Introducing the Law of Polarity

And an Excel tip for the teachers

April 13, 2023

Hello and happy Thursday! I’m writing this while listening to the “Magic State” playlist on Spotify. It’s one of the few playlists that has it all: 1) It’s updated weekly with new tunes 2) it has minimal lyrics to help you get in the zone, and 3) it has good vibes. What’s your go-to playlist for work? 🎶

P.S. Hard to believe it’s been almost nine months since we launched this newsletter! Time flies. I’d love to get to know you better now that we’ve been at it a while—fill out this super short survey to tell me more!

Calling All Teachers

Back in middle school, I had the best teacher. I remember them creating color-coded lesson plans, giving out stuffed animals, and arranging the seats so people could sit next to their friends (this teacher was the real deal 😂).

For all my teachers, here’s a great Excel function to help you save some time if you’re using the pass-fail system! This tip uses the IF function, which lets you make logical comparisons between a value and what you expect.

If done right, it can help you avoid manually grading all those tests and quizzes. 🤝

In our example, let’s say you’re grading with a “pass” being a score above 65 and a “fail” being anything under 65. Here’s how you’d go about this:

Step 1) In your desired cell, begin by writing the function =IF(B2>65%, 

Step 2) Then, add your “value if true” and “value if false” statements. This would lead us to =IF(B2>65%,“Pass”,”Fail”

💡 Excel Explanation: Here's another way to visualize this formula:

Step 3) Close your formula, hit enter, and copy down. That’s it! 😎

This is only the beginning of what’s possible with the =IF function. It uses other logical operators such as equal to (=), greater than or equal to (>=), not equal to (<>), and more.

If you’d like to see more examples of this function in action, let me know! I can show you how to use it specifically for budgeting if that’s your thing. 💸 Hit reply and tell me what you’d like to see!

The Law of Polarity

In May 2016, I was preparing my senior capstone project. It was my first time doing a big presentation and it was going to be in front of several board members from a reputable company (no pressure).

This was a pivotal moment that would jumpstart my career, and I’d been practicing for months to 👏 ace 👏 it.

But the day of the presentation, I got a call from my mom telling me my childhood dog had just passed away. At that moment, my energy swung from excitement to sadness.

This is a classic example of the Law of Polarity.

  • The Law of Polarity states that everything has an opposite, and this duality can help us understand our lives on a deeper level.

  • You can’t have good without bad, up without down, positive without negative.

That May day shows polarity in action. I had two life-changing experiences happen at once: one uplifting, the other devastating. But the loss helped me practice resilience and cherish the good happening on that day.

To be clear, the Law of Polarity doesn’t mean bad things automatically happen if something good is coming up! It’s a reminder that opposites exist, meaning:

1️⃣ You can always find a positive in the negative.

2️⃣ The negative helps us better appreciate the positive. 

My POV? The real power of polarity is that by showing us what we don’t want, we can discover what we do want.

For example, your boss might be crossing your boundaries (read: prodding about your Hinge date last weekend), but this experience helps you get clear on what your boundaries are in the first place.

As the saying goes, to become who you want to be, you have to first experience who you’re not. The duality of life can always benefit us (no matter how heart-wrenching it might be) if we let ourselves appreciate and grow from it. 🌷

  • Wingardium Leviosa 🪄 This Excel tip shows you how to assign items into buckets like magic!

  • Loved this tactic to help curb impulsive spending—so creative!

  • Here’s the ultimate guide to setting up your iPhone for productivity and focus.

  • Can you guess the number one skill this VP at Google was looking for while interviewing candidates?

  • This TED-Ed video describes how to regulate your emotions using the Process Model. 🙇‍♀️

  • Anyone else like to text yourself tasks you don't want to forget? Now those texts can go straight into your to-do list with Office Otter. Text your task to Office Otter and it’ll instantly get added to your to-do list so you can tackle it later!*

*This is sponsored advertising content.

The next time you have to do something but you really don’t want to, try turning it into a game.

For instance, when I’m feeling too lazy to shower, I make tea and see if I can shower fast enough so my tea is still hot by the time I’m done. Let the countdown begin! 🏃‍♀️

Stay Exceling,

Kat