The secret to entrepreneurship 💫

ICYMI: Fall intern season is around the corner. 👀 Anyone starting a new internship should have these skills in their toolkit: VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, conditional formatting, number formats, and absolute reference. Looking to master those skills? My Excelerator Course covers them all (and then some!).

Side note: If I were to host a free Excel workshop for upcoming interns, would you join? Hit reply and let me know! 🗞

Squeaky Clean Excel Spreadsheets 🧺

It’s 4:49pm on a Friday afternoon. You’re *this* 🤏 close to shutting your laptop for the weekend when your boss messages you, “Hey, can you clean up this spreadsheet before you go? It’s a mess.”

Oh boy. 🫠 Before you panic and reschedule your Friday happy hour plans for the 327th time, let me show you an Excel shortcut that eliminates empty spaces in 30 seconds flat!

There you have it! Your worksheet now has zero white spaces and looks like Mr. Clean himself gave it the once over. With this tip, you’ll be out the door by 4:51pm and still be the first to arrive at the happy hour rendezvous. 😉

The Secret to Entrepreneurship

I was programmed for the corporate world from a young age (chances are, you were too). That’s because most schools teach us to ask for permission, follow structure, and avoid failure—all tendencies that don’t prepare us well for entrepreneurship. 🙅‍♀️

So when I went all-in on Miss Excel in January 2021, I faced plenty of surprises.

But what surprised me most about entrepreneurship wasn’t the taxes (IYKYK) or emotional roller-coaster. It was figuring out what entrepreneurs actually do all day?!

Because without deadlines, accountability, and a boss, I’m not going to lie—I felt a little adrift and overwhelmed. 🫠

My first reaction was to rely on my old corporate ways. I’d get the day going at 9am and knock out my to-dos until 5pm, every single day. But I realized quickly this corporate formula wasn’t ideal for entrepreneurship. So I had to create my own definition of “working efficiently.”

How do I set my own goals?

How should I stay organized?

What’s the best way to get motivated?

I got the answers to those questions in large part by listening to my body’s energy and intuition.

I noticed when during the day I felt most in ✨ flow ✨ and prioritized these time slots. I carved out designated “creativity” days and “deep work” days. If I got up one morning and my energy was super low, I’d log off for a while.

And by listening to my natural energy levels, my old 9–5 schedule transformed into a 12–2 (read more about how I structure my days here!) and I was more productive than before.

Figuring out how you work best isn’t easy. You're going to have to reprogram old beliefs (such as “getting started anytime past 10am is lazy” or “taking a random Wednesday off is irresponsible”).

But I promise that spending the time to listen to your body and figure out your groove will pay off. And that goes for you whether you’re building a business, working a 9–5, or simply re-examining your old work habits. 😌

• How to create a live countdown in Excel (is it weird that I’m already counting down until Christmas!?)

• This website is packed with mental models to help you become a better thinker.

• Meet your new AI data analyst. Give it any text instruction and it’ll create the formula you need. Magic! ✨

• Freedom is a great website blocking tool to help you get focused and get 👏 stuff 👏 done 👏.

• Microsoft’s CMO shares two time-management tips he learned from Bill Gates.

Did you know before Excel came to the market in 1985, there was another popular spreadsheet program called Lotus123? But Lotus123 didn’t adapt to Windows as fast as Excel did, solidifying Excel’s market position.

Thank goodness—because “Miss Lotus” doesn’t quite have the same ring as “Miss Excel.” 😂

Stay Exceling,

Kat