Using Templates

Over the many years I have been using Excel and working with other people using this wonderful application, I have noticed that Templates are not used nearly as much as they probably should be.  This is unfortunate, as these predesigned worksheets can save you a huge amount of time, and make you look even more professional in the process.

With Excel open, you can easily find thousands of Office.com prefab templates by simply going to File/New.  There you will be presented with choices ranging from Daily Work Schedules to Event Planning; College Accounting to Retirement Planning; Wedding Budgeting to Garden Planning; and much, much more.  You will probably be able to find a template to fit nearly any need you have, whether business or personal.

Take for instance Calendars.  When you click on File/New and type Calendars in the search box, you instantly offered a selection of over 100 calendar templates!  When you see a thumbnail example of one that you think may be a likely option, simply choose it and click Create.  Bamm, you are all set to go with built-in fields, formulas, and formatting!  It really couldn’t be much easier.

In addition to all of the terrific built-in features in the Calendar templates one little trick that I have long used is inserting Hyperlinks in the individual dates.  Using this basic technique, I can be instantly transported from the note in the calendar date to the actual file it is referencing. 

Now, this is just a mere example of how templates can serve you when working with Excel.  Hopefully, I have reminded you of this outstanding and underused tool, and encouraged you to keep it in mind the next time you are setting up a new workbook.

Templates – Cool Stuff!