Download our free CPD log template as Excel or PDF, with the columns that regulators and appraisers expect - plus why a spreadsheet might not be the end of the story.
Sometimes you just need a CPD log template. Maybe your regulator has asked for evidence, your appraisal is next month, or you are starting a new role and want to begin properly this time. Here is a free template in two formats, plus an honest look at where spreadsheets fall down.
What a good CPD log template includes
Whichever format you use, your log needs these columns as a minimum:
- Date - when the activity happened
- Activity - what you did and who provided it
- Type - course, webinar, supervision, reading, observation, mentoring, and so on
- Hours - how long it took (many regulators and appraisals want a total)
- Participatory? - yes or no, if your regulator distinguishes (the NMC does - 20 of your 35 hours must be participatory)
- Relevance - the standard, code section or objective it links to
- What I learned / impact - one or two sentences on how it changed your practice
That last column is the one people skip, and it is the one that matters most. Anyone can list courses. The impact note is what turns a log into evidence.
Download the free template
- Download the CPD log template (Excel) - with all the columns above ready to fill in
- Download the CPD log template (PDF) - a printable version for handwritten entries or portfolio submission
Excel or PDF?
- Excel template - best if you plan to update it yourself. You can add rows freely and even add a SUM formula to tally your hours automatically.
- PDF template - best for printing and filling in by hand, or for submitting as part of a portfolio where a fixed format is expected.
The honest limits of a spreadsheet
A template gets you started, but be aware of where it leads:
- It lives on one device - and spreadsheets get saved over, versioned ("CPD-log-FINAL-v3.xlsx") or lost when you change laptops or jobs
- No running totals unless you build them - and SUM formulas break when someone inserts a row in the wrong place
- No reminders - a spreadsheet never nudges you to log the webinar you watched last Tuesday
- Easy to abandon - most template logs are updated twice: the day they are downloaded and the week before appraisal
If the spreadsheet habit sticks for you, genuinely, use it - a simple log kept consistently beats a clever tool you never open.
There's a better way
If you have tried templates before and found them abandoned by spring, the problem usually is not discipline - it is friction. Our free CPD tracker removes it: log an activity in seconds from any device, watch your hours tally automatically, and export a clean PDF whenever you need evidence. It is free for life for individuals, and it belongs to you - not your employer, and not a file on a laptop you no longer have.
Start with the template today if you like. When you are ready, the tracker is waiting.
Read this next
- Spreadsheet vs CPD app: an honest comparisonA spreadsheet is genuinely fine for a lot of people. Here is when it works, when it stops working, and what an app actually adds.
- CPD log software compared: what to look forEmployer platforms, professional body portals, generic apps and dedicated CPD trackers all do different jobs. Here is how to judge which one fits.
- How to build a CPD logging habit that survives FebruaryEveryone logs CPD in January. Here is how to make it stick past February, using triggers, tiny entries and a two-minute monthly review.
Or skip the reading and start your free CPD log - free for life for individuals.
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