How to Use AI (ChatGPT/Claude/etc.) to Create Timeline Data
You can use AI tools to convert your life stories into properly formatted CSV data for import and visualize as a multidimensional timeline.
Tell Your Story
Write your story in your language
Use the Prompt
Copy the prompt below with your story
Import Result
Save CSV output and import it here
Example Story Input:
"I studied Computer Science at UC Berkeley from fall 2016 to spring 2020, which was the most transformative period of my life. During my studies, I completed several important projects including my senior capstone project in spring 2020 and a machine learning research project in fall 2019. I also did internships - one at Google in Mountain View during summer 2019 working on search algorithms, and another at Microsoft in Seattle during summer 2018 focusing on cloud infrastructure. After graduating with my degree in May 2020, I moved to Menlo Park and started my career at Meta in August 2020. My first major achievement there was getting promoted to Senior Engineer in January 2022, which was really important to me. I also love traveling - I went to Japan in March 2021 and took an amazing trip through Europe visiting France, Italy, and Germany in summer 2022."
Tips for Better Results:
Be specific about dates and timeframes
Mention locations clearly
Group related events by mentioning categories
Indicate which events are most important
Describe relationships between events
Copy-Paste Prompt for AI
Please convert the following story into a CSV format for a timeline application. Use this exact header format and follow these CRITICAL guidelines for creating sophisticated timeline structures:
**CSV Header (use exactly):**
title,start,end,type,category,color,isImportant,isParent,parent_id,event_id,location_city,location_country,metadata,row
**CRITICAL: Dual Event Creation Rules**
For major life transitions (starting jobs, beginning education, starting relationships, etc.), you MUST create TWO events:
1. A "life" event marking the specific moment/day it started
2. A "range" event representing the ongoing period/duration
**Event Type Guidelines:**
- **"life"**: Single-moment major life changes (graduation day, first day at job, wedding day, birth, death, moving day, starting university)
- **"range"**: Ongoing periods with duration (employment at company, university studies, relationships, living in a location, projects)
- **"milestone"**: Achievements within ongoing periods (promotions, awards, completions) - MUST have parent_id linking to the range event
**Advanced Structure Examples:**
**Example 1 - Starting a Job:**
```
"Started Career at Meta",2020-08-01,2020-08-01,life,Career,,True,False,,career_meta_start,Menlo Park,USA,First day at Meta
"Career at Meta",2020-08-01,2024-12-31,range,Career,,True,True,,career_meta_range,Menlo Park,USA,Full-time Software Engineer role
"Promoted to Senior Engineer at Meta",2022-01-01,2022-01-01,milestone,Career,,True,False,career_meta_range,career_meta_promo1,Menlo Park,USA,Promotion within Meta career
```
**Example 2 - University Studies:**
```
"Started University at UC Berkeley",2016-08-15,2016-08-15,life,Education,,True,False,,edu_ucb_start,Berkeley,USA,First day of university
"University Studies - Computer Science at UC Berkeley",2016-08-15,2020-05-15,range,Education,,True,True,,edu_ucb_range,Berkeley,USA,Bachelor's degree program
"Senior Capstone Project",2020-01-15,2020-05-15,range,Education,,False,False,edu_ucb_range,edu_ucb_capstone,Berkeley,USA,Final project for degree
"Graduated with Computer Science Degree",2020-05-15,2020-05-15,milestone,Education,,True,False,edu_ucb_range,edu_ucb_graduation,Berkeley,USA,Degree completion
```
**Parent-Child Relationship Rules:**
- Career ranges (jobs) should have milestone children (promotions, achievements, projects)
- Education ranges should have milestone children (graduations, project completions)
- Living locations can have various children (events that happened there)
- Travel ranges can have milestone children (specific experiences, arrivals)
**Event ID Naming Convention:**
- Use descriptive prefixes: `career_`, `edu_`, `travel_`, `personal_`, `proj_`
- Include organization/location: `career_meta_`, `edu_ucb_`, `travel_japan_`
- Add action suffix: `_start`, `_range`, `_promo1`, `_graduation`
**Field Guidelines:**
- **title**: Clear, specific event name
- **start/end**: YYYY-MM-DD format (end = start for single-day events)
- **category**: "Career", "Education", "Travel", "Personal", "Projects", "Health", "Relationships"
- **isImportant**: true for major life events, promotions, graduations, births, deaths, moves
- **isParent**: true for range events that have sub-events (jobs, education periods, long projects)
- **parent_id**: event_id of the parent range event for milestones and sub-events
- **location_city/country**: Where the event occurred
- **metadata**: Additional context, role details, significance
**Processing Instructions:**
1. Identify all major life transitions and create dual life+range events
2. Find milestone events within ongoing periods and link them as children
3. Create meaningful parent-child hierarchies
4. Use consistent event_id naming that shows relationships
5. Mark truly significant events as important
6. If dates are unclear, ask for clarification rather than guessing
Please analyze the story carefully, create the sophisticated dual-event structure for major transitions, establish proper parent-child relationships, and provide the complete CSV output ready for import. The output should be a view of the csv file that can be downloaded as well. .
**My Story:**
[PASTE YOUR STORY HERE]