Tableau or Excel First What Beginners Should Pick

Month 1 — Daily Schedule:
7:00 AM — Wake up, exercise (30 min)
8:00 AM — Review goals for the day
9:00 AM — Deep work (3 hours)
   - Week 1: Spreadsheet basics
   - Week 2: Formulas and functions
   - Week 3: Pivot tables
   - Week 4: Charts and data cleaning
12:00 PM — Lunch break
1:00 PM — Practice with sample datasets
2:00 PM — Deep work (2 hours)
5:00 PM — Review progress, plan tomorrow
6:00 PM — Exercise, rest
8:00 PM — Read Excel tips (30 min)
10:00 PM — Wind down

Week 1 Review:
□ Am I comfortable with cell references?
□ Do I know key shortcuts?
□ Can I navigate large sheets?

Week 2 Review:
□ Can I write SUM and IF?
□ Do I understand VLOOKUP?
□ Can I use INDEX/MATCH?

Week 3 Review:
□ Can I build a pivot table?
□ Can I group and summarise?
□ Can I filter and sort?

Week 4 Review:
□ Can I clean messy data?
□ Can I build a basic chart?
□ Have I completed a mini analysis?

Month 2 — Daily Schedule:
7:00 AM — Wake up, exercise (30 min)
8:00 AM — Review goals for the day
9:00 AM — Deep work (3 hours)
   - Week 5: Connect and explore data
   - Week 6: Charts and filters
   - Week 7: Dashboard 1
   - Week 8: Dashboard 2 and storytelling
12:00 PM — Lunch break
1:00 PM — Practice with public datasets
2:00 PM — Deep work (2 hours)
5:00 PM — Review progress, plan tomorrow
6:00 PM — Exercise, rest
8:00 PM — Browse Tableau Public galleries (30 min)
10:00 PM — Wind down

Week 5 Review:
□ Can I connect data in Tableau?
□ Do I understand dimensions vs measures?
□ Can I build a basic sheet?

Week 6 Review:
□ Can I build bar, line, scatter charts?
□ Do I know how to add filters?
□ Can I use parameters?

Week 7 Review:
□ Is Dashboard 1 complete?
□ Does it answer a business question?
□ Is it readable?

Week 8 Review:
□ Is Dashboard 2 complete?
□ Do I have a clear story?
□ Have I exported images or links?

Month 3 — Daily Schedule:
7:00 AM — Wake up, exercise (30 min)
8:00 AM — Review goals for the day
9:00 AM — Deep work (3 hours)
   - Week 9: Portfolio and documentation
   - Week 10: Resume and LinkedIn
   - Week 11: Applications and networking
   - Week 12: Interviews and follow-ups
12:00 PM — Lunch break
1:00 PM — Networking and follow-ups
2:00 PM — Deep work (2 hours)
5:00 PM — Review progress, plan tomorrow
6:00 PM — Exercise, rest
8:00 PM — Interview prep (30 min)
10:00 PM — Wind down

Week 9 Review:
□ Are my dashboards on Tableau Public?
□ Is my Excel workbook documented?
□ Is my portfolio easy to navigate?

Week 10 Review:
□ Are Excel and Tableau on my resume?
□ Are projects listed?
□ Is LinkedIn updated?

Week 11 Review:
□ Have I sent 25+ quality applications?
□ Are they tailored?
□ Have I networked?

Week 12 Review:
□ Have I practised Excel questions?
□ Have I practised Tableau questions?
□ Have I evaluated offers?

Daily Tracker:
Date: _________
☐ Morning routine completed
☐ Deep work session 1 (3 hours)
☐ Deep work session 2 (2 hours)
☐ Excel / Tableau practice completed
☐ Networking completed
☐ Interview prep completed
☐ Exercise completed
☐ Reviewed progress
☐ Planned tomorrow

Today's Accomplishments:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Tomorrow's Priorities:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Weekly Tracker:
Week: _____ (Month 1 / 2 / 3)

Goals for this week:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Daily Progress:
Mon: ☐☐☐
Tue: ☐☐☐
Wed: ☐☐☐
Thu: ☐☐☐
Fri: ☐☐☐
Sat: ☐☐☐
Sun: ☐☐☐

Weekly Wins:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Challenges & Solutions:
1. 
2. 

Next Week's Goals:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Monthly Tracker:
Month: _____ (1 / 2 / 3)

Monthly Goal:
_______________________________________________

Week 1 Progress: ☐☐☐
Week 2 Progress: ☐☐☐
Week 3 Progress: ☐☐☐
Week 4 Progress: ☐☐☐

Monthly Wins:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Excel / Tableau Skills Gained:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Portfolio Items:
1. 
2. 
3. 

Applications Sent: _____
Interviews: _____
Offers: _____

Next Month's Goal:
_______________________________________________