Ever feel stuck in a rut, using the same program over and over but not getting the results you want? It’s time to open your eyes to what else is out there — expand your horizons, step outside your comfort zone, think outside the box (and perhaps get some new clichés).
Every day, when you wake up, you immediately have choices to make:
• Snooze it one more time?
• Cereal or eggs?
• Jeans or dress for success?
When you get to work, the decisions don’t stop; no, they’re just beginning. Sometimes you make good decisions and sometimes you don’t. One reason you don’t may be plain reluctance to try something new. For example, you might struggle to create a really complicated list in Excel — one with rows and rows of information that you need to cross-reference — when that long list is actually a database and you should create it in Access and why try to create a form in any other program than InfoPath, whose purpose in life is to manage data with forms?
I know that when you get comfortable with one program, you tend to use it as much as possible. Little kids are notorious for wanting to wear the same outfit every day of the week (and this often means a Superman cape or a ballerina tutu), but people, it’s time to put away childish tendencies. A tutu is made for dancing; it’s not so useful for soccer. And a cape, well, I suppose one could make the case that a cape is good for just about anything, but if it were my kid, and bike riding were involved, the cape would have to go.
Yes, Office programs can be pretty flexible but if one program could handle every task, there wouldn’t be the need to offer 15 different ones. In this week’s column I’ll list a few common tasks and then compare the various Office programs that you can use to accomplish them. Then you can make up your mind about which program is best for the work at hand.
Making sense of data
Excel and Access have a lot in common when it comes to managing data. However, there are some key differences that you need to know.
Let’s say you’re planning a massive family reunion (a job for the family’s well-organized masochist). Figuring out who can sit next to whom (thus avoiding last year’s scandals, crying, and drunken confessions), who’s vegetarian/vegan/lactose-intolerant/gluten-free, and where everyone will sleep is a daunting task. If you use the right program for the job, though, you may avoid that cleaning bill after last year’s food fight.
Project management
Chances are you don’t work on just one thing all day long. You’re a multi-tasker, juggling many projects at a time, and spending a lot of time trying to keep all those flaming torches in the air. Think of the right Office program as the perfect juggler’s helper: If you choose the one dedicated to making your life easier, it will save you time, possibly money, and definitely frown lines.
definitely frown lines.
One of the most important requirements for managing a project is being organized. If you don’t have that skill, no amount of software I toss at you will help. Before you launch into it, think about the various aspects of your project: What is the goal or desired outcome? What is the timeline? How many people will be involved? And which one of them will be your personal delegate, on whom you can toss the lion’s share of work?
Forms and more forms
Forms are everywhere. They’re used for timecards, expense reports, and surveys. Forms keep track of customer information, gather customer feedback, and when they’re electronic, limit how much information customers can enter (something I dream about when going through your thoughtful but occasionally fulsome comments).
Taking notes
If you’re a meticulous keeper of notes, you’ve probably counted on Word for years. You use it, you like it, and you know it like the back of your mouse. Familiarity, after all, breeds comfortability (or something like that).
Well, there’s someone you should meet, someone who might — and frankly, who should — make you think twice about creating long, vertical, multipage documents just for note-taking. That someone’s name is OneNote.
But before the introductions, let me first say that I’m not suggesting you toss Word out with yesterday’s garbage. There are some things that Word does a lot better than OneNote when it comes to note-taking. Maturity does have its value.
Note: Word and OneNote don’t get along. You can take notes in OneNote, drag the note container into your Word document, and apply all the security you want.
Author: www.microsoft.com