Stop memorizing cells like it's 2002 📱

Hey! This newsletter is a special one: It’s The Workbook’s 150th edition! 🤯 We first launched in July 2022 with an Excel dream and some dance moves. Fast forward three years, and there are now over 400,000 of you! 

To celebrate, we’ve been working on a special surprise that we can’t wait to share with you. If you’ve ever wanted to have direct access to our team of Excel wizards, this is for you. 😉 

Stop Memorizing Cells 💡

Remember when we had to memorize phone numbers? We’ve forgotten all of them (except the home phone of your childhood best friend, which is burned in your brain if you’re anything like me) since letting our smartphones take over. 

So why are we still memorizing cell numbers like it’s 2002? 📱

Let’s see an example: Say you want to calculate a 15% bonus for each salesperson based on their revenue. That means remembering which cell holds the bonus percentage (C1) before writing =B4*C1 to calculate Laurence’s bonus. 

But forget where that reference cell lives and you’ll find yourself scrolling up and down a hundred times. Luckily, there’s an easier way: Naming Cells. 

Here’s how it tidies up the process: 

This nifty feature means you’ll never ask “Wait, was it C1, D1, or E1?” again. Simply type your named cell and keep it moving, no memorization required. 🏃

How to Master OneNote (the Easy Way) 📔 

Are you…

• Drowning in a sea of papers and Post-its?

• Frustrated that you can’t find your documents anywhere?

• Haunted by random Word documents titled “Notes,” Notes Final,” and “Notes FINAL_FINAL_THIS_IS_IT”? (I’ve been there 😂 )

…then OneNote is here to help! In my OneNote Mini Course, I’ll show you how to turn OneNote into your command center—a place where everything has a home and you can find any note in seconds. No more typing the same information over and over because you can’t remember where you put it. 🙅 

Here’s what one student had to say about the course:

Ready to organize your digital chaos? Use the code WORKBOOK30 to get 30% off!

The Most Days Theory 📆

Ever feel guilty for missing one workout? Do you beat yourself up when you have one off-track day? Welcome to our productivity culture, where anything less than daily perfection can feel like failure. 🙃

Recently, I came across an idea that helped relieve some of that pressure: The “Most Days” Theory. Coined by author Bree Goff, it’s the idea that we don’t have to do well all of the time, but instead do our best most days.  

For example, most days I get up early, meditate, eat a healthy breakfast, have tons of ideas for Miss Excel, and move my body. But every now and then? I sleep through my alarm, rush my meditation, or lack inspiration. 🫠

Instead of defaulting to total guilt about those off days, Goff reminds us we don’t have to hold ourselves to impossible standards. As she puts it: 

What we do and how we feel most days is what matters. Because how we spend our days is how we spend our lives—and life naturally includes off days, sick days, and “I’d rather scroll TikTok than hit the gym” days! 

For me, Bree’s idea was the breath of fresh air. In our productivity-obsessed world, sometimes the most radical thing you can do is remember you’re human (and that most days, you’re doing just fine). 💚

• How to do a custom side-by-side calendar view in Outlook. 🗓️

• This obscure (but powerful) Excel tip was liked 2.2K times. 👀

• Give your email signature a Princess Diaries-worthy makeover. 👑

• Tired: Boring Excel charts. Wired: Funky Stacked Columns. 💃

• Heard of “skill stacking”? Here’s how it could catapult your career.

Thanks for reading! Can’t help but share this one—I know you’ve been there! 😂

Stay Exceling,

Kat