The Gallifreyan Gazette Cool Jack O Lanterns from batman pumpkin carving stencil , image source: kotwg.blogspot.com
Each week brings files, emails, new jobs, and task lists. Just how much of that is different from the job you’ve done before? Odds are, not much. Many of our daily tasks are variations on something we’ve done countless times before.
Do not reinvent the wheel every time you start something fresh. Rather, use templates–standardized files with formatting and text as starting point. As soon as you save a variant of the template, simply add, remove, or alter any info for that document, and you’ll have the new work.
Programs work anywhere: in word processors, spreadsheets, project management apps, survey platforms, and email. Here’s the way to use templates in your favorite programs –and how to create documents from a template–so you can get your common tasks done faster.
Templates take time to build, and it’s easy to wonder whether they’re worth the investment. The short answer: absolutely. Editing a template takes far less time than formatting something from scratch. It’s the difference between retyping it, or copying and pasting some text.
That is only one benefit: Using a template means you’re not as likely to leave out crucial info, too. For example, if you need to send freelance writers a contributor arrangement, modifying a standard contract template (rather than composing a new contract every time) ensures you won’t leave out the crucial clause regarding possessing the content as soon as you’ve paid for this.
Templates additionally guarantee consistency. Maybe you send clients or investors regular project updates. With a template, you know the update will have the formatting, design, and structure.
How to Produce Great Templates
Not all templates are created equal–and some things do not require a template. Listed below are a few tips to follow.
First, templates must be comprehensive. It is more easy to delete information than add it , so err on the side of adding too instead of too little.
Imagine you’re creating a template of your own resume. You would want to record details and that means you’ll have all the info you want to submit an application for any job.
You can delete less-important notes on, but you may forget it if it’s not from the template.
Some tools will automatically fill in these variables for you (more on this in a little ). But if you need to fill in the information on your own, include some text that is easy and obvious to look for so it is possible to find text that needs to be changed without a lot of effort.