See How the Parts of Your Life Overlapped
Give homes, school and work, family and travel their own layers, and each one becomes a row on the same date axis. You can see which job you had when you moved, how old you were at each milestone, and how a decade actually went.
Add the Story Behind Each Date
You rarely need exact dates for a life timeline: a year like 1998 or a month like May 2004 is enough. Each event also has a notes field for who was there, why you moved, or what you remember most.
Keep It Private or Share It
New timelines are private, so only you can see yours. When you are ready, send someone a link, or export it as a PDF or an image to print for a milestone birthday.
Everything You Need in a Personal Timeline
Here's what you can do when you map out your life with Preceden.
Layers
Give each part of your life, such as homes, work or travel, its own layer on the same date axis.
Optional End Dates
Events with an end date appear as a bar; events without one appear as a single icon.
Notes
Attach notes to an event to record the story behind it.
Images
Upload a photo for an event so the timeline doubles as a picture record.
Approximate Dates
Mark a date as approximate when you only remember roughly when something happened.
Date Picker
Pick a date from the calendar, or type it in when you want control over the format.
Icons
Choose from over 3,600 icons to show what each event represents.
Zoom
View your whole life at once or zoom in to focus on a specific period.
Search & Filter
Search a crowded timeline to show only the events you care about.
Bulk Editor
Add and edit many events at once in a spreadsheet-like grid.
Spreadsheet Import
Import names and dates from a CSV or Excel file instead of adding them one at a time.
Privacy Controls
Control who can see your timeline by making it private, password-protected, or accessible via a secret URL.
What Others Are Saying About Preceden
I'm using Preceden to make history timelines and to track important events in my personal life. Out of all timeline makers I've tried so far, Preceden is by far the most user-friendly. I especially love the way you can organize timelines in clear layers.
FAQs about Preceden
What should I put on a timeline of my life?
Start with the long stretches, such as each home, school and job, then add single moments like a graduation, a wedding or a move. Our guide to making a timeline of your life walks through it step by step.
Do I need exact dates?
No. Preceden accepts a year on its own or a month and year, and you can set an end date of Present for something that is still going, such as the job you have now. See Supported Date Formats for everything it understands.
Can I include my family's history too?
Yes. You can add parents and grandparents to the same timeline on their own layer, or build a separate family history timeline that lines up your ancestors' lives.
Can I use Preceden for free?
Yes, you can sign up and create unlimited timelines with up to 10 events each for free. We have paid plans that let you add unlimited events and also provide more advanced functionality.
What if I have more questions?
Browse our support docs for answers, or drop us a note anytime and we'll get back to you shortly: [email protected]
Preceden for Other Kinds of Timelines
Preceden is built for more than one kind of timeline. Here's what else people use it for.
- Project Management Plan and communicate project schedules.
- Education Bring class projects and lesson plans to life.
- Legal Cases Build case chronologies attorneys can share.
- Research Map out historical and academic research.
- Fiction Writing Track characters, plots, and fictional histories.
- Genealogy Line up your ancestors' lives on one date axis.
- Homeschool Keep a history timeline that grows with your lessons.
- Timeline Templates Start from a ready-made layout instead of a blank page.