Most spreadsheet problems start with how the data was entered, not with the formulas. These habits keep your files tidy and quick to work with.
Keep one row per record
Each row should describe one thing, such as one transaction or one participant. Avoid blank rows and merged cells inside your data.
Use clear column headings
Short, unique headings make formulas and pivot tables much easier to build.
Format data as a table
Tables expand automatically when you add rows, so your formulas and charts keep up without extra work.
Learn a handful of formulas well
- SUM and AVERAGE for totals
- IF for simple decisions
- VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP for finding values
Summarise with pivot tables
Instead of building summaries by hand, let a pivot table do the counting for you.