How to Make an Hourly Chart in Excel (5 Steps)
By Mike Andrews
When many users think of Microsoft Excel, they envision pages of spreadsheets with complex calculations and row after row of data. However, Excel is also an excellent tool for making charts, including hourly charts. Excel hourly charts can be used for scheduling people, for task or project scheduling, and for hourly tracking of all sorts of data from sales to inventory usage. They can also be used to track these things by day or date, or by any other sorting criteria the user wishes to use.
Step 1
Open Excel to create a new, blank spreadsheet.
Step 2
List the hours that you'd like your chart to cover in chronological order, starting in the fourth row of the first column and progressing downward. For example, to chart the hours from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, place "8:00 AM" in the first cell, followed by "9:00 AM," "10:00 AM," and so forth until you reach "5:00 PM" at the bottom of the first column.
Step 3
Label the second and following columns using row three according to the data that you're tracking in your hourly chart. For example, a schedule would require labeling the next columns with "Monday," "Tuesday," and so on through "Sunday," while an hourly chart tracking sales might label its columns "Sale Item #1," "Sale Item #2," "Sale Item #3," and so forth.
Step 4
Click and hold your mouse button over the third row in the first column, then move your mouse down and to the right until you have highlighted your entire chart space (encompassing all of your rows and columns). Then release the mouse button and right-click the mouse over your highlighted block of cells. Select "Format cells" from the pop-up menu, then click on "Borders." Finally, select the "All" option in the Borders window to create a grid for your hourly chart.
Step 5
Enter a title for your chart in the first row of your chart, and print a copy if desired. Then save a copy of your chart for future use.
Writer Bio
Mike Andrews is a freelance writer and serial entrepreneur focused on small-business and entrepreneurship for average people. He holds a bachelor's degree in biblical studies and a master's degree in theology and has appeared in a wide array of print and online periodicals including "HiCall," "Mature Living" and "Caregivers Home Companion."