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How to never feel confused in business đŸ€”

Plus: The PowerPoint transition you need to try

February 15, 2024

Hey there! Ever since launching Miss Excel, I’ve had thousands of students reach out to me saying: 

  • “Excel should make my life easier, but it only stresses me out.” 

  • “Every time my boss asks me to do something in Excel, I waste hours Googling it.” 

  • “I wrote ‘Proficient in Excel’ on my rĂ©sumé but secretly have no idea how to use it.” 

With all these messages, I’m doing something I’ve never done before: I’m partnering with Microsoft to host a free live Excel class just for students!  

If you’re ready for 2024 to be the year you finally get comfortable with Excel, click here to register for class this Friday, February 16 at 2 PM EST! 

If you can’t attend live, you’ll also get access to a 48-hour replay when you register. 

PowerPoint + Morph Transition = Wow Effect 

POV: You to your boss after learning this transition tip âœš

The secret to an engaging PowerPoint presentation? Transitions. They’re ridiculously easy to use yet add a ton of ✹ oomph ✹. 

Morph is one of my favorite PowerPoint transitions. It’s not hard to see why!👇

Here’s how to add this transition to your PowerPoint toolkit:

Step 1) Duplicate your slide. 

Step 2) Move the object you want to animate. 

Step 3) Click on the Transitions tab and select Morph. 

Step 4) In Effect Options click Objects.

Step 5) Click Preview or Slide Show > From Beginning.

That’s it! Then just hit Present and watch the magic unfold.

The Mindset Hack That Helped Me Build My Business Faster  

“What’s the last thing you were confused about in your business?” 

Here I was, being interviewed on a major podcast, and I just could not answer this question. I’d hit road bumps, yes, but deer-in-headlights confusion? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt that way about my business. 

This sent me into a spiral of self-reflection. Had I been ignoring my confusion?

But then I realized: I genuinely never felt confused—because I’d always been resourceful.

Here’s what I mean: When I started Miss Excel, building a business was brand new for me. I could’ve (should’ve!) been in a perpetual state of confusion. But instead, I held onto the belief that there is always a solution—just one Google search, phone call, or YouTube video away. 

The sooner you get resourceful (experiment, iterate, and test), the sooner you’ll stop feeling confused and move toward a solution. Life coach Marie Forleo even wrote a whole book—Everything is Figureoutable—about this mindset! 

This perspective is powerful for all stages of your career. For example


Confusion: “I don’t know how to make this PowerPoint stand out.” ➜ 
Resourceful: “I’ll look for free PowerPoint tips on the internet. (😉)” 

Confusion: “How do I make my job application stand out?” ➜ 
Resourceful: “I can ask my employed friends to review my rĂ©sumĂ©.” 

Confusion: “I have zero idea how to ask for a raise.” ➜ 
Resourceful: “I’ll google some salary negotiation spreadsheets.” 

Ultimately, this mindset hack is about shifting your energy from passive to active. Instead of sitting in confusion, jump into resourcefulness. Even if your first attempt doesn’t pan out, you’re now this đŸ€ much closer to finding your solution.

  • How to get perfectly aligned charts in Excel, every time. 

  • Boss: “My mouse is broken and I can’t click into the cell!” You: “I got this.” 

  • Komal Ahuja had five career pivots. Now, she’s sharing three ways to enter a new field. 

  • This Reddit thread is full of Excel tips to impress your co-workers and boss. 

  • Out of the 137 productivity tools YouTube Ali Abdaal has tried, these were his favorites. 

Don’t forget to sign up for tomorrow’s free 60-minute Excel class in partnership with Microsoft! Can’t wait to see you there. 🙂 

Stay Exceling,

Kat