When I go to start a new Word document or Excel file, I nearly always take the default blank template in the upper left corner. However, I recently decided to scroll down and see what Excel file templates were out there. I was amazed at what options I had to create something that was “out of the ordinary”.
In this case, I wanted to create a checklist of items to pack when I go on vacation. A simple two column spreadsheet would work, but I wanted something a bit nicer. This is the template page that comes up when you start Excel:
I scrolled down a bit and found a Vacation Items Checklist template:
Clicking on the template brings up a description as well as the option to download and create a spreadsheet based on that design:
Voilà! I now have a vacation packing spreadsheet that replaces an iPhone app, and that I can customize and make as flexible as I need it to be:
This same template feature exists for both Word and PowerPoint also. I *really* appreciate the PowerPoint template option, as I’m not known for my “design creativity”.
One Minute Office Magic 