Let's face it Excel can be....intimidating. Formulas and functions whisper secrets in a language only data wizards understand. In today's reading, we'll be going over some functions that I tend to use the most while spending time working on Excel creating spreadsheets for staffing plans, payroll/billing, inventory/asset tracking, and more. 

=SUM: The King of Calculations

Do you need to add a bunch of numbers? Ditch the calculator; the SUM function(a built-in summation feature employed to automatically add up the numbers in a few clicks to save time.) is your new best friend. Simply enter =SUM(range), "range" can be your cells (i.e. A1:A10) or even another formula. BAM! Instantaneous totals, no finger cramping required!

=AVERAGE: The Middle Ground

Lost in a sea of numbers? AVERAGE function(will return the average value of a given series of numbers in Excel) finds the center point to that sea. Use =AVERAGE(range) to instantly get the meaning of your data.

=COUNT

The =COUNT(range)(Count all cells with numbers) or =COUNTA(range)(Count cells that are not empty) function is like a headcounter on a field trip, tallying up the number of cells that meet your criteria, saving you from tediously counting manually. 

• (Specific text) =COUNTIF(range), "data"; Think of this you have an event coming up with multiple students coming from different cities, and you want to know how many are coming from "Pittsburg". Then you would type =COUNTIF(C1:C400, "Pittsburg") Boom! There you have the exact number of Pittsburg students coming.

=PRODUCT: Multiplying Mayhem

The =PRODUCT(range) function specializing in.... multiplication! It's a great shortcut for figuring out grand totals by multiplying a bunch of numbers together. It saves you from some finger cramps and calculator errors.


Bonus - Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl + C/Ctrl + V (Copy/Paste) - Highlight, Copy, and Paste

• Ctrl + X (Cut) - Move text from one location to the other

• Ctrl + F (Find/Replace) - Find specific text/replace it with something else - data organization made simple!

• Ctrl + Z (Undo) - Accidentally deleted a formula? It rewinds your spreadsheet with ease.

• Ctrl + P (Print) - Quick and easy way to print

• Alt + = (AUTOSUM) - Auto Sum all cells above with a number amount in them.

@Aaron Warnagiris | Date: 12/4/2023