The chart was actually difficult for me, too. I usually just have an extremely minimal scene/chapter list for my writing (and some occasional freewriting and what-have-you), so plotting out exactly what happened when was next to impossible. I compromised by cutting the novel into chunks, identifying about how many "days" I expected the arc to take, and then writing out some simple notes about what important developments I needed to include.

I'm not sure, but I don't think we need to adhere to any single, rigid style for the timeline. I think (hope?) there's wiggle-room so we can adapt it to our writing styles.

Making a chart was a little different for me, but it was kind of helpful in giving me a visual representation of how the story will move.

Best of luck!