SUMthing isn’t right... 😦

Hey there! Coming in hot with some Excel news. 🗞️

Two new functions just dropped: IMPORTTEXT and IMPORTCSV. They let you pull an entire text file or CSV into Excel using a single formula (no more import wizard or copy-pasting new files every time something changes!). 

If you work with a lot of text-based data, these functions are about to become your new best friends. 👯

How to Sum Numbers Excel Thinks Are Text 💬

POV: You work at a non-profit and want to calculate the total donation amount you received in the last month. 💰“No problem,” you think. “I’ll just use SUM!”

But when you calculate the numbers from the first row and copy down…it doesn’t adjust. The rest of the totals are wrong. 🫠

That’s when you look closer and realize the problem: Those “numbers” aren’t actually numbers. They’re comma-separated text strings living inside one cell. 

Cool. Cool cool cool.

Does this mean you’ll have to calculate every row manually? Nope! Just use this formula instead: =SUM(--TEXTSPLIT(B3,”,”))

📝 Here’s how it works: The double negative (--) converts each piece of text into a number Excel can calculate. Then SUM adds them all up!  

P.S. Do you have numbers divided by spaces or semicolons? Just swap the comma! This formula does it all. 💃

Trade Expectations for Experience 🔄

The other day, I was getting ready to go to a networking event alone, and my brain was spiraling. 😵‍💫 “What if it’s weird? What if nobody talks to me? What if I’m next to the snack table by myself the entire time?” 

But mid-spiral, I had a lightbulb moment. I realized my anxiety wasn’t coming from fear, but from a place of control—wanting a specific “outcome” from the event. I wanted the night to be "worth it.” To have fun and meet cool people. But those expectations were causing me to stress out over something that hadn’t even happened yet! 

So I made a swap: expectations for experience. 🌐

Here's what I mean: When you stop “expecting” and stay open to “experiencing” whatever happens—the good, the bad, and in between—all that internal pressure vanishes. When the goal is simply to see what happens, you literally cannot lose. 

So I tested this at the networking event and went in with no expectations. 

Did I meet cool people? Yes! But were there also moments where I was standing alone? Of course. (The snack table and I became well-acquainted.) But because I wasn't grading the night against a specific "outcome,” I felt relaxed and present. 

The next time you find yourself spiraling about something, check in: Are you asking a million “what if” questions? Are you trying to force things to go in a specific way? 

If so, drop your expectations. Let yourself be open to experiencing whatever happens. ✨

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Thanks for reading! Can you believe the first month of 2026 is already over?! I read somewhere that February is the “cutest” month because it’s the smallest at only 28 days long. 

Now that’s something I can get behind! 💚

Stay Exceling,

Kat