Productivity Tip: Work Smarter with Microsoft Word
Posted on August 23, 2021
3 mins to read
Most motivational speakers often recommend working smarter, not harder. Once people start to follow this advice, they notice a significant boost in their overall productivity. This includes time-management, motivation, and self-organizing areas, and there are plenty of new tools, platforms, and solutions that help keep a workday on track.
Let’s take a closer look at Microsoft Word, one of the most popular word processing tool. Probably there isn’t a single person in the world who has never used it. From notes to newsletters, Word has always been the right tool for the job. Word has become an even better version of the app that you typed papers on back in college, evolving over time and offering live-editing, sharing and cloud-based storage.
There are some tips and tricks to increase your productivity when using Microsoft Word.
1. Add a hyperlink to a word or sentence.
Sometimes we need to add a hyperlink into an MS document. Links can help direct others who read the document to a specific website or, adding a reference. MS Word allows adding a hyperlink quickly and easily. Copy the link you would like to add to the document, highlight the corresponding Word or sentence, and click the Insert tab on the menu ribbon. Select the Hyperlink option and paste the URL in the Address text field, then click OK.
2. Use shortcuts.
The keyboard shortcuts are incredibly effective for saving time. Just imagine how much time you spend searching for the menu for the tool you need. Most of the MS Word functions can be completed using shortcuts. Take several minutes every day to learn and practice keys combinations and get your work done quicker and easier. Check out this list of shortcuts to practice.
3. Move text within the document.
Sometimes, you may need to move chunks of texts in your document after editing. The most common way of doing it is to use Cut & Paste options, but there are two other ways. Select the text you want to move and drag it to the place where you want it. When you are dragging the texts, a dotted vertical insertion point will show up. It will tell you where your text will be placed when you release your mouse. However, this method is not convenient enough for working with long documents, so you can choose an alternative option. Start with selecting the text you want to move, hit F2 on the keyboard, and then the phrase “Move to where?” will appear in the lower-left corner of your window. Scroll down your page to place where you want the texts, put your cursor on it, and press “Enter.”
4. Customize your Quick Access toolbar.
If you are often performing actions under several clicks-worth of options, you may need to customize your Quick Access toolbar. First, click on the down arrow next to Undo button. A shortlist of popular commands appears on the drop‑down list. Select a command to add. A checkmark appears in front of each command on the toolbar. If you can’t find the item you need in the upper navigation, select More Commands from the below list.
5. Compare several documents on one screen.
Forget about switching backward and forwards between multiple documents to make comparisons, use the View Side by Side feature. To view two documents in the same window, make sure both documents you want to view are open and click View in the upper navigation. Then click View Side by Side and look through files simultaneously.
Hopefully, these tips and tricks will positively impact your productivity and help you complete your day-by-day tasks easier and quicker. If you need some advanced IT don’t hesitate to contact our experts and bring your IT experience to the next level.
