My favorite Excel tips of 2023 🤩

Hey there! I wanted to give you a little something before the year wraps up. Introducing: The Top Excel Tips and Tricks of 2023! 

This newsletter edition is a goodie. Inside, you’ll find game-changing functions, time-reducing hacks, and even journaling prompts to set you up for the new year. 

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The Top Excel Tips and Tricks of 2023

Consider this your ultimate Excel toolkit. First up: My eight favorite functions of 2023. Then, Excel tips that’ll save you from headaches, messy spreadsheets, and even overheating computers (yes, really!).  

=BESTFUNCTIONS()

1. =LEN

Instantly calculate the number of characters in a given text string (including spaces)! Perfect for… 

• Finding average length of customer comments.  

• Ensuring social media copy is under a certain number of characters. 

2. =VSTACK

Combine lists and arrays vertically into a single array. Perfect for…

• Merging multiple tabs of data (and it only takes three simple steps!). 

• Combining arrays to calculate total transactions. * 

* For example: Using VSTACK to calculate different transactions from a yoga studio! 

3. =DAYS360 

Determine how many days are in between tasks. Perfect for…

• Staying on track with the project plan’s due dates and schedule. 

4. =CONCAT 

Combine your cells or strings into a single cell. Perfect for…

• Merging first and last names without having to manually type everything. 

5. =PROPER

Transform your text to title text. Perfect for… 

• Dealing with those messy imported spreadsheets. 

6. =XLOOKUP

Search for a particular value from a range of cells. Perfect for… 

• Looking up data that has multiple criteria. 

7. =ARRAYTOTEXT 

Merge the cells in your array into one text string.  Perfect for… 

• Data manipulation or exporting your data to third-party programs. 

8. =IF

Return values based on a true or false condition. Perfect for… 

• Teachers who want to grade their student’s tests in seconds. 

What were your favorite functions of 2023? 👀 Hit ‘Reply’ and let me know!

=BESTTECHTRICKS()

We all find ourselves in sticky situations in Excel. The next time you’re in the thick of it, these tips will have you covered. 

Here’s what to do when…

1. Excel keeps deleting your zeros. 

2. You need to keep a secret in Excel. 🤫

3. You’re sick of manually adjusting images in Excel. 

4. Excel is making your computer overheat. 

5. You get a messy Excel spreadsheet from a co-worker or client. 

5 Journaling Prompts To Set Yourself Up For 2024 

I remember the specific moment I started questioning everything. Before starting Miss Excel, I was working a 9–5 as a consultant—and though the job was good (great, even!), something was amiss. I came home from the office one day and thought: Could I keep doing this forever? 

A voice immediately replied: “Nope.” 

But when I asked myself, “What else do you want to do, Kat?” I had zero ideas. 

Honestly, I was spending my weeks running around and traveling for work. I didn’t have a lot of time for self-reflection. 

But in March 2020, everything changed. With travel now out of the question I had a little extra time to reflect: I bought a new journal and started a meditation routine. Slowly, the answers bubbled to the surface. 

I realized I valued creativity, freedom, and helping others—and that those values weren’t being honored in my corporate job. How had I ended up here? Fear. I had a ton of limiting beliefs about what I was (and wasn’t) capable of.  

This was the epiphany I needed. I started rearranging my life so it was based around my values and passions—and Miss Excel was born soon after. ❣️

Now, before every New Year, I journal about where I am in life: my values, priorities, where I’ve been, and where I’m going. It’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done for myself.

If you need help getting started, my friend (and amazing coach) gave me these five journaling prompts. Steal ‘em! 

1. What am I yearning for and why do I believe I can’t have it? 

2. How did I feel in this past season of life? 

3. What do I want to be known for? 

4. Describe your perfect day. For 10 minutes, write freely. Nothing is off-limits. 

5. What would you have to do to make that vision of your perfect day a reality? 

Sure, journaling might seem simple. But I cannot stress enough how much power there is in intentionally aligning yourself with your values and passions. This is how you carve out the life you want. 

Try it out. After all: You have nothing to lose but everything to gain. 💫

Thank you for reading! One last thing I’ll say before closing out 2023: I am so grateful for you and the Miss Excel community. It’s been awesome seeing you flourish this year and I cannot wait to show you what we’ve been working on for 2024. 🤩

Stay Exceling,

Kat