Learn how to Use Excel for Private Stuff

I’ve written earlier than about how I hold a ton of lists for varied issues in my life, however I don’t suppose I’ve written earlier than about how a lot I completely adore Excel and spreadsheets normally. I’ll admit, I at all times sort of thought this was a bizarre “me” factor, however I’ve seen rather a lot these days in social media and commenters right here from different girls who all love a great spreadsheet… so if that is you as effectively, let’s share a few of our methods and suggestions, in addition to a number of the bizarre issues we hold in spreadsheet kind.

(I absolutely admit this can be a component and parcel of my ADHD – is there any higher method to procrastinate than leaping into motion and creating a great spreadsheet? I believe not.)

I’ll notice that I’m not an Excel knowledgeable by any means, regardless of utilizing it each day — it’s such a robust program and has so many cool features. I labored with Excel twice in my authorized profession in ways in which actually made it clear that I had barely scratched the floor of this system — as soon as for a reinsurance dispute involving, if reminiscence serves, fraud and theft from one of many brokers, so we have been making an attempt to determine insurance coverage tiers and percentages after the actual fact (whee). The second time was a couple of years later, after I inherited a 50-state survey on libel that concerned loopy macros… it felt like I broke the chart extra usually than I acquired it to work proper.

Nonetheless: it’s sort of stunning to me how usually I’ve Excel sheets open on my pc, so I assumed it might be enjoyable to debate the methods we use spreadsheets for private use.

Do you employ spreadsheets to maintain observe of private knowledge? What do you retain observe of — and are you Staff Excel, Staff Google Sheets, Staff AirTable (or different, or all)?!

How I Use Excel for Private Stuff

I’ve written about a few of these private spreadsheets in depth earlier than…

Well being stats spreadsheet. I hold observe of my well being stats in spreadsheet kind, guided primarily by an outdated Actual Easy article I learn years in the past that went by way of the essential stats to concentrate to. I’ve added some from an article I learn with recommendation on perimenopause, and I’ll in all probability add some stats to trace from the latest NYT article on methods to measure your health and well being, other than weight.

I don’t get all the knowledge yearly — there are enormous gaps within the spreadsheet, in reality! — but it surely helps me see basic traits with the numbers that my docs could also be lacking as a result of they’re all within the regular vary.

You possibly can learn extra about my well being stats and obtain my spreadsheet right here.

Monetary Snapshot spreadsheet. I first posted about this in our dialogue on frugal fatigue, the place you simply really feel somewhat burned out from saving a lot — it is a nice method to see main progress since you’re evaluating snapshot overviews of your funds — it isn’t like logging into Mint or Quicken the place you get the newest knowledge however can’t essentially evaluate it simply. I replace my chart about twice a 12 months.

I’ll be sincere, the unstable inventory market has hit us fairly laborious so it’s been somewhat miserable to examine the snapshot as a result of it doesn’t appear to be we’re making a ton of development… however even the slight development makes me really feel like we’re doing one thing proper when so lots of our investments are down, down, down.

You possibly can learn extra about my spreadsheet and obtain a pattern one right here.

Children’ Schedule spreadsheet. I’ve written about my Children Schedule spreadsheet over at CorporetteMoms — I can not take credit score for this good concept, however I exploit it each summer time to plan summer time camps for the youngsters. (Should you’re scratching your head how that is probably spreadsheet-worthy, I extremely advocate this McSweeney’s article with phrase issues that can assist you design your summer time camp schedule. Pattern:

Your eight-year-old’s guitar camp, positioned 5 miles east of your home, begins at 8:45 AM. Your daughter’s robotics camp is seven miles southwest and begins at 9:30 AM with no early drop-off. You’re employed ten miles north and should be at work by 8 AM. How lengthy will it take you to bend the time-space continuum?

How is it higher than an everyday calendar? It’s rather more condensed, and the info is simpler to eat — if I’m including an outline of a camp I can see it extra simply — and if there are a number of weeks that they may take a camp I can see all of that knowledge too.

You possibly can learn extra about my technique for scheduling youngsters’ actions and obtain my spreadsheet right here.

Price range spreadsheets. We don’t at present actually have a funds, however previously after I’ve wanted to essentially restrict my spending I’ve been a fan of downloading expenditures into an Excel sheet and manually separating them in order that they’re in themed classes.

You possibly can learn extra about my ideas on the right way to make a funds right here.

Rebalancing investments and assessing your asset allocation. I wrote about my makes an attempt to rebalance our investments a couple of years in the past… it may be trickier than you suppose! I’ve 3 completely different retirement accounts, my husband has 2, and now we have 4 completely different after-tax funding accounts (not counting the youngsters’ 529s or their funding accounts). I are usually tremendous boring and spend money on the identical index funds, however as a result of the investments are unfold out over all these completely different accounts (and held in several banks and brokers!) it’s laborious to get a deal with on simply the place the cash is allotted.

I wrote about other ways to evaluate asset allocation (small cap! massive cap! overseas! bonds!) and a few completely different providers I’ve used to determine it out — however I hold a really tough spreadsheet of our allocations together with my monetary snapshots.

My “first of month” spreadsheet. That is extra a function of my being self-employed with uneven revenue streams– on the primary of each month I seek the advice of a spreadsheet to maintain observe of various payments like the electrical invoice and so forth, and I’ve calculations to determine how a lot cash I can transfer from my enterprise to my private account, and the way a lot cash I ought to put in my on-line financial savings for my eventual tax invoice and for the eventual switch to my retirement account. Then I’ve a calculation to determine how a lot cash I have to hold in our private account, primarily based on all of the completely different automated financial savings and automated investments I’ve taking place.

Yearly planner spreadsheet. I exploit this extra for content material planning than something, however for those who’re a Very Busy Govt with varied conferences, talking engagements, household holidays, and extra to maintain observe of, this year-at-a-glance spreadsheet (auto obtain from MichaelHyatt.com) that routinely updates the dates is usually a great point.

Corporette analytics spreadsheet. Once more, that is extra a “me” factor, however each month I replace analytics for the blogs like pageviews, followers, cash, and many others. I even have some Search engine marketing-related spreadsheets, however I’m extra of a passive participant.

Tax stuff spreadsheets. Our taxes is usually a bit sophisticated as a result of I’ve a variety of completely different revenue streams and we take a good variety of deductions — for years I’ve saved a clear Excel chart of my Schedule C, basically, itemizing all of my completely different sources of revenue. The tax planner my accountant offers me has final 12 months’s knowledge for reference, so I’ve completed that additionally, though my Excel charts embody all the years. (However the printable model solely reveals final 12 months as a comparable.) I actually like having my knowledge like this — it’s a simple method to evaluate completely different years and evaluate the revenue streams.

This 12 months, pissed off by having my poor handwriting in every single place, I made three new charts to present my accountant, all impressed by pages in his tax planner — an inventory of my bills damaged down by class, an inventory of my charitable contributions, and an inventory of my dividend revenue. (My dividend revenue isn’t enormous however reporting it requires a variety of knowledge.)

I hold a couple of extra spreadsheets within the cloud (Google Sheets and AirTable), however I vastly desire Excel.

Readers, are you followers of Excel, or spreadsheets normally? How do you employ them?

Inventory picture by way of Deposit Photographs / AndreyPopov.