Mastering Timelines: Essential Tips for Personal and Professional Success (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Today, we're talking about how to make a timeline. In reality, we're always making timelines. If I go on a trip or vacation, I have a timeline. My videographer is planning her wedding and trust me, she has a timeline. I also mentor graduate students and they have a timeline for their curriculum and graduation. So whether it's personally or professionally, they're very important to help us get things done. So let's look at what a timeline is. It's a pictorial or graphical view of events that happen either in the past or are projected to happen in the future. A timeline also has a start date and an end date and also has important dates and events marked all along the way. It also shows what will happen and when. So there are two specific types of timelines that we work with. The first one is a linear timeline and it tracks one subject. So an example would be if you go on a trip, that's a linear timeline. A comparative timeline compares two subjects. So think about a project where you may be comparing projected dates versus your actual dates. So let's look at how we go about creating or making our timeline. First of all, you want to decide what your timeline will track or compare. So again, that is, are you using a linear or comparative timeline? Then list your events from the start date to the end date or the earliest to the latest on your timeline. Then choose the units of time to segment. Are you going to measure in days, in months, or maybe years? Then you want to segment your timeline with those equal units along the way. Then you want to label your start date on the left and your end date on the right so you know what specific point in time on the timeline you're looking at. Then you want to plot your important dates and events all along the way on your timeline. Then if appropriate, you're going to go back and compare your projected and your actual dates. And again, a good example of that is if you're either working on or you're managing a project. So a great tip here is to use an online software tool. Think about it. If you're on a project, all the team members have their own timeline. Maybe if you're managing the project, you also have a timeline. So by using an online software tool, all of those are managed and maintained inside the tool and everyone can have access and insight into them. So I think that helps to simplify things. So if you need a tool that can help you with your timeline, then sign up for our software now at ProjectManager.com.