eb sites, e-mail, search engines ... the computer has become entwined with our everyday lives. Most of us rely on the computer in one form or another. There is a software package to meet most any need. But perhaps the ones we use most are the so-called office function packages. These packages make it easy to produce flawless documents, prepare professional presentations and create detailed budgets, reports and track almost any imaginable product, procedure or event.

If you haven't discovered the versatility of spreadsheet software, you might want to give it a try. Spreadsheets can help you keep track of everything involving your merchants and residuals. One of the most popular spreadsheet programs is Microsoft's Excel. This application is part of the Microsoft Office Suite.

Many of us are self-taught on software packages. We have not gone through any specialized training. We can function well enough within the software but could use some tips to save time and energy.

To help users who are new to Excel and also those who have some experience using the program, here are some tips to maximize your time and help you utilize more of the features available to you.

Comments

As you build a worksheet, you may want to make a note, either to yourself or someone who will be viewing the worksheet later. You can insert comments into specific cells by clicking "Insert" on the toolbar and then scrolling down and clicking "Comment." A box will appear with the user name and a place for you to type in the comment.

When you move the cursor to another cell, the box will close and a small red triangle will appear in the upper right hand corner of the cell you just left. This red triangle lets you know a comment is there. In order to see the comment, just place the cursor over the triangle.

AutoFill

If you build spreadsheets with a lot of repetitive data, the AutoFill function will become your new best friend. In the lower right hand corner of a highlighted cell is a small square. If you place the cursor over this square, a small "+" will appear. Simply click and drag the mouse to the end of the row or column you would like to fill and the data from the first cell will appear in each of the cells you just selected.

If you are using a series of numbers or text (e.g., 1,2,3 or Jan, Feb, Mar, etc) Excel will do the work for you. Just follow the steps above EXCEPT you must enter the appropriate information in two consecutive cells (Jan, Feb) instead of just one. Place the cursor over the last cell (in this case Feb) and then click and drag to the desired cell. Excel will fill in the rest of the cells with the corresponding label (Mar, Apr, May, etc.). This will work with numbers, dates or lists of text.

For series that aren't consecutive (such as odd numbers only) highlight the first two or three cells in the series and then use the AutoFill to drag down. Excel will fill in the cells following the series you have input.

Multiple Worksheets

If you are creating more than one worksheet but are using a lot of the same data, it may be helpful to create or change more than one worksheet at a time. You can use the copy-and-paste feature, but there is another way.

At the bottom of the left-hand corner of the work area, where the sheet tabs are located, click on the tab of the first worksheet you would like to open, then hold down the CTRL key and click on the next sheet you wish to work on. Now, whatever you do on one sheet will be duplicated on the other open sheet. You can create as many sheets as you like this way (up to the maximum of 255 allowable by the program).

Toolbar

The toolbar at the top of the workspace contains icons you can select to quickly reach frequently used commands. You can customize the toolbar by adding buttons that you use more frequently instead of constantly scrolling through the drop-down menus, or you can remove buttons you do not use.

To customize your toolbar, right-click anywhere in the toolbar. Choose "customize." A dialog box appears. From this box you can click an icon on the toolbar and drag it anywhere on the sheet and drop it. The icon then will be removed from the toolbar; or you can add an icon by choosing it from the dialog box, clicking on it and dragging it to the toolbar.

Customizing your toolbar makes it easier and faster to perform the tasks you use most often in a spreadsheet.

If you haven't done so already, take the time to explore the different functions available in Microsoft Excel. Don't be afraid to experiment. Scroll over the toolbars and open items from the menus so you can make full use of this powerful application.