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Task Planner v2 - Usage

The Task Planner Version 2 is an Excel template designed to help users organize and track tasks for various projects. It includes two files: an example template and a blank template, both compatible with Excel 365 and 2021. The document provides setup instructions, features like status and priority customization, and guidance on archiving and deleting tasks.

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52 views7 pages

Task Planner v2 - Usage

The Task Planner Version 2 is an Excel template designed to help users organize and track tasks for various projects. It includes two files: an example template and a blank template, both compatible with Excel 365 and 2021. The document provides setup instructions, features like status and priority customization, and guidance on archiving and deleting tasks.

Uploaded by

dqn9y656jx
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Task Planner

Version 2

Excel

Thank you for purchasing the New and Updated Task


Planner Template.

This is a guide to set up the spreadsheet and outlines its


features.

If you need any help with any aspect of the template


please contact me via [email protected]
What’s Included

There are 2 files included:

● CPD - Task Planner - Example.xlsx


○ An example of the template in use with mock values entered. For use with
Excel 365 and Excel 2021.
● CPD - Task Planner - Template.xlsx
○ A blank version of the template ready to be used. For use with Excel 365 and
Excel 2021.Usage

Setup
When setting up the Task Planner for a new project or goal, open the Setup worksheet where
you will find three tables.

Each of these tables must have "None" in the first row. This is mandatory; altering this will
cause some functionality in the main Planner sheet to not work correctly.

Status Table
Here you can enter your own custom statuses that will be used throughout the Planner. Some
default values are already present that are commonly used.

The last status in the table should denote the task is complete. Normally this would be
“Done” or “Complete”

Categories
Enter your own custom categories that will help you organise tasks within the Planner.

Priority
Here you can define the priority levels for tasks, allowing you to prioritise them effectively.
Task List
This is the main sheet where you can enter in all your tasks and track your progress in
completing them. The screen is as follows:

1: Main Task List


This is where you enter in and complete your tasks.

Columns that are coloured in should not be edited and are auto-calculated

There are 9 columns:

ID: This is auto-generated and should not be edited. It is used by some formulas for filtering
and counting tasks.

Task: The name of the task to complete.

Due Date: The date before which you want to complete the task. This is used for the Focus
filter. If there is no due date then simply leave blank.

Category: A drop-down with a list of categories entered on the Setup sheet. Use categories to
group tasks together on a similar theme.

Status: A drop-down with a list of status’ entered on the Setup sheet.

Priority: A drop-down with a list of priorities entered on the Setup sheet.


Today: Mark an “X” or “x” in this column to mark the task as one you want to complete today.
The task will automatically appear in the Today list to the right of the Main Task List. This is
explained more further on in this guide.

Days Left: Driven by the Due Date field this is non-editable and shows the number of days left
until the task is due.

2: Charts
These charts give you a breakdown of status and category.

3: Focus
Use these five filters to highlight tasks in the Main List. If you wish to exclude a filter select
“None” from the drop-down.

The Due Date filter must be entered as a date or type “None” to exclude.

The Days Left filter will allow you to type a number of days which will then highlight all tasks
with less than or equal to that number of days left before the due date is reached.

4. Top 10 Next Due Dates


This table will display the next 10 due tasks (that are not “Done”) in descending order.

5. Today
In the main Planner you can put an “x” or “X” in the “Do Today” column to mark a task you
would like to complete today. All tasks that have been marked will appear in the “Today” table.

Conditional Formatting
This template makes extensive use of conditional formatting to highlight and focus on tasks.
As such you should not “move” cells as this will interfere with the formatting.

Moving a cell is when you click and drag on a highlighted cell.


Copy/Pasting can cause problems, however, if “Paste Values” is used then you should not
encounter issues. Simply right-click where you would like to paste, select “Paste Special” and
then “Values”. Alternatively, in the right-click menu select the following:

Uses
A last word on using this template. I use multiple copies of this template, at work, at home etc.
I have a General To-Do at home which I open each day to work through. At work I use it to
organise my time between different projects and recently I have created a version to plan
some house works. However it can be used for virtually anything that needs a set of tasks
worked through to complete (think Wedding, planning a holiday/vacation, moving house etc.)

Archiving and Deleting Tasks


Once you have started working through and completing tasks you may find the main Planner
can become cluttered with completed tasks.

To remove old tasks from the Planner you must follow these steps (so as not to interfere with
the conditional formatting):
1. Select the ID cells of the tasks you want to delete:

2. Right-click and select “Delete” then “Table Rows”:

To archive follow these steps:

1. Select the tasks you want to archive but select from columns “Task” to “Priority” and
Copy the range (Ctrl-C)

2. Move to the Archive tab and right click into an empty row in the Task column and
Paste Values as was explained above in the Conditional Formatting section. If you do
not see an empty row select the cell in the bottom-right corner of the table and hit Tab.
You may need to copy the values from step 1 again.
3. Here are the rows from step 1 now in the Archive table. You can now delete them from
the Main Task List.

Final Note
I created this template for myself and use it regularly, I really hope you find it useful too. If you
have any questions or need help with any aspect of this template please reach out. I respond
quickly and I'm happy to help.

Thank you!

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