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Sometimes you don’t need many words to say a lot. Ask Matt Shirley, Instagram’s favorite chart and graph creator who has been making one a day for the past… we've lost count!

Matt’s colorful designs have gained him quite a following online with a 400k-solid fan base and you can totally see why. Charged with humor, candidness, and a perfect ability to communicate things in a clear and simple manner, they serve as a reflection of the times we are living in.

Whether it’s sitting in a traffic jam, working from home, attending a Zoom meeting, or surviving March madness, these are just the tip of the iceberg of Matt’s ingenious designs that make you totally relate. Psst! After you’re done, be sure to check out our previous posts with Matt’s charts and graphs here, here, and here.

More info: Instagram | MattShirleyCharts.com | Facebook | Twitter | Patreon

#1

Remember Waiters?

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Sum Guy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's always nice to see an article about someone you have been following on Instagram for a while

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    #2

    Lockdown Circles. Came Up With This While Talking To Someone Important To Me About Work Life Right Now. It’s Tough Out There.

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    Robert T
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Should be a "time spent on Bored Panda" beteen "inability to focus on work" and "guilt for doing no work"

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    To find out how the creator of the widely popular charts and graphs is doing at the moment, Bored Panda reached out to Matt Shirley for an interview. “It's actually quite difficult to keep up with current events that might make for good charts without it driving me crazy,” he told us when asked how he keeps his charts ever-relevant.

    “I tend to not pay attention to the news too awfully much because I find that it's not exactly great for my mental health, so I have to pick and choose the types of current events I talk about with my charts,” Matt explained.

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    “In general,” Matt said, “I like to do things that are light-hearted so it's natural that some of the more light-hearted news stories are right up my alley. And then, of course, I can always draw off my own experiences, whether it's working from home or dealing with isolation or my thoughts on anxiety.”

    #6

    After A Week Off I’m Back With Another Chart About Sleep.

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    Kristal
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unfortunately. People forget that most services/businesses are a 24 hour operation; airports, goods deliveries (truck, train, plane, boat), emergency services, etc. Pretty much everything 'daytime society' needs to function, night shift people provide.

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    When Matt started his Instagram account @mattsurelee, he was doing charts on white boards. “This worked great at first, but eventually I found that I would often make mistakes that were almost impossible to fix on a white board and I moved to more graphic design charts.”

    The graphic design charts gave him the flexibility to do multiple drawings in a day and reuse the templates, “so I don't have to measure and draw the same pie charts or tables over and over again.” Plus, Matt likes the variety of colors he can use digitally.

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    “I absolutely didn't expect anything when I started. But it's very nice to find out that other people see the world in the same way I do,” Matt said humbly.

    Incredibly, just like on the day he started, Matt is still making at least one graph per day. “If these charts see the light of day is another story. A lot of them turn out to be not up to snuff and are hidden away somewhere on my computer,” he added.

    #9

    Moving Is Fun. Personal Update On My Patreon If You Want To Read It (Link In Bio)

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    Sonia Bailey
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As someone who hads moved house recently, I can attest to this chart's accuracy!

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    #10

    TV, Why Are You The Way That You Are?

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    Ozacoter
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Also why are movies so f*****g bad with noise? The music and sound is really loud but the dialogs are usually very low. Thats the reason why I usually watch everything with subtitles so I dont need to bmhave a headache to understand the dialogs.

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    Also, Matt’s amazing book “A Visual Learner's Guide to Being a Grown-Up” has just come out like a day ago, giving his fans a real treat in Matt’s signature tables, lists, and charts for all the visual learners out there. Check it out right here.

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    “Additionally, I am in the very beginning stages of working on an idea for a board game and have a couple of new Instagram accounts that should come out soon,” Matt said, so stay tuned!

    #14

    Sa(N)ta(N)

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    River Webb
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    santa's a creep, he sneaks into your home while you sleep and basically stalks you all year

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    #17

    Why Are We Like This

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    #18

    🚛🚙🚗🚕🚎🚜

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    #19

    I’m Doing A Q And A For @writers.blok Tonight At 6pm Pt. If I Could Procrastinate It I Would.

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    𝙸'𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚘𝚋!
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My issue is that I know it's easy and I fully understand what I need to do... I just don't want to do it 😂

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    #23

    I Wrote A Book! It Comes Out April 6th And It Includes A Ton Of New Charts For All My Visual Learning Friends Who Would Rather Look At A Venn Diagram Than Read Words. I’m Extremely Proud Of It And Can’t Wait For People To See It.

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    Ozacoter
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    We need a colour for crying and another one for "not feeling an adult"

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    #26

    My High School Science Class

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    Ozacoter
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I agree. I loved my science subjects in school and found them fascinating but 90% of what we learned was useless. Non biologists/geologists do not need to be able to recognize all the different kinds of rocks or knowing the structure of vegetable tissues. They need to learn first aid, nutrition, sex education, how menstruation works, basic anatomy, why antibiotics dont work in viruses, why vaccines are important etc.

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    #27

    I Asked You Guys One Word To Describe The Folks From Your State. This Is What We Game Up With.

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    #28

    Lots Of Requests To Post This. Tag A Coworker. (Btw This Was A Commission, If You’d Like A Custom Chart Email Me: Mattsurelee@gmail.com, I Have Some Spots Open)

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    Indra Servo
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    the nicest & smartest employee usually resign in 1 year because they can just search for better job

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    #29

    I Made This Chart And 21 Others For @adamgrant’s Excellent New Book “Think Again” That Comes Out Today! I’m Truly Honored He Asked Me To Contribute And I Can’t Wait For Everyone To Check It Out.

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    River Webb
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I once heard a fact form my cousin's brother in law's sister's bestie way back in 2013 and I still stand by that fact to this day

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    #37

    What’s The Most Annoying Fruit?

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    Sneeze
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    fun fact... strawberries don't ripen off of the vine... that's why they're always unripe.

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    #40

    ☕️ Chart

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    Emilycookie
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    mine took longer just because it got cold and cold decaf mocha=eeeuuughhh

    #41

    I Wrote A Book

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    Ozacoter
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Anybody knows free or affordable online writting clases? I always wanting to learn how to do it properly.

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    #42

    My Knowledge Of Spanish Over Time.

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    Ozacoter
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    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Me with flemish since corona. I forgot 90% of what I knew.

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    #43

    I Hate Being The Center Of Attention, Why Am I Never The Center Of Attention??

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    #46

    Every Left Turn Ever.

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    #47

    Updated March Schedule. Send It To Someone Who Is Going To Do Green.

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    #49

    Chart I Made Today About December.

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    #50

    I Made This Very Important Budget Timeline For @youneedabudget, A Cool Company That Wants To Take All The Stress Out Of Your 2021 Money Management. Check Out The 34-Day Free Trial Over On Their Instagram Page.

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    #51

    Part II Of Covid Pros And Cons.

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    Kirbi
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I thought it said " GON is dirt cheap " I'm like Hol' up

    #54

    Tag Someone Who Just Really, Really Loves Meetings.

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    #55

    Job Matrix.

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    #56

    Reality TV Show Timeline. I Feel Like The Worst Offenders Are On Bravo.

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    #59

    Brand Spanking New Mask Chart.

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    #62

    I’m Posting This While Staring Off Into Space

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    #63

    Anxiety Is Weird.

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    #64

    Doom Off The Charts.

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    #66

    St. Pat’s From Your Dog’s Pov.

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    reddaesthetics
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    dogs support us no matter what kind of shitty life we live in, and we absolutely dont deserve it

    #67

    This Isn’t Just Me Is It?

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    #68

    Swipe To See My Version.

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    Daniel Atkins
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Road Runners? They seem pretty Harmless unless you are a hungry coyote.

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    #69

    I Moved This Week. I Made This Chart Instead Of Unpacking.

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    #70

    Little Change Of Pace Today. A Friend Of Mine From High School (@good.things.are.gonna.come) Commissioned Me To Create A Timeline About Getting Over It. Maybe It's Something Heartbreaking, Or Something Traumatic Or Something Grief-Filled. Or Maybe It's Something All Of Those Things. Here's What I Came Up With.

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    #71

    I Almost Forgot To Post This Classic. #fourthofjuly

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    Aleksei
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And then there are other miscellaneous things like school dances or assemblies and other stuff. The flashing lights are blinding.

    #72

    A Year Ago I Posted This Revised March Schedule And I Wanted To Relive What It Was Like Back Then.

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    Lorelai Purvis
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    *wishing that you could work from home* *pandemic hits* "oops i wished too well"

    #73

    I Take Care Of Myself Sometimes I Promise. I Made This For My Friends At @algenist

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    #75

    Christmas From Your Dog’s Pov.

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    #76

    Things I Drink

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    #77

    Lockdown Accomplishments Theory vs. Reality. I Made This For My Friends At @mandatorydotcom

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    Linda Roy
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Where tf is the "finished Netflix/Prime" wedge? Or the "I never used to drink in the morning before this hit " wedge? 🤣

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    #78

    All Still True.

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    #79

    Starting Today.

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    #80

    2021 Is Almost Here.

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    #83

    Things I Eat Over My Lifetime

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    #84

    Every Month I’m Attaching My Venmo (@matt-Shirley) To One Chart In Case You Think I’ve Been Doing A Good Job And Want To Buy Me A Coffee.

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    #85

    Bad Habit Include Eating Until You’re About To Explode, Hitting The Snooze, Spending Too Much Time On The Internet, Procrastinating, Passive Aggressive Behaviors, Guilt Tripping, Non Communication, Not Making Your Bed, Staying Up Too Late, Never Flossing, Drinking Too Much, Not Expressing Your True Emotions And More!

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    #87

    It’s My Birthday So I Made A Birthday Chart.

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    MAX THOMPSON
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    College and adulthood have it made. Beer, gift cards, and video games. What more is there?

    #89

    ❄️

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    #90

    New Chart About Halloween 🎃

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    #91

    Not So Much Parties This Year.

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    #92

    🍁

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    #93

    I Had A Mimosa This Weekend.

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    #96

    Been Working Really Hard On My Pandemic Resume. Swipe For Part 2.

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    #99

    I Watched Hocus Pocus. Tag A Hocus Pocus Fan. I Tag Myself. #tisfirm

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    Lorelai Purvis
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    HOCUS POCUS IS THE BEST HALLOWEEN MOVIE NEXT TO THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND NOBODY CAN CHANGE MY MIND

    #100

    It’s Almost Family Gathering Season

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    #101

    Bar Bar Chart. Did I Forget Any Bars

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    #102

    Every Month I’m Attaching My Venmo (@matt-Shirley) To One Chart In Case You Think I’ve Been Doing A Good Job And Want To Buy Me A Stiff Drink 🥃
this Map Is Made From Answers From A Poll On My Ig Story. I Took The Most Popular Answers And Slapped Them On A Map So Don’t Blame Me.

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    #103

    And Now The Sequel: You Guys Chose The Best Attraction In Your State And I Put Them On A Map. This One Was Not Nearly As Unanimous As The Worst Attraction Map But There Were Plenty Of People Who Answered “Nothing.”

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    Daniel Atkins
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Kansas Has the Cosmosphere a museum with space artifacts Like the Apallo 13 command module.

    #104

    Almost Went Cross-Eyed Going Through All These Responses. Ps The Folks Who Said They’d Rather Be Hot 🔥 Are Insane.

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    #105

    Most Months I Put My Venmo On A Chart But This Month I Want To Thank You Guys Instead, With This Fans Chart. Without You None Of This Chart Nonsense Would Be Possible And I’m Very Grateful I Get To Do What I Do. Please Enjoy Fan Appreciation Day And Give Yourself A Pat On The Back, Or The Butt, Whatever You Prefer.

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    #107

    It’s Friday Check Your Outbox.

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    #108

    Happy First Days Of Summer.

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    #109

    Friday Timeline

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    #110

    This One Took Me A Long Time, Please Enjoy. Tag A Bravo-Er.

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    #111

    Chart From New Years Eves Past.

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    #112

    Tonight Is The Ultimate Sunday Night.

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    #113

    I Made A Chart About Watching Bridgerton Even Though I’ve Never Watched Bridgerton. Tag A Bridgertonion.

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    #116

    My Holiday Guide 🦃 🎄 🎊

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