Weekly To Do List Template: Free Downloads & Systems

Okay so I just spent the last three weeks testing basically every weekly to do list template I could find because honestly my own system was falling apart and I figured if I’m gonna rebuild it might as well see what everyone else is using.

The Google Sheets Templates That Actually Work

Starting with Google Sheets because that’s where I live half my life anyway. The best one I found is literally just called “Weekly Task Planner” in the Google template gallery. You know when you go to sheets.google.com and click Template Gallery? It’s in there. Super basic but that’s kinda the point – it’s got Monday through Sunday columns, a priority section on the left, and space for notes.

What I actually like about it is you can color-code by category without it looking like a rainbow threw up on your screen. I use yellow for client work, blue for content stuff, green for personal. Takes maybe two minutes to set up each week.

Oh and another thing – there’s this template called “Vertex42 Weekly Schedule” that you can download and import. It’s more time-blocked which I thought I’d hate but actually when I have back-to-back meetings it helps to see everything in hour chunks. My dog started barking during a client call last week and I realized I’d scheduled two things at once, so yeah, visual time blocking saves you from that.

Notion Templates Because Of Course

Look, I resisted Notion for like two years because everyone was SO annoying about it. But their weekly template situation is actually solid if you’re already in their ecosystem.

The default “Tasks” template has this view where you can toggle between weekly and monthly and it doesn’t make me want to throw my laptop. You can assign tasks to specific days, add subtasks, link to other pages. I link mine to my client database so when I’m planning my week I can see what projects are active.

Wait I forgot to mention – there’s a creator called “Easlo” who has a free weekly planner template that’s less cluttered than most Notion stuff. You have to duplicate it to your workspace but it takes like thirty seconds. It’s got a habit tracker built in which sounds cheesy but I’ve actually been using it to track whether I responded to emails same-day because that was getting out of hand.

The thing with Notion though is it’s SLOW sometimes. Like I’ll be trying to check off a task on my phone and it’s just spinning and I’m standing in line at the coffee shop looking like an idiot tapping my screen.

Old School PDF Downloads

This is gonna sound weird but sometimes I just want to print something and write on it with an actual pen. The Passion Planner website has free PDF downloads of their weekly layout – you don’t have to buy their $30 planner, they just give you the template. It’s got this “focus” section at the top for your three main things which honestly keeps me from writing down 47 tasks I’ll never finish.

I print like four weeks at once, hole punch them, and stick them in a binder. Very 2010 of me I know.

Oh and Canva has editable weekly planner templates if you wanna make it pretty. I made one for a client who’s very aesthetic-focused and she actually uses it, so there’s that. You can add your own colors, fonts, little graphics if you’re into that. Takes longer to set up initially but then you just duplicate it each week.

Excel Templates For People Who Like Formulas

Microsoft has this “Simple Weekly Task List” template that auto-calculates your completion percentage. Which is either motivating or depressing depending on your week. I used it for like a month and it definitely made me more aware of how many tasks I was rolling over to the next week.

There’s also one called “Weekly Chore Schedule” that’s technically for household stuff but I repurposed it for work tasks and it’s fine. Has a section for each day plus a “notes” column where I write why something didn’t get done, which sounds neurotic but actually helped me identify patterns. Turns out I never do anything creative after 3pm, so now I don’t schedule writing tasks then.

The formulas can get messed up if you’re not careful though. I accidentally deleted a row once and it broke the whole percentage calculation and I spent twenty minutes fixing it when I should’ve been working.

Trello’s Weekly Board Setup

Okay so Trello isn’t technically a template you download but you can set up a board that works as a weekly system. I have seven lists – one for each day – plus a “This Week” list and a “Parking Lot” list for stuff that comes up mid-week.

Each morning I move cards from “This Week” into the specific day. Very satisfying to drag things around. My cat walked across my keyboard yesterday and moved a bunch of tasks to Wednesday but otherwise it’s been working great.

They have a “Weekly Agenda” template in their gallery that’s already set up this way. You just copy it and start using it. I added a “Waiting On” list for things I can’t finish until someone else does something because that was driving me crazy.

Power-Up Features Worth Mentioning

The Calendar Power-Up lets you see all your cards on an actual calendar which is helpful for deadline stuff. And the Custom Fields one lets you add priority levels or time estimates. I don’t use time estimates because I’m terrible at guessing how long things take but the priority thing is clutch.

Physical Planners That Have Digital Components

This might not be what you asked for but Panda Planner has a free PDF version of their weekly layout on their website. It’s got morning and evening reviews which I skip half the time but when I do them it actually helps. The layout is pretty dense though – lots of sections. If you like structure you’ll love it, if you want minimalism you’ll hate it.

Clever Fox also has a downloadable template. More space for writing than Panda. I printed one week to test it and ended up using it for a month because I liked having physical paper during my Monday planning session. Something about writing it down makes it stick better for me.

Apps With Built-In Weekly Views

Todoist has this “Upcoming” view that groups tasks by day for the week. Not technically a template but it functions the same way. I’ve been using it for three months now and the natural language input is SO fast. You just type “email Sarah monday 2pm” and it figures it out.

The free version is honestly enough for most people. I upgraded to premium for the reminders and labels but you don’t need it. You can create projects for different areas of life and then see everything in the weekly view.

Any.do has a similar weekly view. I tested it for like two weeks but went back to Todoist because the interface was too… bubbly? Is that a thing? Too many animations. I just want to see my tasks.

Hybrid System I Accidentally Created

Okay so funny story – I was supposed to be working on a client presentation but instead I spent three hours building this system that uses Google Calendar for time-blocked stuff, Todoist for task management, and a printed weekly sheet for the three priorities I absolutely have to finish.

Every Sunday night I look at Todoist, pick the top tasks for each day, add them to Calendar as blocks, and write the three most important ones on my printed sheet that sits on my desk. It sounds complicated but it takes maybe fifteen minutes and then during the week I know exactly what I’m supposed to be doing when.

The printed sheet is literally just a piece of paper with “This Week’s Priorities” at the top and three lines. That’s it. Sometimes the simplest stuff works best.

Templates to Avoid

That “Ultimate Productivity Dashboard” everyone shares on Pinterest? Too much. Way too much. I spent an hour setting it up and never opened it again because it required like twenty minutes of maintenance every day.

Also any template that makes you rank tasks on more than two dimensions. I found one that wanted you to rate everything by urgency, importance, energy level required, and time needed. By the time I finished categorizing I could’ve just done the actual work.

How to Pick What’ll Actually Work For You

Here’s what I tell my clients – try the simplest version first. Like genuinely the most basic template you can find. Use it for one full week without modifying it. If you find yourself wishing it had a specific feature, THEN add that one thing.

I see people start with these elaborate systems and quit after three days because it’s too much overhead. Start with days of the week and a checkbox. That’s literally all you need to begin.

If you’re very digital, go with Todoist or Google Sheets. If you like writing things down, get the Passion Planner PDF. If you want something in between, try Notion or Trello. Don’t overthink it.

Also pay attention to where you actually are when you plan your week. I do mine on Sunday evenings on my couch with my laptop, so a desktop-friendly template matters. If you plan on your phone during your commute, you need something mobile-optimized.

My Current Setup After All This Testing

I’m using the basic Google Sheets template with some color coding, Todoist for capturing tasks throughout the week, and a printed priority sheet. Three different tools which sounds like a lot but each does one specific thing.

Sheets is my weekly overview. Todoist is my inbox for random stuff that pops up. The printed sheet keeps me focused on what actually matters. It took me testing like fifteen different systems to realize I needed all three pieces.

Your setup will probably look different and that’s fine. The template matters way less than actually using it consistently. I’d rather have someone use a mediocre system every week than have the perfect template they open once a month.

Just pick one and start. You can always change it later.