Most of us use Excel Templates at work but many leverage them for planning in their personal life. Everyone has that one template file they like the most. It doesn't have to be complex or powerful - it just does the work or is very handy and customised.
We asked SME owners and employees what their favourite Excel Templates are. Some of them were default ones provided along with Office subscription while others were custom developed. From the Loan Amortization Schedule Template to the Monthly Budget Template, there are many options to aid frequently performed tasks.
Here are eight Excel Templates recommended by Excel users:
Loan Amortization Schedule Template
Before developing my own, the loan amortisation schedule templates used to come in handy. Keeping track of loan payments, interest and principal balances is important to the work that I do. In the beginning, having an easy-to-use, already formatted excel spreadsheet helped to save a ton of time and money. It’s almost impossible to keep track of loan payments and other details manually, which is why an Excel template that basically does it for you is best. All you need are the initial number inputs and payment updates, and the template does the rest.
Allan J. Switalski, AVANA Capital
Excel's Social Media Calendar
Excel's Social Media Calendar is my favourite template. It helps us determine what posts are going out when and on what social media channels. Our marketing department has a strong knowledge of the most effective days and times to post content, but Excel's Social Media Calendar keeps them organized. Their detailed diagram is easy to use and it's allowed us to expand our reach and gain more followers.
Katie Lyon, Allegiance Flag Supply
Scheduling Template
However, I use it differently than for work schedules. I use it for project scheduling and assigning tasks. Each project has tasks, goals, and dates goals should be finished. Each project, goal, or task is assigned to different employees. As things are accomplished, the dates of finished goals and tasks are entered. The goal or task title is also then hyperlinked to their finished work. Excel tracks their goals and tasks attained and I can see who is behind and who isn't.
Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
KPI Tracking Template
The time-saving capabilities of many Excel templates are awesome, but my favourite is the KPI tracking template. This template allows me to easily measure the performance of my projects to ensure efficiency and timeliness. Additionally, it effectively organizes metrics by visualizing them in easy-to-follow charts and graphs with many customizable features. The KPI tracking template is an easy way to manage key performance indicators and track my business goals.
Datha Santomieri, Steadily
Annual Sales Report Template
I particularly enjoy the annual sales report template, as it’s an extensive and flexible template which helps simplify a task that sometimes feels daunting. Annual sales reports can be both time-consuming and complex, and even sometimes cause for bringing in a business consultant. However, the Excel template makes inputting and analysing data a far simpler process. The template makes it easy to see which areas of your business brought you the greatest success in the past year and helps you predict future areas of growth going forward.
John Jacob, Hoist
Travel Budget Template
Excel templates are a great tool that can optimize many professional and personal projects and tasks. One personal application that they commonly have is home budgeting. However, mundane everyday expenses aren’t the only thing you can track with Excel’s help. My favourite template is a Travel Budget spreadsheet. I enter my total budget and log each travel expense while assigning it to a category: transportation, lodging, food, etc. That way, I have a clear notion of where my total expenses are going and whether I am not exceeding my budget. If you want, you can even add a Travel Itinerary tab and enter details of your departing flights, hotels, and other practical information concerning your trip!
Maja Kowalska, Zety
Gantt Project Template
The Gantt project template is a simple and efficient way to manage projects. This template allows you to visually track progress made at every stage of a project’s timeline with its’ highly interactive functionalities. It also automatically converts information into a bar chart that details start and end dates, time frames, and dependencies between tasks. The Gantt project template is my favourite of the Excel templates because it is an easy-to-use solution to plan and delegate key tasks for my business.
Jordan Duran, 6 ICE
Monthly Budget Template
My favourite Excel Template is the Monthly Budget Template. I use it to track my monthly expenses and income and to help me stay within my budget. The template is easy to use. You enter your monthly budgeted amounts for each category (e.g., Rent, Utilities, Groceries, etc.), and the template automatically calculates your remaining budget for each category. This helps me stay on track and avoid overspending on unnecessary items.
Gino Louise Reichert, LSAT Prep Hero
Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.