The secret to a show-stopping PowerPoint

Plus: Stressed about traveling for work?

Hey there! Tons of you asked for an Excel class for newbies. I got you: I’m hosting a live Excel 101 class about mastering the Excel essentials (functions, sorting, and more)! After attending this power-packed session, you’ll have a rock-solid foundational understanding of Excel, saving hours of your time (and sanity). 

Click here to register for class on Tuesday, February 13 at 3 PM ET. This class was highly requested and I can’t wait to see you there!

Can’t make it? No worries! You can still register to catch the 48-hour replay. 

Create a Show-Stopping PowerPoint

Imagine if you could create a PowerPoint presentation that looked like this… 👇

Turns out, you don’t have to be a design guru to make a slide deck that people actually want to pay attention to. Here’s how to apply this effect to PowerPoint! 

Step 1) Navigate to Insert and select Shapes. 

Step 2) Click on Square and highlight the middle section. 

Step 3) Under Shape Format, go to Shape Fill and select White as your color. 

Step 4) Copy and paste your inserted shape. 

Step 5) Right-click on the slide and select Format Shape. Set your Transparency to 27%.  Do this for both elements. 

Step 6) Duplicate your slide three times. In each slide, move the two transparent squares so only one element is fully showing at a time.  

At the end, it should look like this: 

Step 7) Navigate to the Transitions tab and select Fade Transition. Add that effect to each slide. 

That’s it! Now just hit Present and be prepared to wow your colleagues. If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s my video where I explain this tip in real time.

Stressed About Traveling For Work? I Got You! 

In my old corporate days, I traveled by plane every week of the year. This was once a huge problem for me because I used to have terrible anxiety and, well…the airport isn’t exactly a zen place. 

But after four years of constant traveling, I finally got it down to a science. If you get anxious about work trips, here are my top four tips:

Tip 1) TSA Pre-Check All the Way. 🧳

As an anxious traveler, pre-check was my savior. The lines are almost always shorter and never have to take your shoes off—AKA more time to gather yourself at the gate. It’s only $78 for a five-year membership, and some credit cards actually cover the fee—here's the complete list. 

Tip 2) Find the Lounges. 💺

Need to get stuff done before boarding? Lounges are your BFF. They have great WiFi and are a quiet oasis away from the craziness of the airport. Certain credit cards include airport lounge access, or in some cases you can pay upfront to gain access (use your company’s credit card if you have one!). 

Tip 3) Stay Hydrated. 💧 

You can’t be productive when you’re dehydrated—but you also don’t want to shove past your coworker to go to the bathroom every hour. To stay hydrated without chugging water, come prepared with electrolyte mixes (LMNT & QuintEssential Sachets are my faves!).

Tip 4) Don’t Rely on Plane WiFi. 🌐

“I’ll just get this done on the plane,” is a risky game. Even if you pay for in-air WiFi, there’s a chance it just won’t work once you’re in the air. For my Google Docs users: Turn on offline editing in Chrome. That’s how you can still create, view, and edit files when you’re offline—here’s how to do it!

  • Here are my top three text functions in Excel (if you know the third one, I’m impressed)! 

  • Chandoo has hundreds of free Excel templates, from calendars to invoices, for you to use. 

  • By using these three tips, your Outlook inbox could practically run itself. 

  • “This is some of the best writing about money I’ve read online,” says a comment under this post on X.

Exciting news! The Miss Excel Webinar Affiliate Program is back! 🎉

In the past, our affiliate partners have earned an extra $10,000 to $20,000 per month (one even reached $70,000 in commission in just one month)!

If you want to help people become more confident with Microsoft Office and Google products, apply here. Let me know if you have any questions! 

Stay Excelent, 

Kat