Silhouette from nativity scene silhouette pattern , image source: pinterest.com
Each week brings task lists, emails, files, and new jobs. How much of this is different from the job you’ve done? Odds are, not much. A number of our daily tasks are variations on something.
Do not reinvent the wheel every single time you start something fresh. Instead, use templates–as starting point for new 17, standardized files with formatting and text. As soon as you save another version of the template, just add, eliminate, or change any info for that record that is exceptional, and you’ll have the new work.
Programs work anywhere: in word processors, spreadsheets, project management apps, survey programs, and email. Here’s the way to generate documents from a template — and how to use templates in your favorite programs –so it’s possible to get your tasks done faster.
Templates take time to construct, and it’s easy to wonder whether they’re worth the investment. The brief answer: absolutely. Editing a template takes much less time than formatting something. It’s the difference between retyping it, or copying and pasting some text.
That’s only one benefit: Using a template means you are less inclined to leave out crucial info, too. By way of example, if you need to send freelance authors a contributor agreement, modifying a standard contract template (rather than composing a new contract every time) guarantees you won’t leave out that crucial clause about owning the content once you’ve paid for it.
Templates additionally guarantee consistency. You send regular job updates to investors or clients. With a template, you know the upgrade will have the exact same formatting, layout, and structure.
How to Create Great Templates
Not all templates are created equal–and a few things don’t require a template. Here are a couple of tips to follow.
First, templates must be comprehensive. It is simpler to delete information than add it in, so err on the side of including too instead of too small.
Imagine you are developing a template of your resume. You would want to list details so you are going to have.
You always have the option to delete notes that are less-important later on, but you may forget it at the final 25, if it is not in the template.
Some tools will automatically fill in these variables for you (more on this in a bit). But should you need to fill in the data on your own, include some text that’s simple and obvious to look for so it is possible to find text that has to be altered without a lot of effort.