VA TIPS - Six time saving Microsoft Word shortcuts that you will wonder how you lived without
Posted on 3rd May 2021 at 19:10
Six time saving Microsoft Word shortcuts that you will wonder how you lived without
Did you know that Microsoft Word was launched in October 1983! That right, our Director of Operations and Finance Paul is older than the word processing software we all know and love.
Whether you remember life before Microsoft Word or not there is one thing for certain… for most of us, not a day goes by when we don’t use it.
Whether you’re writing reports, letters or perhaps even the draft manuscript of your first book, we’ve put together our favourite time saving shortcuts for Microsoft Word that are so good you will wonder how you ever lived without them...
Please note that the Alchemy Virtual Assistant team all use the latest version of word. If you’re using older versions some of these hacks might not be quite accurate.
1. If you accidentally had caps lock on….
You’re in a hurry and you’ve touch typed (or copied) a big chunk of text only to realise that it’s all in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS AND THEY SHOULDN’T BE!
It’s really not in keeping with the format and flow of your document and it’s massively frustrating. But have no fear and please don’t even think about retyping it. There’s a keyboard shortcut for that.
To change your text between lowercase, UPPERCASE and Capitalise Each Word simply select the text you want to change and press SHIFT + F3.
Ta daaa!
2. If you’d like to check if your content is right for your readers
Every savvy business owner knows that content is king. This handy shortcut helps you check the readability level and statistics of your word document in a flash. This information will help you establish how easy your word content is to read and give you confidence that it’s right for your audience.
3. If you need to quickly format a whole document in one go
You’ve been typing away for what feels like hours, not worrying about the look of your work you just wanted to capture the content. Now you’ve stopped to come up for air (and coffee) and you’ve realised the whole document is in times new roman and it looks vile.
Don’t worry, you can do this keyboard shortcut with one hand!
CTRL + A will select all of your work so you can quickly format it. This shortcut is also super handy if you need to copy a whole word document over into another system or format, such as into Wordpress as a blog or LinkedIn as an article.
4. If you waste too much time formatting the same documents
Don’t waste another minute formatting or adjusting the style feature for every single word document you create. Whether it’s a letter or monthly report save your favourite formatting as a ‘quick style’ so you can adjust future documents to your taste or brand in seconds.
5. If you need to compare separate documents side by side
A common way to view and compare two different word documents (or excel sheets) is to simply open them in separate windows. Instead use this time saving trick to synchronise both files so that when you scroll, they scroll together making it easier and much quicker to check and compare.
6. If you want to do more in less time
Do you remember how amazing it was when you first discovered CTRL + C and CTRL +V? Well, if you’d like to channel you’re inner keyboard wizard why not create your very own shortcuts by selecting file, customise ribbon tab, options, customise.
If you'd like more tips and ideas on how to work smarter not harder, why not pop your email down on our newsletter list. We'll send you a free copy of our Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Virtual Assistant too.
Or get in touch with Alchemy VA team. We would love to learn about you and your business and talk more time saving tips!
Share this post: