How to Create a Schedule in Excel
Microsoft Excel provides templates for a weekly chore schedule, a student schedule, a daily work schedule, and many more. You can download the one you want and customize it with your own data, or you can learn how to create a schedule from scratch.
Follow these steps to create a seven-day schedule with hourly blocks for a single user.
Start Excel and open a new, blank workbook. Select the cell range A1:E2, then select Merge & Center in the Alignment group of the Home tab. Type “WEEKLY SCHEDULE” into A1:E2, change the font size to 18, and select Middle Align in the Alignment group. Select cells F1:H2, select the Borders drop-down in the Font group of the Home tab, then select All Borders. Enter “Daily Start Time” into F1; “Time Interval” into G1; and “Starting Date” into H1. Choose the Select All icon (between 1 and A on the worksheet), then double-click the line separating any two columns to resize all cells to fit the contents. Select cell A3 and enter “TIME. " Select cell A4 and enter the time you want your schedule to begin. To follow this example, enter “7:00. " In cell A5, enter the next interval you want to list in the schedule. To follow this example, enter “7:30. " Select A4:A5 and drag the fill handle down to fill the time increments for the rest of the day. If you want to change the time format, select the column, right-click, then select Format Cells. Select Time in the Category list of the Number tab and choose the time format you wish to use. In cell B3, enter the day of the week with which you want your schedule to begin. To follow this example, enter “SUNDAY. " Drag the fill handle to the right to automatically fill the remaining days of the week on the schedule. Select Row 3. Make the font Bold and change the font size to 14. Change the font size of the times in Column A to 12. If necessary, select the Select All icon (between 1 and A on the worksheet) and double-click the line separating any two columns to resize all cells to fit the contents once more. Select the Select All icon or press Ctrl+A and select Center in the Alignment group of the Home tab. Select cells A1:H2. Select the Fill Color drop-down from the Font group of the Home tab and choose a fill color for the selected cells. Choose a unique fill color for each of the following cells or ranges: A3B3:H3A4:A28 (or the range of cells containing times on your worksheet)B4:H28 (or the range of cells making up the remainder of your schedule) Skip this step if you prefer a black and white schedule. Select the body of the schedule. Select the Borders drop-down in the Font group and select All Borders. Save the schedule.
Save the Schedule as a Template
Saving the schedule as a template allows you to reuse it without making a new one each time or clearing the contents of your existing schedule.
A3B3:H3A4:A28 (or the range of cells containing times on your worksheet)B4:H28 (or the range of cells making up the remainder of your schedule)
Select File > Export > Change File Type. Select Template > Save As. The Save As dialog box will open. Open the Custom Office Templates folder. Enter a name for the template and select Save. To use the template in the future, select the Personal tab on the New screen and select the schedule template. It will open as a new workbook. If you want to use a hardcopy version of the schedule, set up the print area before printing it out.
