Free template
Contact list template
You probably searched for a contact list template because the contacts you actually care about are scattered across your phone, three email threads, and a notebook from 2023. A spreadsheet is a perfectly good first fix — it's free, you already know how to use it, and for up to roughly a hundred people it works. The difference between a list that helps and one that rots is two columns most templates skip: how you met someone (the detail you'll have forgotten in a year) and when you plan to be in touch next. This template includes both. It stops working when you want reminders that find you instead of you finding the sheet — at that point the spreadsheet becomes a database you visit out of guilt. If you get there, the CSV imports directly into Endearist; until then, the sheet is enough.
Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers — or imports straight into Endearist.
What each column means
| Column | How to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Full name, the way you actually address the person — nickname in brackets if that's what you use. | Naomi Carter |
| The address that actually reaches them — personal beats work, because work addresses vanish with the job. | naomi.carter@fastmail.com | |
| Phone | With country code in +1… format so the number stays valid when you export or move it into an app. | +1 415 555 0134 |
| Company / role | Company and role in one field — enough to place the person without maintaining a second LinkedIn. | Brightline Studio, product design |
| How we met | Place, occasion, or the person who connected you. This is the column you'll thank yourself for in a year — fill it the moment you add the row. | Sarah's book club, March 2025 |
| Last contact | Date in YYYY-MM-DD format so sorting and filtering work cleanly. Only real exchanges count, not a like. | 2026-05-22 |
| Next touch | The date by which you want to reach out again — the one column you'll sort by every week. | 2026-07-01 |
| Notes | Concrete hooks: current projects, kids' names, the topic of your last conversation. No vague generalities. | Renovating a house in Portland; asked for a cargo-bike recommendation |
How to use this template
- Import the CSV and freeze the header row
Open the file in Google Sheets via File → Import, or drag it into Excel. Then immediately freeze the first row (View → Freeze → 1 row) so the column names stay visible while you scroll — otherwise you will absolutely type data into the wrong column from row 40 onward.
- Enforce real dates with data validation
Select the last-contact and next-touch columns and set up data validation for dates (in Sheets: Data → Data validation → is valid date). This blocks entries like "recently" or "sometime in May" that silently break every sort later on.
- Sort by next touch once a week
Pick a fixed slot — Sunday evening, ten minutes — and sort the sheet ascending by the next-touch column. Everything at the top with a date in the past is your reach-out list for the week. That's the entire process; it doesn't need more.
- Flag overdue rows with conditional formatting
Add a conditional-formatting rule to the next-touch column: if the date is less than TODAY(), color the cell. That way the sheet shows you where you're behind the moment you open it, with no sorting or mental math required.
Mistakes to avoid
- Importing all 800 phone contacts
Dump your entire contacts app into the sheet and you'll stop maintaining it within two weeks — 90 percent of the rows are noise. Start with the 30 to 50 people you'd genuinely hate to lose touch with. You can always add more later.
- Notes that say "nice guy"
"Seemed nice, follow up sometime" helps you exactly zero in six months. A useful note contains something concrete: a project in flight, a question left open, a name from their world. Write every note so your future self could open a conversation with it.
- Letting the last-contact column rot
A contact list whose dates are eight months stale is worse than none — it fakes an overview you don't actually have. Update the date right after the conversation, not "later". If updating feels like a chore, the list is too long.
- Private details in a shared sheet
Health issues, relationship trouble, or salary details don't belong in a Google Sheet your coworkers or a whole team can open. Check the sharing settings before you write anything personal — or keep the file strictly local.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I make a contact list in Google Sheets?
- Download the CSV, then in Google Sheets choose File → Import → Upload and select "Replace spreadsheet". Freeze the header row, format the two date columns as YYYY-MM-DD, and add date validation. Then enter your 30 to 50 most important people — you don't need more than that to start.
- What columns should a contact list have?
- At minimum: name, email, phone, company or role, how you met, last contact date, next planned touch, and a notes field. The two date columns are what turn an address book into a list you actually stay in touch with — without them you're just collecting data.
- Is it OK to keep personal contacts in a spreadsheet?
- For purely personal use, yes — keeping a list of friends and acquaintances for your own relationship upkeep is normal and fine. It gets sensitive once you share the file or use it professionally: limit who has access, leave out health or financial notes, and don't park the file in an open team folder.
- When should I switch from a spreadsheet to a personal CRM?
- Three signs: you only open the sheet out of guilt, the date columns are chronically stale, or you want to be reminded instead of checking manually. A spreadsheet is passive — it never taps you on the shoulder. A personal CRM flips that and nudges you when someone hasn't heard from you in too long.
Last updated: 2026-06-10
When the spreadsheet gets too small.
Endearist imports this CSV directly — and reminds you before contacts go quiet. Free up to 25 contacts.
Start free