How to Use a 24-Hour Calendar Template to Schedule
Whether you’re a high-powered executive, busy parent, or small business owner, each day can feel like there’s way more to accomplish than there is time to get things done. You know what it’s like: you have meetings, your regular daily work tasks, childcare commitments, your personal life, family life, and general life admin tasks—and each day just seems to fill up with a combination of things in no time at all.
It can make just looking at your calendar and trying to make it through each week feel a bit… overwhelming. But one tool that might actually help you break through the chaos and make you feel like you’re actually in charge of your time and your schedule. The 24-hour calendar template is a busy person’s secret weapon for planning all of the must-do tasks you want to get done each day, down to the very last minute.
Here’s what you need to know about what it is, how it works, and how to implement it in your own life.
What is a 24-Hour Calendar Template?
You can probably guess why the calendar template has 24 hours. Essentially, a 24-hour calendar template lays out your entire day, hour by hour, from midnight to midnight. While typical planners focus on your workday or even evening plans, a 24-hour calendar template is designed to include absolutely everything you’re doing in those 24 hours, no matter what those things may be.
Use your 24-hour calendar template to plan any shift work you may be doing, track study time or time spent on freelance or side projects, schedule in workouts, meal prep time, even sleep, block time for brainstorming or work that requires deep thinking (or no distractions), coordinate with others (babysitters, partners, family, friends, even a work team that’s spread across time zones).
Because it includes the entirety of your 24-hour day, you won’t have to remember that you have a late-night work call with a team member located across the world, or that your daughter’s babysitter is starting at 6am tomorrow because your husband is traveling. Everything goes on the calendar, saving cognitive energy and keeping things from just swimming around in your brain.
Why I Love a 24-Hour Calendar Template
Have you ever experienced a day where you feel like you were constantly busy and doing lots of things, but not actually getting anything done? It can be really easy to lose track of time or putter around doing various things that may not be what really needs doing. Not so when you’re using a 24-hour calendar template, however. Once you can clearly and transparently see where you’re leaking time from your schedule, it makes it easier to be more productive.
A daily schedule template allows you to:
Know how you’re spending your time: No more surprise overtime creep—you’ll know when work (and other tasks) start and stop.
Focus more effectively: You’ll be able to build focus and brainstorming time, work tasks, errands, and more into your calendar so you can focus on each item on your to-do list. Set up a time block for daily tasks or any consistent work routines.
Make realistic plans: Being able to look at your calendar for a full 24 hours means you’ll be better able to craft a schedule that actually works for you and allows you to get done what you planned to get done.
Take better care of yourself: Although it might seem sort of silly, working with a 24-hour calendar means adding sleep and rest periods to your schedule due to necessity. This will allow you to actually rest and recover—important tasks—something your future self will thank you for.
The Pros and Cons of Using a 24-Hour Calendar Template
Like any productivity tool (or anything else), there are pluses and minuses to using a 24-hour calendar template. Here’s what you need to know before you take the leap yourself:
Pros
Total clarity: With a 24-hour calendar, you’ll see everything you have coming up for the day (or week) at a glance—work, personal time, and more.
Flexibility and customization: A 24-hour calendar is an especially great option for those who work odd hours, study late, or work with a global team.
Helps you enforce boundaries and turn down things you don’t have time for: Because you can so easily see what’s going on in your day, it's a great way to protect your time and help you say “no” to tasks that won’t fit easily in your schedule.
Make clear plans: Because you’re able to slot every task into your day, you’ll be able to be realistic about how long things take you to complete and plan accordingly.
Cons
It can feel too scheduled: Since a 24-hour calendar template asks you to include plans for every hour of the day, it can feel too restrictive or rigid for some people.
It’s time-consuming: If you’re not used to regularly filling out an intricate and detailed schedule or planner, you might find that it’s a bit tedious to fill in 24 hours every day, at least at first.
A temptation to fill your schedule: Whenever you end up with empty slots in your schedule, you might find yourself tempted to fill them and end up adding too much to your day.
It can make you feel guilty: If you aren’t able to stick perfectly to your schedule (sometimes, things come up!), you might find yourself feeling like you “failed” that day, even though you didn’t. Your calendar should guide you through your day, not control your day!
The Kinds of Things That Should Go On Your 24-Hour Calendar Template
When we say that everything should go on your 24-hour calendar, we mean everything! Here’s a list of ideas to get you started filling out your own calendar:
Work: Meetings, focus time, brainstorming, admin tasks, commuting time, deadlines.
Breaks: Coffee breaks, lunch, quick chats with colleagues, short walks around the office or a quick trip outside.
Personal time: Family time, date nights, hobbies, vacations, meals with friends, free time.
Sleep: Your bedtime and regular wake-up time.
Exercise and other daily activities: Trips to the gym, workout classes, yoga, stretching, walks, doctor appointments, meditation, journaling time.
Chores and housework: Laundry, cleaning, meal prepping, yardwork.
It’s also a good idea to leave some empty gaps in your schedule as well because you never know when something might pop up or when a task may take a little bit longer than you originally planned.
How to Build Your Own 24-Hour Schedule Template
You don’t need to invest in anything fancy to get started with your own calendar. Here are a few easy and affordable ways to implement a 24-hour calendar without spending a ton on software or products (we love a printable template!).
Printable calendar templates: Google to find a ready-made template that you can work with. There are various formats of printable templates, so pick your favorite format and print a week or month’s worth of your daily planner template and place them where you’ll be able to regularly refer to them.
Spreadsheets: Search for an Excel spreadsheet or Google Docs spreadsheet formatted as a calendar or create your own by labeling rows by hour and columns by days of the week.
Apps and digital tools: If you like to use a digital calendar, use apps like Google Calendar or time-blocking tools that you can customize for a 24-hour view. Make sure your calendar is set to show all hours of the day and then add in your tasks.
Ultimately, the best weekly hourly schedule template is whichever one you’ll use. Make your calendar your own with your favorite color scheme, emojis, and more. Make it fun, not just another chore.
FAQs
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Sure! It can be really useful to see your entire daily calendar, not just your working hours. You can use a 24-hour calendar to plan out a morning routine, daily work hours, add evening commitments, and any additional information that will help you. This way, you can balance everything on one calendar.
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Transitioning to a 24-hour calendar template can definitely feel intimidating, so start by planning larger blocks of time instead of super small increments. This will help you plan out your day in a more general sense and then you’ll be able to adjust things as needed. It’s meant to guide you, not control you.
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Typical day planners don’t have the kind of hour-by-hour detail that a 24-hour calendar template does. If they do have hourly details, it usually only runs about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A 24-hour calendar template, however, covers the entire day, so you can track things beyond just your usual working hours.
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Definitely! This kind of calendar is great for those who work second shift or third shift, or anyone on a non-traditional schedule like healthcare workers, servers, bartenders, and more. Because these calendars cover all hours of the day and night, you’ll be able to track your actual work day, not just convert a more standard daily planner.
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Yes! If you work on weekends, it’ll obviously be helpful, but even if you don’t, adding in social plans, chores, self-care to-dos, kids’ activities, and more can help you make the most out of your weekends.
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Adding breaks and meals to your schedule can keep you from burning out. Plus, when you have dedicated time for these things on your calendar, you’re more likely to actually pause and rest instead of working through them.
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The first time you fill out a 24-hour calendar template it might take you a little while, but after you get the hang of it, it won’t take as long at the start of the week (or end of the day—some people prefer to plan then!). You’ll usually be able to plan out your whole week in under half an hour. Start by adding anything that you know is happening at specific times or any recurrent activities, then go from there. It’s well worth the time.
Final Thoughts
Running a business, staying productive, and making time for yourself isn’t easy—but it is doable with the right tools. A 24-hour calendar template might be a small thing, but it can change the way you run your day (and your life).
