A spreadsheet becomes useful when every row has one clear meaning and every column stores one consistent type of information. In this beginner lesson, you will build a small project-task tracker in Google Sheets and verify each result against a real workbook.
What you will build
You will create a workbook named “Create your first spreadsheet — SheetsFlow practice” with one tab named Tasks. The finished table contains Task, Owner, Status and Due columns, three sample tasks, a frozen formatted header, a status dropdown and valid dates.
Learning objectives
By the end, you can distinguish a workbook title from a sheet-tab name, enter a rectangular dataset starting at A1, format and freeze a header, create a dropdown, format dates and confirm that Google Sheets has saved your work.
1. Create and name the spreadsheet
Open Google Sheets and choose Blank. Click the title at the upper left and enter Create your first spreadsheet — SheetsFlow practice. Double-click the first sheet tab and rename it Tasks. Google Sheets saves changes automatically; the cloud icon near the title should show that the file is saved.
2. Understand the grid before entering data
Columns use letters and rows use numbers. A1 is the top-left cell. A range such as A1:D4 describes a rectangle four columns wide and four rows tall. The name box to the left of the formula bar shows the current cell or selected range.
Practice in your own copy
Make your own Google Sheets copy with the same data, formulas, formatting, filter and frozen header. The original remains unchanged.
Sign in to Google. If the original is not publicly shared, download the full workbook and import it into Google Sheets, or paste the example data into your own sheet.
3. Enter the sample data in A1:D4
Select A1 and paste the tab-separated sample below. Do not add blank columns or blank rows inside the table. Each task occupies one row; each field keeps the same meaning down its column.
Sample data for practice
Copy the table below and paste into A1 of a blank sheet. TSV contains source data only, not workbook formatting or formulas.
Task Owner Status Due Confirm brief Linh Done 2026-09-28 Prepare dataset Minh Working 2026-09-30 Review report An Planned 2026-10-02
Check your table: A1:D1 should contain the four headers Task, Owner, Status and Due. Check that the three tasks appear on separate rows and their status and due date match the sample above. If everything was pasted into one cell, undo and paste again into A1.
4. Format and freeze the header row
Select A1:D1, apply bold text and a light fill color, then adjust column widths so every value is readable. Choose View → Freeze → 1 row. Now the header remains visible when you scroll far down the sheet.
5. Create the Status dropdown
Select C2:C100 and choose Data → Data validation. Add a dropdown with exactly four options: Planned, Working, Done and Blocked. Apply it to the range, then confirm that the existing values in C2:C4 remain valid.
6. Add and format due dates
Enter the three dates in D2:D4, then select D2:D4. In the top menu, click Format → Number → Custom date and time. Choose or enter the year-month-day pattern (yyyy-mm-dd), then click Apply. Check that D2 shows 2026-09-28, D3 shows 2026-09-30 and D4 shows 2026-10-02. These should be real date values rather than plain text so you can sort, filter and calculate with them later.
7. Confirm saving and share carefully
Look beside the workbook title for the saved status before closing the tab. When sharing, choose Viewer for people who only need to read or copy the template. Use Editor only for trusted collaborators because editors can change the source workbook.
Final checkpoint
Confirm that the file title is correct, the active tab is Tasks, A1:D4 matches the sample, row 1 stays visible while scrolling, C2 offers all four status choices and D2:D4 display valid dates. The tested workbook contains no formulas, errors or private production data.
Common mistakes and fixes
Pasting everything into one cell
Undo the paste, select only A1 and paste the tab-separated version again. The result should occupy four columns and four rows.
Mixing the workbook title and tab name
Rename the file at the upper left and rename the worksheet from the tab strip at the bottom. Check both places separately.
Dates align or sort incorrectly
Re-enter the values as dates, then apply a date number format. Do not add apostrophes or extra words inside D2:D4.
Dropdown values do not match
Edit the validation rule for C2:C100 and use the exact options Planned, Working, Done and Blocked. Remove stray spaces from existing values.
Independent practice
Add a fourth row for Publish notes, assign it to yourself, choose Blocked from the dropdown and set a valid due date. Then change the status to Working. Scroll down and back up to confirm the header remains frozen.
Key takeaways
- ✓A workbook title names the file; a sheet-tab name identifies one worksheet.
- ✓The sample occupies A1:D4 with one record per row and one field per column.
- ✓A bold, lightly filled and frozen header keeps column meanings visible.
- ✓The Status dropdown uses Planned, Working, Done and Blocked.
- ✓Due dates are real date values formatted as yyyy-mm-dd; the workbook is saved automatically.
Check your understanding
Answer four questions about the practice sheet.
Continue learning
Next lesson in the Foundations path: Understand rows, columns and cells.
Official Google documentation
Edit and format a spreadsheet ↗