If you’re looking for a powerful and easy-to-use spreadsheet program, Google Sheets is a fantastic option. It’s free to use, highly secure, customizable, and feature-rich — making it perfect for personal and professional projects.
But as with any tool, it’s essential to understand the platform’s capabilities to get the most from it. Pocketbook Agency shares ten tips for making your workflows faster and more streamlined on Google Sheets.
Google Sheets allows users to quickly and easily enter data into a spreadsheet. One of the best ways to simplify data entry is through autofill, which lets you automatically fill in data that follows a pattern or use previously entered values as a reference.
For example, if you have a list of numbers incrementing by one each time (1, 2, 3, and so on), rather than manually entering each number one at a time, you can use autofill. This will quickly and easily populate your spreadsheets with the needed values.
To use autofill:
Autofill works well for text entries like days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.) or months of the year (January, February, March, etc.).
Conditional formatting allows users to quickly and easily compare data in their spreadsheets. You can use it to highlight cells in your sheet that meet specific criteria, such as if the cell is greater than, less than, or equal to a certain value. This makes it easy to identify trends or patterns and visualize your data more effectively.
For example, say you have a spreadsheet column containing customer satisfaction ratings, and you want the ratings that fall below a certain threshold to stand out. You can utilize conditional formatting to quickly identify any customer satisfaction ratings that are less than three stars.
Here’s the basic process of using conditional formatting:
All applicable cells should automatically be highlighted according to your rule specifications every time you open your spreadsheet.
Working with an extensive data set in Google Sheets can quickly cause you to run out of memory. Eliminating any unneeded cells and formulas will preserve more memory and help the application run faster.
To clear a cell, select it and press Backspace or Delete on the keyboard. Alternatively, right-click on the cell and select “Clear Contents.” This will remove all formatting along with any text or numbers that you entered into the cell.
You can also use this method to clear a range of cells at once by selecting all of them before pressing Backspace or selecting “Clear contents.” Finally, to clear multiple sheets at once, select them all and then choose Clear from the Edit menu.
Clearing formulas is a bit more involved than clearing cells. First, select the cell(s) containing the formula you wish to delete. Then click Data > Named ranges > Delete name.
This will remove your formula from the selected cells and free up some memory for other calculations. If you have multiple formulas to delete, repeat this process for each one.
Another way to clean up after yourself is to use the Find & Replace tool (CTRL+H). With this feature, users can easily search for specific functions used in formulas and replace them with simpler ones that take less processing power. This is especially helpful when dealing with complex calculations on large data sets.
You can protect your data from unauthorized access or manipulation by locking cells in Google Sheets. Locking certain cells prevents other users from editing the formulas or values stored in that cell.
Additionally, you can hide formulas so that they’re invisible to other users. This is ideal for keeping specific parts of your spreadsheet a secret while still allowing others to access it.
To lock a cell or range of cells, simply select them and click on the Format option at the top of the page. Then choose “Protected range” under the Protection tab and check the box next to “Locked.”
To hide formulas, simply press Ctrl + H (or Command + H on Mac) after pressing Enter once your formula is entered into a cell. This will make all current formulas hidden in that sheet until you choose to show them again.
Data validation is an incredibly useful tool in Google Sheets. It allows you to ensure that all data you enter follows certain criteria. It ultimately prevents errors and keeps the data consistent and up-to-date.
You can easily access this feature by going to Data > Data Validation. Here, you can create custom rules and input messages that will appear when a user attempts to enter incorrect values into an associated cell range.
For example, if you’re asking for someone’s age, you could set a rule that only numbers between 1–100 are allowed, along with a message informing them of the guidelines. When setting up your rules, select the appropriate criteria type, depending on what kind of information is being collected (e.g., Date, Time, etc.).
You can also choose from a list of predefined criteria or create your own using custom formulas. Once you’ve finished setting up your rules and input messages, confirm them to put them into action.
Slicers are fantastic for categorizing data quickly in Google Sheets. Rather than manually sorting or filtering your data, you can use slicers to visualize and isolate the information you need.
You can use slicers either with pivot tables or individual columns, and they appear as interactive tiles that let you choose what parts of the data to show. Once selected, the rest of the sheet will dynamically update to display only your selected criteria.
To add a slicer:
Creating new formulas can be difficult and time-consuming, especially when dealing with large data sets. But Google Sheets makes it easy to quickly create advanced functions with the help of its ARRAYFORMULA function.
This feature allows you to apply a single formula to an entire array or range of cells, meaning that instead of manually entering a formula into each individual cell in a large dataset, you can simply use ARRAYFORMULA to apply the same formula to multiple cells at once.
Let’s say you have an array of numbers (1, 2, 3…) that you want to add up to get the total value. You could enter the formula C2:C6+D2:D6 into each cell separately and get the desired result, but this would take a lot of time and effort. Instead, you could just put =ARRAYFORMULA(C2:C6+D2:D6) into one cell, and it will automatically apply your calculation across all the selected cells!
Google Sheets offers a wealth of advanced functions that can streamline your workflow and simplify complex tasks, ultimately saving you time that you can allocate to other tasks.
Here are a few functions that can transform your work processes:
– The IFERROR function allows you to specify a value or action that should be taken if an error occurs in the formula. For example, =IFERROR(A1/B1, “There was an error”) will return “There was an error” if there is a division by zero error within the formula.
– The INDIRECT function lets you reference a cell in another worksheet by using its address as declared in an expression. This is particularly useful when you want to create and maintain multiple sheets but avoid hard-coding references between them. For example, =INDIRECT(“‘Sheet2’!A1”) will return the value of cell A1 on Sheet2.
– The VLOOKUP function allows you to search for and retrieve information from different columns within the same row, which is ideal for looking up data from tables or lists with multiple columns. For example, =VLOOKUP(A2,$F$2:$G$5,2) will look for the value of A2 in the range F2:G5 on the same sheet and then return the corresponding value from column 2 (the second column).
Becoming familiar with these advanced functions will equip you to manipulate data more efficiently than ever within Google Sheets.
Building charts and graphs are some of the most effective ways to visualize your data and make it easier for others to understand. The problem is that many spreadsheet programs require you to leave the spreadsheet program and open a separate charting program to create more complex charts. With Google Sheets, you can create beautiful charts without ever leaving the sheet view.
Here’s how:
One of the most remarkable features of Google Sheets is its ability to enable people to collaborate on documents in real-time. When multiple users have access to the same document, any changes made by one will be reflected immediately for all. This eliminates the need to manually merge different versions of a document together, saving ample time and energy.
Collaborating on documents is easy in Google Sheets. All you have to do is select Share from the File menu and enter the email address of the people with whom you want to share your document. You can also set different levels of permissions (e.g., Viewer, Editor, Commenter, etc.) for each user so you can control who has access to certain parts of your document.
Google Sheets has quickly become one of the most popular collaboration tools in business, and for a good reason. By understanding some of its more powerful features, you can use it to streamline your work processes and get more done in less time.
At Pocketbook Agency, we understand the power of efficiency and productivity. That’s why we’re committed to helping our clients find the best candidates for their open positions. Work with us to easily connect with qualified job seekers who are a perfect fit for your company’s culture and values!
Sources:
How To Use Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets | Lifewire
8 Basic Google Sheets Tips Every Teacher Should Know About | The Tech Edvocate
How To Create a Waterfall Chart in Google Sheets | How-To Geek