“Stum!”

That’s what my son said to me, just like that, with no context.

Any idea what he could have been talking about?

Me neither, at first. Eventually I realized he meant “solar system,” referring to a video he wanted to watch.

The challenge for me was that he was using an abbreviation with absolutely no context or other clues as to its meaning.

I can’t fault him too much, given that he isn’t even 2 years old and can’t say the full term “solar system.”

I see this ALL THE TIME with the spreadsheets I come across, whether it’s technical jargon, or highly specific abbreviations for a particular industry or organization.

Don’t get me wrong, abbreviations certainly have a value. They save time speaking the full phrase, save space on the screen, and can even communicate a familiarity with a specific topic.

More often than not however, I find abbreviations to be unnecessarily confusing.

Given that, here are 4 tips to improving the clarity of abbreviations in your spreadsheets:

1. Make the abbreviation as intuitive as possible. For example, abbreviate “Manager” with “Mgr.”
2. Provide context. For example, use the “Mgr” abbreviation inside the “Manager” tab (worksheet).
3. Provide documentation. For example, add a glossary tab or section where you spell out “Mgr = Manager.”
4. Give a verbal and/or written heads up. For example, in the body of the email with your spreadsheet attached, mention explicitly that “Mgr = Manager.”

#contextplease #succinctandclear #abbreviationetiquette #kidssaythedarndestthings #excelwell #sharetheexcellove

“The slide is too big for me.” Said my daughter Amina, at the top of the tallest slide in the playground. Up until this point, she had never gone down such a big slide by herself.

5 seconds later, my son Barak, who also never before went down a slide that size by himself, proceeded to march to the edge, sit down, and unlock a brand new milestone.

Can you guess how Amina reacted?

She blinked a few times, hesitated as if she were performing some internal calculations, and followed in her younger brother’s footsteps.

First of all, proud papa moment.

Even without realizing it, by sliding first Barak provided an EXAMPLE for his sister, which helped her see that it was safe, achievable, and fun!

Witnessing this all unfold, I couldn’t help but see the parallel in spreadsheets.

Whether inside of a Google Form survey question, or part of end-user instructions within a spreadsheet, I always recommend writing out the first example answer or data entry record.

That way, users don’t have to scratch their heads and guess what you were looking for. From their perspective, it’s also not as daunting as starting from scratch.

So the next time you create a survey or a spreadsheet, remember that the slide is NOT too big. Make it easy by including an example.

Want some help making your spreadsheets even more user friendly and clear? Leave a comment, FOR EXAMPLE:

“Thanks for the insight! I have a spreadsheet I could use some help with, and I would like to set up some 1-on-1 Excel Training.”

See what I did there? 😉

#proudpapa #childmilestones #ithinkican #giveexamples #userexperience #excelwell #sharetheexcellove

Even on the rare occasion when I am spending the day at the New York Botanical Gardens with only one of my two children, I still chose the Baby Jogger double stroller.

Why?

So glad you asked.

Our Baby Jogger City Select Lux double stroller is so versatile, robust, and high quality, that it’s still the best choice.

I simply detach the 2nd seat & corresponding mounts, and leave them at home. Then I have the extra storage space at the bottom pouch, the smooth ride (for both myself the stroller pusher and Barak the stroller pushee), and the sturdiest, most durable stroller frame ever.

I tip my hat to you Baby Jogger!

Unsurprisingly, I absolutely love this approach as it relates to my Excel work.

In a recent discussion with a prospective client, I agreed that I am probably one of the most expensive Excel consultants they will ever meet. I told them that I believe you get what you pay for, and that investing more upfront will actually save time, headache, and even money in the long run. Plus, as an added bonus, they will get to enjoy a better quality product in the meantime. They ultimately agreed, and signed on the dotted line.

As an Excel instructor, I always encourage my students to build tools that don’t just solve the current problem at hand, but also solve future problems before they ever arise.

As an Excel consultant, I always aim to build Excel tools that are versatile, robust, and stand the test of time. I accomplish this in a number of ways, including but not limited to:

1. Organizing and structuring the data in a clear, accessible, and scalable manner.
2. Writing formulas that are simple, easy to understand, and easy to change if necessary.
3. Ensuring everything in the spreadsheet is as dynamic and interrelated as possible. That way, if a requirement changes, only the minimal number of cells (sometimes only a single cell) needs to be updated in order for everything to recalculate correctly.

If you would like some additional guidance on how to future-proof your current spreadsheet, leave a comment with the words “double stroller” and we’ll take it from there.

#strollerdecisions #qualityproduct #planahead #parentwisdom #excelwell #sharetheexcellove

Oddly enough, the best way for me to enjoy some down time at the Bronx Zoo with my kids is to focus on their experience first. For example:

• I fed them a nutritious lunch, and when they started getting antsy I packed the rest of my lunch away to finish later.
• Barak was about to fall asleep at an earlier than ideal time, so I switched the order of exhibits to keep him engaged and awake just a little longer.
• Finally, when it was the ideal time to sleep, I pushed both kids in the stroller at a quieter part of the zoo even though it involved a lot more hills, until they both fell asleep within 20 min of each other.

As I learned many years ago from marketing mastermind Jay Abraham:

The most selfish thing you can do, is to be selfless.

It is precisely because I put the kids first that I was able to relax and enjoy some down time. If I focused on myself first, the kids would be justifiably cranky, and I wouldn’t enjoy myself anyway.

The same is true with my Excel clients.

When I build a custom Excel tool for a client, I let their requirements, vision, and goals drive the entire engagement. Specifically:

• I am transparent with them about pricing so there are no surprises.
• I communicate proactively with them about the project status.
• I provide a detailed log of all work completed and time spent.

In other words, I create a VIP experience for them.

The result?

Not only are they happy with the final product, they are less cranky throughout. They do not slow me down by constantly asking me for updates, or adding their random suggestions at inopportune times. And best of all, time and again, my clients have sung my praises and referred new business to me.

Does it get any more selfish than that? 🙂

At the end of the day, my role is to support my clients and save them time so they can get back to what they do best.

If you would like support on a current project, hit me up and let’s talk about how we can both be selfish by being selfless.

#selfishlyselfless #winwin #napoptimization #parentwisdom #excelwell #sharetheexcellove

On-site for an Excel session / Q&A with a client today in Brooklyn, and I wanted to share an analogy that seemed to resonate with the team.

BEFORE you automate or improve a complex spreadsheet process, answer this question: Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Shout out to my friend John DeMato for teaching me this phrase.

Said another way, are the upfront costs WORTH the benefits moving forward?

First, answer these 2 sub-questions:

a) What are the COSTS of the current process? (e.g. time, effort, money, credibility, etc.)

b) What are the BENEFITS of automating / improving the process?

To help make this more tangible and relatable, let’s use the lime vs. pomegranate analogy.

If you want a splash of lime on your salad once in a blue moon, then by all means, cut it in half with a knife and squeeze that juice with your hands. No need to improve the process.

In contrast, if you are a family of 6 and everyone drinks pomegranate juice weekly, it’s probably worth investing in some kind of a juicer to help automate at least some of that process.

Taken to the extreme, if you run a juice shop, serving hundreds of customers daily, with every fruit under the sun, there’s no chance of squeezing by hand anymore, am I right?

Back to Excel.

If the benefit is greater than the cost, then go ahead and improve the process. If not, then do NOT improve the process.

Here’s that idea again, written as an Excel formula:

=IF(Benefit > Cost,”Improve”,”Do NOT Improve”)

But wait, there’s more!

Here are 4 levers to consider before you answer:

1. Audience – who is it for?
2. Type – what is it exactly?
3. Quantity – amount needed?
4. Frequency – how often needed?

If the juice is in fact worth the squeeze for YOU on a particular project, send me a message with the word “juice” and we’ll see how I can help you extract all that delicious nectar, without all the heavy lifting.

#foodforthought #automation #analogies #yeahabsolutely #excelcuriosities #excelwell #sharetheexcellove