Overview
What’s the longest you’ve ever spend looking for something? 30 minutes? 60 minutes? More? We collectively spend a LOT of time looking for things – especially when it comes to digital files and information. McKinsey found that on average we spend over 400 hours a year looking for information!
Good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. Whether it’s searching for information or a file you want to reference or reuse, keeping an Excel scrapbook is a fabulous idea. It’s also a great approach for other apps too!
In this article, we’ll look at why an Excel scrapbook can be so helpful and what you should consider including in it. Make sure to grab a copy of the free example Excel scrapbook file using the box below!
Scrapbook Functions Sheet Screenshot
Scrapbook Formats Sheet Screenshot
Scrapbook AI Prompts Sheet Screenshot
Why use an Excel scrapbook
First, let’s define what an Excel scrapbook is – it’s a collection of reusable Excel parts – formulas, formats, visuals, etc. Having those a couple of clicks away has several benefits that we’ll evaluate below.
Instantly reuse those key spreadsheet parts
Whether I’m using Excel or something else, I try to apply what I call the “Efficiency Mindset”: Think once, Apply often, Refine when needed. An Excel scrapbook allows you to do just that. Reusing your effort over and over again saves a tremendous amount of time compared to starting from scratch and doing the same steps over and over again.
Spend less time searching for examples
You’ve probably had that thought “Oooh, I’ve done this before…if only I could remember the file it’s in…”, then looked around and given up, just to build it again. Saving the parts (or a link to the file) makes it quick and easy to find those useful examples.
Build consistency across your work
Consistency helps everyone that touches your files (including your future self!). By applying techniques and content that are consistent, you can sped less time understanding and reviewing.
Reduce errors by using what you know already works
When you have an approach that works, you can spend less time worrying about errors and more time analyzing the results.
Reinforce new concepts and build new habits
When you write down an approach and reference it again, it reinforces it and makes it easier to build into a habit.
Share best practices with others
Keeping your best practices in one place makes it much easier to share with your colleagues and vice versa.
What should go in an Excel scrapbook
Bonus approach
If you appreciate the approaches in this article in reusing your Excel efforts and want to take it to the next level, consider building them directly into an Excel add-in. That way, no matter which Excel file you’re working in, you’ll have many of the concepts below a click or two away. Make sure to check out the video below for some of these in action!
- Formulas – Whether it’s a bespoke, complex formula or a custom Lambda function, you can search for an inject one directly into your workbook!
- Formats – Those super-specific formats – colors, numbers, and borders – save those as defaults you can quickly apply all throughout your workbook!
- Files – Need to navigate to a favorite file or you haven’t touched in a while? Quickly search for and open them in seconds!
- Macros – Have some favorite macros you want to run? Quickly search for and run those as well!
Video
Summary
If you’re not already using any type of Excel scrapbook, hopefully this article has given you some great ideas to get started. Make sure to grab the free example workbook in the box above for an example Excel scrapbook you can use to get started with some useful structure and content. As with anything important to your workflows, reuse your effort as much as you can!
Do you keep an Excel scrapbook of some kind? If so, what’s in it (or what do you wish was in it)? Let us know in the comments below!
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