Content Planning - To-Do List - Planning View
Download and customize a free Content Planning To-Do List Planning View Excel template. Perfect for business, legal, and personal use. Editable and ready to boost your productivity.
| Task ID | Task Title | Description | Category | Priority | Status Due Date Assigned To Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < t d > < t d > < t d> < | |||||
| < < | |||||
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Content Planning To-Do List - Planning View Excel Template
This comprehensive Excel template is engineered specifically for Content Planning teams and individuals seeking to organize, track, and execute their editorial calendars with precision using a To-Do List format designed in a dynamic Planning View. Unlike generic task trackers, this template integrates advanced data structures, intelligent formulas, conditional formatting rules, and visual dashboards to transform content scheduling from chaotic brainstorming into an actionable roadmap. Whether you manage blogs, social media campaigns, podcasts, or video series—this template enables seamless collaboration and timeline adherence.
Sheet Names
- Content Planner: The main hub for all tasks with full column details and formulas.
- Dashboards: Visual summary of progress, deadlines, content types, and team workload.
- Content Types Reference: Lookup table defining content categories and their production timelines.
- Team Members: List of contributors with roles and availability status.
- Archive: Automatically populated with completed items from the last 90 days (optional).
Table Structures & Columns Data Types
The core table in the Content Planner sheet contains the following columns:
| Column Name | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ID | Number (Auto) | Sequential unique identifier generated via ROW() function. |
| Title | Text | Descriptive headline of the content piece. |
| List (Dropdown) | Select from Content Types Reference (Blog, Video, Social Post, Podcast, etc.) | |
| Status | List (Dropdown) | Not Started / In Progress / Review / Ready for Publish / Published. |
| Priority | List (Dropdown) | < td>Low, Medium, High — impacts color coding and filtering.|
| Assignee | List (Dropdown) | < td>Select from Team Members list with validation.|
| Target Publish Date | Date | < td>Date by which content should be live. Used for deadline tracking.|
| Created Date | Date (Auto) | < td=“Automatically populated with TODAY() upon entry.”< /tr>|
| Due In Days | Number (Formula) | < td=“Calculated as Target Publish Date - TODAY().”< /tr>|
| Completion % | Percentage (0-100%) | < td=User-input field with data validation.|
| Notes | Memo (Text) | < td=“Additional context: links, references, keywords.”< /tr>
Formulas Required
- Due In Days:
=IF(ISBLANK([@[Target Publish Date]]),"", [@[Target Publish Date]]-TODAY()) - Status Color Code: Nested IF + VLOOKUP to determine visual status via conditional formatting.
- Total Tasks:
=COUNTA(Table1[Title]) - Tasks Completed:
=COUNTIFS(Table1[Status],"Published") - Pending Tasks by Priority: Use COUNTIFS with multiple criteria (e.g., Status ≠ "Published" AND Priority = "High").
- Duplicate Checker: Conditional formatting rule to flag duplicate titles using formula:
=COUNTIF($B$2:B2,B2)>1
Conditional Formatting
- Red (Overdue): If [Due In Days] < 0 AND Status ≠ "Published" → red background.
- Yellow (Due Soon): If [Due In Days] ≤ 3 AND Status ≠ "Published" → yellow highlight.
- Green (On Track): If [Due In Days] > 3 AND Status ≠ "Published" → light green fill.
- Priority Highlight: High priority = dark red text; Medium = orange; Low = gray.
- Completed Tasks: Strikethrough and faded color for “Published” items to reduce visual noise.
User Instructions
How to Use This Template:
- Add new content ideas in the first empty row of the Content Planner sheet.
- Select values from dropdowns for Type, Status, Priority, and Assignee (pre-populated from reference sheets).
- Update “Completion %” daily to reflect progress—even small steps matter.
- Check the Dashboard tab daily for visual updates: see bottlenecks via bar charts and missed deadlines via warning banners.
- Use filters (Ctrl+Shift+L) to sort by assignee, priority, or status. Save filtered views as named ranges for quick access.
- Monthly: Export archived tasks to “Archive” sheet using the included button macro (optional).
Example Rows
| ID | Title | Type | Status | < td>Priorit y< /th> < td>Assignee< /th> < td>Tar get Publish Date< /th > < td>Due In Days< / th >
| 1 | Spring SEO Guide 2024 | Blog | In Progress | < td>Hig h< /t d> < td>Jane Doe< /t d > < td>4/15/2024< / t d > < td>-7 (O VERDU E)< / t d >
| 2 | TikTok Trends Report | Social Post | < td>R eady for Publish< /t d > < td>M edium< /t d > < td>John Smith< /t d > < td>4/10/2024< / t d > < td>-2 (Du e Soon)< / t d >|
| 3 | Podcast: AI in Marketing | < td>P odcas t< /t d > < td >N ot Started< /t d > < td>L ow< / t d > < td>Alex R. < td>5/1/2024< / t d >16 |
Recommended Charts & Dashboards
The Dashboards sheet includes three interactive visualizations:
- Pie Chart: Content Type Distribution – Shows % of tasks per category to ensure balanced planning.
- Stacked Bar Chart: Team Workload by Status – Reveals who is overloaded vs. underutilized.
- Gantt-like Timeline (Conditional Formatting + Bars) – Visual timeline of deadlines across weeks using data bars based on target dates.
These charts auto-refresh when new tasks are added or statuses changed. Users can click any chart to filter the main Content Planner table dynamically using slicers connected to pivot tables.
Conclusion
This Content Planning To-Do List in Planning View transforms abstract editorial goals into structured, trackable, and visually intuitive workflows. It eliminates guesswork through automation, encourages accountability with clear ownership and deadlines, and empowers teams to forecast content pipelines with confidence. Whether you’re a solo creator or managing a 10-person team—this template is your central nervous system for strategic content delivery.
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