How to Create a Time Chart

1. Double-click on the Excel 2010 icon to open up the program. The program will start with a new spreadsheet.
2. Click on cell A1 and enter the column header for the time column. This will generally be 'Year,' 'Month,' 'Day' or simply 'Time,' although you can make the header anything you want. Then click on cell B1 and enter the header for your data column.
3. Enter your time information into column A, starting at cell A2. Then enter the data you are tracking into column B, starting at cell B2.
4. Click on cell A1 and hold the mouse button as you drag the mouse to the last entery in column B. Release the mouse button and the entire data set will be selected.
5. Click on the 'Insert' tab at the top of the screen. Then click the 'Scatter' button in the 'Charts' area. Select any of the five scatter charts, although it is usually easier to view the data if you choose one of the two options that include both lines and markers. Excel 2010 will now create the chart for you.
6. Click on the 'Quick Layout' button on the ribbon at the top of the screen and choose 'Layout 1' to include your column headers on the graph.
7. Right-click on the time data located just below the chart and choose 'Format Axis' from the drop-down menu. Then change the 'Minimum' and 'Maximum' levels to remove empty space at the beginning and end of your chart. Select 'Close' when you are done.