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Each week brings documents, emails, new projects, and job lists. Just how much of that is completely different from the job you have done before? Odds are, maybe not much. A number of our tasks are variants on something.
Do not reinvent the wheel each time you start something new. Instead, use templates–as starting point for 17, standardized documents with formatting and text. Once you save a separate version of the template add, remove, or alter any info for that document, and you’ll have the new job.
Programs work everywhere: in word processors, spreadsheets, project management programs, survey platforms, and email. Here’s how to use templates from your favorite programs –and to create documents from a template–so you can get your tasks done faster.
Templates take the time to construct, and it’s easy to wonder if they’re worth the investment. The answer: absolutely. Editing a template requires much less time than formatting something. It’s the difference between copying and pasting some text, or retyping it.
That’s not the only advantage: Using a template means you’re less inclined to leave out key information, also. By way of example, if you want to send freelance authors a contributor agreement, modifying a standard contract template (rather than composing a new contract every time) guarantees you won’t depart out that crucial clause regarding owning the content once you’ve paid for it.
Templates also guarantee consistency. You send regular job updates to investors or clients. Using a template, you know the update will always have the formatting, design, and arrangement.
How to Produce Great Templates
Not many templates are created equal–and a few things do not require a template. Listed below are a couple of tips to follow.
First, templates must be comprehensive. So err on the side of adding also instead of too little, it’s more easy to delete information than add it in.
Imagine you are creating a template of your own resume. You would want to list in-depth facts and that means you are going to have.
You can always delete less-important notes later on, but you may forget it at the final 25, when it’s not in the template.
Some tools will automatically fill in all these factors for you (more on this in a bit). But should you have to fill in the information on your own, include some text that’s obvious and simple to look for so it is possible to locate text that needs to be altered without a lot of work.