Use AutoText in Word and save a lot of typing

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If you think about all the documents you create, you’ll probably realize that there are a few things that you end up typing the same way, over and over again. Things like maybe your company address, common phrases, standard clauses, or product information. Most people just end up actually typing that information in time and time again. There’s a much better way and it’s called “AutoText”. Autotext lets you store commonly used blocks of text, and then later if you need to use that text block it’s just a few clicks away. Autotext is even smart enough to watch your typing and if it sees that you’re re-entering a block of text you’ve already stored, it automagically tries to type it in for you. It’s a very cool feature that few people use and it’s really easy to learn. Just hit F1 for online help and type in autotext. You’ll love it!

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Archive documents by printing but not on paper

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When you want to archive a document, do you find yourself printing it out, and then filing it? Man have I got a better way for you! The next time you got the urge to print on paper, print it to Adobe Acrobat instead. Most of us have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader and you’ve probably used this to download, view, and print all kinds of documents from the Web. But did you know that Adobe Acrobat Professional lets you create your own Acrobat documents? The software works like a printer. But instead of printing out sheets of paper, it creates Adobe Acrobat documents which you can then archive on to CD ROM. I’ve used this technology for years now and you won’t find a single sheet of paper on my desk and I really can’t remember the last time I had to print something out of my real printer. Save yourself time and money by printing to Acrobat the next time.

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Automating repetitive tasks in Word or Excel

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When you use software like Word and Excel, do you find yourself doing tedious, repetitive tasks that you wish the computer could do for you? If you’re thinking to yourself, “There’s got to be a better way”, well, there is and it’s called a “Macro”. Most people have never heard of macros yet they’re easy to learn and use. A macro is really just a recording of certain keystrokes that you get to play back anytime just by pressing a button. Say for example that you do a specific search and replace on most of your documents. Once you’ve turned that operation into a macro, you’ll be able to do it with only a single keystroke from now on. Macros are really easy to learn. Just hit the F1 key for online help and search for “macros”. Once you get the hang of it you will be freed from doing tedious, repetitive tasks ever again (well, when using word or excel anyway).

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Still going through the fat Yellow Pages book?

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Are you still slogging through a thick yellow page book every time you need to find a business? If you have a high-speed, always on connection, finding the business you’re looking for is faster, easier, and only a mouseclick away if you use an online yellow page service. I personally use the one at Yahoo and its really awesome as it also gives me driving directions to the listing. The local phone company also has an online version. Its takes a little bit of getting used to the new habit, but trust me when I say that once you’ve switched to using the online yellow pages instead of the fat yellow books, you’ll never go back. Of course this won’t work well if you have dialup because you have to take the time to connect but if you have a high speed, always online connection, using electronic yellow pages is faster and easier than ever before. But you gotta try it to feel it and believe it.

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Make your computer’s wallpaper the inspirational thought of the day

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Aloha, I’m Peter Kay with Your Computer Minute. Everyone likes to use motivational “thought of the day” type of things around their desk right? Some people use calendars, others use posters, and some people use post-it notes to capture meaningful little thoughts that help remind us of what is really important in our life. Have you ever thought about using that computer screen you stare for hours at a time? That’s right! Your computer can become a motivational tool! Bet you never thought of that, didja? Well that’s why I’m here. You see, you probably already have a screensaver installed on your computer that allows you to display text messages as well as graphics on the screen. Use the screensaver’s feature that lets you type in a personal text message. Make this message your little thought for the day and voila! The next time your screensaver kicks in you get the motivational message. Try it! It really works!

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Using Microsoft Word for Outlining

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Did you know that Microsoft Word has an awesome tool to help you create and organize new ideas? Most people use Word for typical word processing, but do you use its powerful outlining features? Hit the F1 key, look up “outlining”, and you’ll find a powerful tool that I use for a whole bunch of different reasons. Outlines help me create great documents by helping me transform raw ideas into well-structured thoughts. Anytime I need to take notes in a conversation, instead of using paper, I fire up a copy of Word in outline mode. I find that I can easily capture lots of ideas yet have the flexibility later to organize them into action plans. The best part is that since I entered my notes in Word to begin with I don’t have to worry about filing or losing paper! I know that if you check out outlining in Word, you’ll find a great tool waiting to help you work better and faster.

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Using voicemail to store notes while you’re on the road

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When you’re on the road and you need to make a note of something, do you reach for a pad and pencil? You do? While you’re driving? Really? Hey, look, there’s a much better and safer way! Use your cellphone and leave a message on your own voicemail! Then when you get back into the office its easy to transfer those notes into an action plan. Getting in the habit of leaving voicemails to yourself is super handy because you can do it anytime and anywhere assuming you’ve got a cellphone. You’ll never need to be near pencil and paper again! And if you want to join the Peter Kay master of cool technology club, you’ll take the extra step to program your cellphone with a one touch speedial that lets you record messages with just one button. Now that’s cool (and lets not forget safe!).

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Using the right-click mouse button

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Hey Windows users, have you noticed that your mouse has two buttons? Have you ever used the other one? Do you use it a lot? If you want to increase your productivity with most Windows applications, get in the habit of doing what’s called a “right-click”. By clicking on the right-hand side button on your mouse (lefties, use the left-hand button), you can access a special menu of common operations or shortcuts. Most of the time the menu option you want is easily available on the right-click menu and you can save lots of time instead of using the normal menu bar. You’ll also find that the right-click menu will change based on where your mouse is pointing on the screen, so be sure to try this operation in different areas of your current window. You’ll find that the operation you want to perform is usually right there and much easier and faster for you to use. Happy right-clicking!

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Using shift-F3 with Word

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If you use Microsoft Word, I’ve got a quick tip for you. One of the most common, yet tedious operations is capitalizing words. It’s a hassle! You have to delete the character, only to re-type it again in caps. There’s a much better and faster method and here’s how it works. Move your cursor over a word you want to capitalize, then hold down the shift key while pressing F3. We call this a shift-F3. You’ll notice that your word has automagically become capitalized. If you do a shift-F3 again, the entire word turns to all caps. Hit shift-F3 one more time, and the whole word gets changed to all lowercase. Using shift-F3 is a great little tip and if you get in the habit if using it you’ll save lots of time. I’m sure you’ll want to give it a try.

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Using the Alt-Tab Buttons

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If you run more than one program at time on your computer, I’ve got a great tip for you. These days people typically run Outlook, Excel, and Word while they are surfing the Web at the same time. But how do you switch between these programs? Some people click on a window. Others might click on the toolbar. The best way to switch is to do an Alt-Tab. Here’s how it works. Hold down the Alt key, then press and let go of the Tab key. A window will pop up showing you a list of all the programs you’re running. Now if you keep hitting the tab key, you’ll see a little box move from program to program. Once you let go of the Alt key, Windows will immediately switch you to the program you’ve selected. Practice this technique and you’ll be switching between programs like a pro.

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