Thesis Planner Spreadsheet

About this template

This thesis planner keeps your word count, chapter deadlines and reading list in one place, all tied to your submission date. It is for PhD and master's students who want to know exactly how many words a day it takes to finish on time.

Please read: This is a tracker tool only, not financial, tax, legal, medical or any other professional advice or advisory service. It records and calculates what you enter; you are solely responsible for checking all figures, rates, dates and results and for every decision you make. By purchasing, downloading or using it, you accept these terms (your statutory consumer rights are not affected).

Chapters tied to your submission date

The Chapters tab is the heart of the file and works as a dissertation tracker and chapter tracker in one. Each chapter has a word target, the words written so far, a percentage and a deadline.

• Deadlines are set as weeks before submission, so changing the submission date in one cell moves the whole plan with it
• Words a day to finish, recalculated against today, so the number rises on every day you do not write
• A chapter past its date and still unwritten turns red, while a finished chapter past its date does not
• A column for what your supervisor said about each chapter

A reading list done properly

On the Sources tab, read, noted and cited are three separate columns, because they are three separate states. The gap between read and noted is your reading backlog. It is counted on the summary strip, so the literature review never quietly falls behind.

Tasks, habits and goals

Underneath the thesis plan sits a full study planner. The nine connected tabs each read from one list, so nothing is typed twice or copied between tabs.

• 250 tasks, ranked by what is due and what is quick
• 16 habits, each with its own target and hit rate
• Goals measured against their own targets
• Every total, percentage and date calculated for you
• Charts that redraw from your own numbers, not static pictures

A worked example to start from

The filled copy has a year already running, so you can see how the word count tracker, the reading list and the dashboard behave before you enter your own chapters. The blank copy is ready for your thesis, and the Start Here tab walks you through setup in a few minutes.

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016 or later, on Windows or Mac
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. The Google Sheets version is a real workbook, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No dynamic arrays, no macros and no add-ins, so the PhD planner behaves the same on Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365 and in LibreOffice. No Microsoft 365 subscription is required.
• No subscription

What you download

• Two Excel files: one filled with a worked example and one blank
• The instruction guide, which has one-click links to the Google Sheets versions (filled and blank)
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready to download as soon as payment clears. Questions before or after you buy? Use our contact page and we will help.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work in Excel or Google Sheets?

Both. You get Excel files for Excel 2016 or later on Windows or Mac, and the instruction guide has one-click links to the Google Sheets versions for a free Google account.

What happens if my submission date changes?

Chapter deadlines are set as weeks before submission, so you change the date in one cell and every chapter deadline moves with it.

How does it work out my daily word count?

It divides the words still to write by the days left, recalculated against today, so the figure updates as you write or fall behind.

Can I track my reading for the literature review?

Yes. The Sources tab marks each source as read, noted and cited in separate columns, and counts the sources you have read but not yet noted.

Is there an example to look at first?

Yes. One copy comes filled with a worked example and the other is blank, in both Excel and Google Sheets.