Weekly calendar templates are practical tools for managing your personal and professional time.
Whether you are setting up a virtual coffee date or scheduling an important meeting with a client or business partner at work, you can use your weekly calendar to plan your activities over a week, stick to your schedule, organize your work, and stay on track to achieve all your weekly goals. But what is a weekly calendar?
A weekly calendar, also known as a weekly schedule/planner, can be defined as a means to track your activities and tasks within a week. The weekly schedule includes everything you have to get done for the entire seven-day period and how you will get those things done. The planner will also show you how much time you have available for each activity listed in the schedule.
Weekly calendars come in various forms and formats. You can prepare one manually using a pen and a paper, create one on Microsoft Word or Excel spreadsheets or download weekly calendar templates online.
It is vital to note that most standard weekly planners are not customizable, meaning that you cannot change the format or customize the planner to suit your needs, that is why the use of a weekly calendar template is greatly encouraged.
This article covers everything you need to know about weekly calendar templates, including the benefits of using one, how to create an effective weekly calendar template and where to get free downloadable templates for your convenience.
Weekly Calendar Templates
Making Weekly Calendar in Microsoft Word (From Scratch)
Microsoft Word is a powerful tool that can be used for various purposes, including creating weekly calendars. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of making a weekly calendar in Microsoft Word from scratch.
Launch Microsoft Word and create a new document
Open Microsoft Word and click on “File” > “New” to create a new document. You can also press CTRL + N (Windows) or CMD + N (Mac) to start a new document.
Set up your page layout
Before you start designing your weekly calendar, set up your page layout. Click on “Layout” in the top menu bar, and then click on “Margins.” Choose “Custom Margins” to set the top, bottom, left, and right margins. A good starting point is to set all margins to 0.5 inches.
Next, click on “Orientation” and select “Landscape” to change the page orientation to landscape mode. This will give you more space to work with when creating your calendar.
Insert a table for your calendar
Click on “Insert” in the top menu bar, and then click on “Table.” Hover your cursor over the grid and select a 7×7 table (7 columns and 7 rows). This will accommodate the days of the week and six rows for the dates (one header row plus five rows for the dates).
Format the table
Click on the table you just inserted to select it. Then, click on “Table Design” in the top menu bar. Here, you can choose a style for your table under “Table Styles.” You can also customize the style by changing the “Shading” (background color) or “Borders” (lines separating cells).
To adjust the size of the table, click on “Layout” in the top menu bar while the table is selected. Adjust the row height and column width to your preference using the “Height” and “Width” options.
Add the days of the week
Click on the first cell in the top row of the table. Type the first day of the week (e.g., Sunday) and press the TAB key to move to the next cell. Continue typing the days of the week in each cell until you reach the last day (e.g., Saturday).
Add the dates
Before adding the dates in, determine the first day of the week in your selected month. Click on the cell below the corresponding day of the week and type the date (e.g., 1 for the first day of the month). Press the TAB key to move to the next cell and continue entering the dates. If you reach the end of a row and need to continue with the dates, start on the first cell of the next row.
Customize the text
To format the text in your weekly calendar, select the text you want to modify and click on “Home” in the top menu bar. Here, you can change the font type, size, color, and style. You can also use the alignment options to center, left-align, or right-align your text.
Add a title
Click above the table, and type the title for your calendar (e.g., “April 2023”). You can format the title text using the “Home” menu options.
Optional: Add additional elements
You can further customize your weekly calendar by adding images, shapes, or text boxes. Use the “Insert” menu to add these elements and position them on the page as desired.
Save and print your calendar
Once you’re satisfied with your calendar, click on “File” > “Save As” to save your document. Choose a file format (e.g., DOCX or PDF) and select a location on your computer to save the file. Be sure to give your document a descriptive name, such as “Weekly Calendar April 2023.”
To print your calendar, click on “File” > “Print” or press CTRL + P (Windows) or CMD + P (Mac) to open the print dialogue. Review the print preview to ensure your calendar is formatted correctly, and make any necessary adjustments to the print settings, such as selecting the appropriate paper size, orientation, and print quality. Click “Print” when you’re ready to print your calendar.
Optional: Create a reusable template
If you plan on creating more weekly calendars in the future, you can save your current document as a template to use as a starting point. To do this, click on “File” > “Save As” and choose “Word Template (*.dotx)” as the file type. Select the “Custom Office Templates” folder (or create one if it doesn’t exist) and save your template with a descriptive name, such as “Weekly Calendar Template.”
To use the template in the future, click on “File” > “New” and select “Personal” or “Custom” to browse your saved templates. Choose your weekly calendar template to create a new document based on the template, and update the dates and title as needed.
Creating Weekly Calendar From Pre-Built Templates
If you’re looking to save time and effort in creating a weekly calendar in Microsoft Word, you’ll be glad to know that there are pre-built templates available that you can use for free. These templates come with a ready-made design and layout, so you don’t have to start from scratch.
In this section, we’ll guide you on how to use these templates and their advantages.
Customizing the pre-built weekly calendar templates
Once you have selected a pre-built weekly calendar template, you can customize it to suit your specific needs.
Here are the steps to follow:
- Update the header: Click on the header section and edit the text to include your preferred title, such as “My Weekly Planner” or “Work Schedule.”
- Adjust the date range: If necessary, update the dates to correspond with the week you want to plan.
- Modify the table style: If the template includes a table, you can change the table’s appearance by clicking on it and using the “Table Design” and “Table Layout” tabs that appear on the toolbar.
- Change font styles and colors: Highlight the text you want to modify and use the “Font” and “Paragraph” sections in the toolbar to adjust the font style, size, and color.
- Insert images or icons: Click on “Insert” in the toolbar, then choose “Pictures” or “Icons” to add visuals to your calendar.
Advantages of using pre-built weekly calendar templates
Using pre-built weekly calendar templates in Microsoft Word offers several advantages, including:
- Saves time: You don’t have to spend time creating a weekly calendar from scratch. The templates provide a ready-made design and layout that you can customize to suit your specific needs.
- Provides a professional look: The pre-built templates are designed by professionals, so you can be sure that your weekly calendar will have a polished and professional look.
- Offers flexibility: You can select from a variety of pre-built templates to find one that suits your needs. You can also customize the template to add or remove elements as needed.
- Easy to use: The pre-built templates are easy to use and require minimal knowledge of Microsoft Word.
Final Remarks
Planning is an essential element of effective time management and being organized. Individuals who want to become better and feel less overwhelmed whenever a new week starts can greatly benefit from using weekly calendars as a means to schedule their activities and weekly obligations. A practical weekly calendar can help you to stay focused on the most important activities, track your responsibilities, increase your productivity, give you a sense of accomplishment, share your schedule, manage your recurring tasks, assist you in prioritizing your duties, release your anxiety and stress levels, raise your awareness, among other significant benefits.
Scheduling your day, week, month, or a few months in advance may seem pointless in the current dynamic environment, but weekly planning combined with a daily prepared to-do list helps you accomplish more within less time.
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