Elon Technology Blog

Entering Repetitive Data in Excel, Quiet Time in Outlook

Entering Repetitive Data in Excel

If you need to type repetitive data such as some numbers or dates into a worksheet, you can use the AutoFill feature in Excel to help you. Here’s an exercise you can try to practice entering repetitive data quickly.

First, quickly fill a group of cells with the names of the calendar months:

1. Start Excel. A new, blank workbook appears.
2. In cell A1, type January and then press ENTER.
3. Click anywhere inside cell A1, and rest the mouse pointer on the square at the lower right-hand corner of cell A1. The mouse pointer changes into a plus sign (+).
4. Press and hold the right (alternate) mouse button, drag the mouse pointer to cell A12, and release the right (alternate) mouse button. A menu appears.
5. Click Fill Months. The names of the months February, March, and so on appear in cells A2 through A12.

Next, quickly fill in several cells with the same value:

1. In cell B1, type 1999 and press ENTER.
2. Click anywhere inside of cell B1 and rest the mouse pointer on the square at the lower right-hand corner of cell B1. The mouse pointer changes into a plus sign (+).
3. Press and hold the right (alternate) mouse button, drag the mouse pointer to cell B12, and release the right (alternate) mouse button. A menu appears.

Finally, quickly fill in several cells with a range of numbers:

1. In cell C1, type 10000.
2. Click anywhere inside of cell C1 and rest the mouse pointer on the square at the lower right-hand corner of cell C1. The mouse pointer changes into a plus sign (+).
3. Press and hold the right (alternate) mouse button, drag the mouse pointer to cell C12, and release the right (alternate) mouse button. A menu appears.
4. Click Series.
5. In the
6. Click Copy Cells. The value 1999 appears in cells B2 though B12.
7. Step value box, type 125 and click OK. The Series dialog box disappears, the value 10125 appears in cell C2, and the number increases by 125 in each cell in column C up to an ending value of 11375 in cell C12.

Here is another tip to help you get your miscellaneous work done like reading e-mails and various other small tasks that always gets pushed back for those bigger projects.

Avoid Constant Interruptions for Quiet Work Time
How many interruptions do you get every day? It’s nearly impossible to complete anything when you allow constant interruptions from the phone, people stopping by your office, and instant messaging.

In Microsoft Office Outlook, you can book yourself a recurring appointment for an hour a day to process e-mail, and mark the time as Busy. During this time, don’t answer the phone or permit interruptions, and work only on dealing with your Inbox.

At first, keeping these appointments will take discipline. But over time, it will become a habit. And after you get to zero e-mail in your Inbox, you’ll see the value of this one hour a day and stick to it.

 

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