Content Planning - To-Do List - Tracking View
Download and customize a free Content Planning To-Do List Tracking View Excel template. Perfect for business, legal, and personal use. Editable and ready to boost your productivity.
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Content Planning To-Do List - Tracking View Excel Template
This Excel template is a comprehensive Content Planning To-Do List designed specifically for marketing teams, content creators, bloggers, and social media managers who need to organize, track, and optimize their content workflows. The "Tracking View" version transforms a simple task list into an interactive dashboard that provides real-time visibility into content progress across deadlines, priorities, and resource allocation. Unlike generic to-do lists, this template is purpose-built for strategic content planning, enabling users to visualize bottlenecks, forecast workload distribution, and align content with business objectives.
Sheet Names
- Content Tracker – The main working sheet where all tasks are logged and tracked.
- Content Calendar – A visual monthly calendar view showing publication dates and statuses.
- Dashboards – Interactive charts and summary metrics for leadership reporting.
- Settings – Hidden sheet storing lookup tables (e.g., content types, priority levels, platforms).
Table Structures & Columns with Data Types
The Content Tracker sheet contains a structured table named “ContentTasks” with the following columns:
| Column Name | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ID | Number (Auto-increment) | Unique task identifier generated automatically. |
| Title | Text | A concise name for the content piece (e.g., “10 SEO Tips for 2024”) |
| Content Type | List (Dropdown) | Blog, Video, Social Post, Podcast, Ebook – pulled from Settings sheet. |
| Publish Date | ||
| Platform | List (Dropdown) | Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Newsletter – pulled from Settings sheet. |
| Status | List (Dropdown) | To Do / In Progress / Review / Approved / Published / Delayed |
| Priority | List (Dropdown) | High, Medium, Low – affects sorting and conditional formatting. |
| Owner | Text | Name of the content creator or responsible team member. |
| Due Date | ||
| Estimated Hours | Number (Decimal) | Time estimated to complete this content item. |
| Actual Hours | Number (Decimal) | User updates after completion for future estimation accuracy. |
| Notes | Memo (Text) | Internal comments, briefs, or references. |
Formulas Required
=COUNTIFS(ContentTasks[Status], "Published")– Counts published content in Dashboard.=SUMIF(ContentTasks[Owner], "Jane Doe", ContentTasks[Estimated Hours])– Calculates workload per team member.=IF(TODAY()>ContentTasks[Due Date], IF(ContentTasks[Status]<>"Published", "Overdue", ""), "")– Flags overdue tasks in a helper column.=TEXTJOIN(", ",TRUE,IF(ContentTasks[Priority]="High", ContentTasks[Title],""))– Dynamic list of high-priority items for dashboard summary.=VLOOKUP([@[Content Type]], Settings!A:B, 2, FALSE)– Maps content type to color codes for visual filtering.
Conditional Formatting
- Status: Green = Published, Blue = In Progress, Yellow = Review, Red = Delayed/Overdue.
- Priority: Red background for High priority; orange for Medium; light gray for Low.
- Due Date: Cells turn red if today's date > due date AND status ≠ Published.
- Time Estimate vs Actual: Amber highlight if actual hours exceed estimate by 20%+.
User Instructions
- Setup: Open the “Settings” sheet and customize dropdown options (e.g., add new platforms or content types).
- Add Tasks: In the “Content Tracker” sheet, fill in Title, Content Type, Platform, Due Date, Priority.
- Update Regularly: Update Status and Actual Hours daily/weekly to keep tracking accurate.
- Use Filters: Use Excel’s built-in filters on the table header row to sort by Owner, Priority, or Platform.
- Analyze Dashboard: Review “Dashboards” sheet weekly. Pie charts show content type distribution; bar charts compare workload per person.
- Calendar View: Switch to “Content Calendar” sheet for a monthly snapshot of upcoming content. Color-coded cells make scheduling conflicts obvious.
Example Rows
| ID | Title | Content Type | Publish Date | Platform | Status | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing 2024 | Ebook | 03/15/2024< | Email Newsletter, Website | In Progress | High |
| 102 | TikTok Reel: 5 Morning Hacks for Productivity | Video | ||||
| 103 | The Benefits of Remote Work (Infographic)| 03/25/2024 | Website, LinkedIn | Published | Medium | | |
| 104 | Limited-Time Offer Promo for Spring Sale |
Recommended Charts & Dashboards
The Dashboards sheet includes:
- Pie Chart: Distribution of content types (e.g., 40% blogs, 30% videos) to ensure balanced strategy.
- Stacked Bar Chart: Workload per team member by priority level — reveals overburdening or underutilization.
- Timeline Gantt Chart: Visual representation of tasks by Due Date vs Publish Date — identify scheduling gaps.
- KPI Summary Box: Total Tasks, On-Time Rate (%), Average Hours per Piece, Content Volume Trend (MoM).
This Content Planning To-Do List - Tracking View template is more than a checklist — it’s a dynamic system for turning chaotic content ideas into a strategic, measurable publishing engine. It empowers teams to work proactively, not reactively, while ensuring every piece of content aligns with overarching marketing goals.
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