EXCEL: Current Time/Date

Like Word, you can also enter the current time/date in a worksheet by entering the following calculation:

=NOW()

You then go in and format that cell how you want the date to look:

• Format
• Cells
• Date

Then, every time you open that worksheet, the current time/date will appear!  Watch how you use this, though, there are only very specific reasons why you would want to set your worksheet up this way.  Be sure this is how you really want it to show today's date.

WORD: Select All

Here's a quick way to select all text in a Word document:

Control (Ctrl) and press the A key

Your entire document is now selected.  Use this feature to change to a different font type, or something I use a lot is to re-size the entire document down to fit to 1 page.  I use Control-A to select all, then choose Font Size and choose a smaller font.  Works like a charm!

Passwords: Keeping Track of Them

The more passwords you have to store (memory or otherwise), the more it becomes a challenge.  Sure, there are software programs that are made for this purpose, but you can simplify your "password life" just using this system:

In Excel, create a worksheet with the following column headings:

• Item:  in this column, you will enter whatever the topic is, for instance, "Supplies"
• Location:  in this column, you will enter the actual web address as a usable link, like www.staples.com
• User Name:  enter the user name you use for this item
• Password:  enter your password
• Comments:  enter anything you want to remember, like "Minimum order $50"

When you are done, store this worksheet in a secure location and place a shortcut to it on your desktop.  You've just saved yourself a lot of memorization and have a quick resource to access these important items!

Passwords: How to Choose a Secure One

We've got so many requirements for passwords in our jobs.  Sometimes it's difficult to come up with a creative, secure password that you won't forget!

Try this tip next time you are required to create a password:   Think of a memorable line in your favorite song, for instance:

"I'll be your crying shoulder"

Take the first letter of each word of that line as the root of your password, i.e. IBYCS, then split your birth year for the first and last digit of the password, for instance:

8IBYCS2

Now that's a strong password!  When you are required to change it, simply swap the digits of the year.

WORD-EXCEL: Go Home!

Here's a quick way to go immediately to the upper left corner of any document (Word) or spreadsheet (Excel):

Hold down the Control key (Ctrl) and tap your Home key

Outlook: Flag Me!

Here's a way to stay organized in your Outlook Inbox.  Use the "Stop Light" system for flagging.  The stop light flagging system is simple:

• Red:  Stop everything - important - requires immediate attention
• Yellow/Orange:  Waiting for information/input from someone else before proceeding
• Green:  Good to go, your part is done, just holding item

To flag an item (and you can flag in your Sent Items or even Deleted, if you desire), simply Right click the message and choose to flag, then choose your color.

WORD: Current Day, Current Time Shortcut

We all love shortcuts and here's one that works in WORD... great for a telephone message.


For the current date enter ALT-Shift-D           12/23/10

For the current time enter ALT-Shift-T            2:37:54 PM

WORD: Double & Triple Clicking!

This tip works well with the other WORD tips we talked about recently.  This tip works in most word processing software, including email.

• Double (left) click a word you have typed to select the word, then type right over that word the replacement word you want to use.
• Triple (left) click in a sentence and it will select the entire sentence.  Same process as above.  Type whatever you want to replace that sentence with (or delete the whole thing), and viola!  You've just replaced the entire sentence without having to backspace or hit your delete key numerous times.

If you get used to using your mouse to select words and sentences by double and triple clicking, it just comes naturally after while and you've just saved yourself a lot of time!

Excel: Page Breaks Preview

This is a common problem with Excel users:  You've created a fantastic spreadsheet and hit the print key and it prints on 3,291 pages.  Simply click View, Page Break View to see where your page breaks are currently set.  Then just left click and drag the blue dotted lines where you want your page breaks to be.

Creating "Better" (Worthwhile) Performance Reviews

It's that time of year when you are probably thinking along the lines of completing performance evaluations for your employees.  Last week's THESAURUS tip will come in handy for you... instead of typing "Susan has done a good job at ....", swap out that word "good" for a word that will make Susan understand how well she is really doing.  If you can't find a more descriptive word in WORD's Thesaurus, (right click on the word, remember), then at least pull up an online dictionary and choose your words wisely to convey exactly the kind of evaluation you want to deliver.

WORD: Thesaurus Awesomous

So you are typing away in WORD and don't like one of the words you have chosen, like "Awesome".  Right click on the word and choose the thesaurus (or synonyms)... WORD will give you a plentiful list of other options for you to use (of which you can click to choose).

This also works well if you are typing a word you aren't sure of the meaning on... the thesaurus/synonyms can act as a dictionary... so it's got multiple uses!

WORD: Adding Automatic Text

This tip is rarely used by everyday WORD users and is so useful, you HAVE to take advantage of it....
For those words that you use often that are either difficult for you to spell, long words, names of people or companies, etc., WORD will auto prefill that for you next time if you select the word (or phrase) after you type it, and choose Tools, AutoCorrect, AutoText, Add. 

Play with this after you use it a bit and you will get so used to it, it will be second nature for you to add words or phrases to your prefill list.  There's more to this feature than meets the eye... I'll feed you more on this in a future post!

Organize & Prioritize...

Just coming back to your desk from vacation, etc, can be overwhelming, especially if there's no back up for you when you are gone.  A thorough way to organize and prioritize your stacks of work is to quickly browse every item, setting aside those that absolutely can't wait until tomorrow.  Then put the rest in another stack.  Now you have your priority stack ready to roll!

Excel at EXCEL! Consecutive numbers, how do I prefill?

Excel:  Say you've got a list of consecutive numbers you need to enter, for instance, 23323, 23324, 23325 in Excel... you know there's a way to do it so here it is:
1.  Enter at least two of the numbers in your sequence
2.  Select the last two numbers you entered
3.  Position your cursor in the lower right corner of the cell of the last number you entered, until you see a PLUS sign
4.  Left click, hold down and drag down to prefill the consecutive numbers
Tune in tomorrow for a tip on organization and prioritizing!

Trouble copy/pasting?

Having trouble copying and pasting from one program to another?  Try Cntrl C for copy and Cntrl V for paste.  It works on all MS Office products and on most intranets.  This is great news for those trying to copy something from one of their company's intranet forms!  Drop in again tomorrow for another great Admin Tip!