How to prioritize your time and energy ⚡️

Hey! This is it: The moment when we separate those who feel “meh” about learning Excel and those who are dedicated to leveling up their Excel game. 

And I know you are in the latter—you wouldn’t be reading this otherwise. 👀 Let’s prove to everyone (especially yourself) that you’re a soon-to-be Excel pro by attending my free live Excel class! 

In just 60 minutes, you’ll learn how to optimize your spreadsheets with Lookup Functions and game-changing Shortcuts.

Save the date:  

• Tuesday, May 21 at 3 PM ET 

• Wednesday, May 22 at 12 PM ET 

Heads up: Those who join live get free bonus practice workbooks! I’ll also be doing a Q&A at the end, so make sure you stick around. 🎁 

^{P.S. – Can’t attend live? No worries! When you register, you’ll gain access to a 48-hour replay.}

Find The Minimum Value With Minimum Effort 😉

Here at Miss Excel HQ, we’re all about working smarter (not harder). And few Excel features do this better than XLOOKUP. 

For example: Imagine you have a spreadsheet full of sales from January and your goal is to find the product that brought in the least revenue. 

Sure, you could scan this manually, but that’s tedious and prone to error. There’s a better way—and it’s with XLOOKUP. 

Here’s how it works:

There you have it: The minimum value with minimum effort! 

I’m covering a bunch more XLOOKUP tips just like this one in my free live Excel class next week. Register today (but in the meantime, here are three other XLOOKUP tips to level up your Excel skills). 📈

How to Funnel Your Energy Into What Matters

Here’s a secret: The people at the very top of their careers didn’t get there by being perfectionists. 

Let me explain:

Chances are, you have tons to do at your job—and you want to give every task 100% of your focus and execute it perfectly. But in reality? You only have a few productive hours each day—and seeking “perfection” on every single task will burn you out. 

So what are you supposed to do? 

Let me share a personal example. When I started building Miss Excel, there was so much to do: I had to create content for Instagram and TikTok, film courses, build a website…the list goes on. And because I cared so much about building the best possible business, I tried to do every single thing perfectly.

But then a friend told me about this mindset shift:

…and it was game-changing. Instead of trying to complete every task flawlessly, I realized that the potential impact of each task should determine my relative effort.  

To visualize this, I created a three-step evaluation system: 

• The Task: Create an Instagram post for Miss Excel. 

• Level of Impact: 7/10. Instagram is the primary channel I use to connect with my audience, but people don’t rewatch Instagram Reels as much as a course or webinar.  

• Time and Energy: 70% of my efforts. I estimate that I’d need two hours to create the “perfect” Instagram post, so I set a timer for 84 minutes (70% of 120 minutes). 

But when it comes to building my Excelerator Course? These courses reach thousands (and are online forever). The “Level of Impact” climbs to 9, so I’ll give it 90% of my time and effort.  

“That’s cool, but can this work for my corporate job?” Definitely! 👇

• The Task: Write a status update email to your manager. 

• Level of Impact: 4/10 (this manager gets dozens of emails each day). 

• Time and Energy: 40% of your time and effort (no agonizing whether to sign off with “Best” or “Thank you.”)

This isn’t to say you should start treating smaller tasks with carelessness. The details matter! But understanding the ROI of each task—and adjusting your effort accordingly—is one of the best ways to use your energy efficiently. 

Once you do, you’ll soar in your career—and reclaim some sanity, too. 🧘‍♀️

• We’re always on the hunt for cutting-edge stories. Every day, 2M people trust us to send them the best headlines across business and tech–and like any good paper people, we always deliver. Spare you the deets, see for yourself. Get The Hustle daily in your inbox.* 

• Over 2,000 people loved this XLOOKUP tip (and I guarantee you will, too 😉). 

• “So useful!” reads this comment under one of my Outlook shortcut tips. 

• YouTube Matt D’Avella shares his system for remembering everything. 

• Everyone has that one book that changed their lives. This is mine.

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Thanks for being here! I’m beyond excited to hang out with you all next week at my free live Excel class. These classes are pretty much a party and your girl is ready. 😎 Register here to save your spot!

Stay Exceling,

Kat