How much time do you waste typing the same phrases -- such as your name, company name or contact information -- into documents?

How much time do you waste scrolling screen by screen through long deocuments when you need to make a change or compare sections? And how many times have you had to scroll all the way back to the top of a spreadsheet to verify the heading on a column of numbers you’re reviewing.

And when was the last time you forgot to call back a prospect or were late for a meeting because you were answering email and not paying attention to the time?

Annoyances like those don’t have to be part of your work day. You can avoid them and save yourself enormous amounts of time and aggravation if you take the time to learn the features and shortcuts for the software you use most often.

For instance, the autotext feature in Microsoft Word lets you automatically insert frequently repeated text into documents. Using the outline feature in word lets you find your way through long documents -- and move entire sections of long documents around easily. And if you’re using the 2007 version of Word, there’s a side-by-side comparison view that will let you open two versions of a document and scroll through them both at the same time for easy line-by-line comparison with one scrollbar.

The freeze pane function in Excel locks rows or columns you specify in place so you can keep them in site even when you scroll down or across very large spreadsheets.

And the reminder function in Outlook’s calendar is indispensable for everything from reminding yourself about appointments to reminding yourself to get your quarterly sales tax forms filed on time.

These are just the tip of the iceberg of course. The important thing is to take the time to learn the capabilities of the programs you use regularly. Although software doesn’t come with much in the way of help files, there are excellent reference books available in bookstores and public libraries.

If there’s a specific feature you need help with you can usually find information on the Internet. Good places to look for tips on using Word and Excel are http://wordtips.vitalnews.com/ and http://exceltips.vitalnews.com.

If you don’t’ want to purchase the various software how-to books, borrow them from your public library. Take 10 or 15 minutes a day to learn new features and then you’ll be ready to use them without hesitation when needed.

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