1.

Plan your timeline. Do any necessary research, and then sketch out the timeline on paper.

2.

Start Excel with a new, blank spreadsheet open.

3.

Type a title across the top of the spreadsheet, and format the text as you like.

4.

Skip several rows, and then type the first date or time of your timeline. You might want to wait to format all the dates or times at once.

5.

Type a short description above or below the date or time cell, whichever works best for your timeline.

6.

To format the description so it is turned sideways, on the Format menu, click Cells. In the Format Cells box, click the Alignment tab (see picture). Select the orientation for the text by clicking the picture sample or by typing a number in the Degrees box. Change the Text alignment (horizontal or vertical), and then click OK.

Tip: You might want to format a group of cells (for example, all cells that should be rotated) at the same time. First select the group of cells, click Cells on the Format menu, apply the formatting you want, and then click OK. All selected cells will now be formatted the same. Type your text in those cells and press ENTER. The cells will be rotated automatically because you preformatted them.