties

In the event you’re useful with Sheets and need to give it a shot, create a Google Sheets calendar. It’s an important choice if you must create a clear calendar to trace an inner advertising and marketing marketing campaign, manage a shopper’s upcoming tasks, or share an occasion calendar with key stakeholders. However in case you don’t need to create one from scratch, use our editorial calendar template to jumpstart your planning and group efforts instantly.

Editor’s observe: This publish was initially revealed in Could 2020 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.