by Tara Cain, Document and Software Support, Clark Wilson LLP
Whether you use Microsoft Office, Word Perfect Office, Open Office or something else entirely, the key to success is efficiency. Inefficient use of software is not just a time waste it is a one-way ticket to errors and document corruption. Take a step back and evaluate how you use your word processing software, jot down a few of your best practices and ensure you are working as efficiently as possible.
Three areas of document production: Formatting, Keyboard Shortcuts and Navigation are integral components to efficiently using your word processing software. Evaluating how you work and changing a few habits can save you hours over the long haul.
Formatting
The first topic I feel I need to address in regards to formatting documents with Microsoft Word is direct formatting vs. styles. For those of you unfamiliar with the term direct formatting (also referred to as manual formatting) here is an example: You have a paragraph, you would like that paragraph to be bold and centered, to achieve this you highlight the paragraph click the bold icon (or Ctrl+B) and then click the format center icon (or Ctrl+E), this is an example of using manual formatting. Just like driving a car with manual transmission takes a bit more effect, so does manual formatting, and when it comes to document production do you really want it to take more effect?
One of the core features within MS Word is styles. Styles allow you to assign specific formatting to a named style. Instead of manual formatting, as described in the previous paragraph, you could create a paragraph style called Heading Center Bold that contains the attributes of your choosing (in this case center and bold). By defining a paragraph style, you now have the ability to apply a defined collection of formatting to as many paragraphs as you need, you can even assign a keystroke to the style and make it even more efficient!
Keyboard Shortcuts
Imagine this, you have been working on a document steadily for a few hours, you stop stretch and accidentally knock over your half-full lukewarm cup of coffee, sound familiar? After muttering a few expletives and quickly cleaning up the spill, you return to work. Taking your mouse in hand, you attempt to save your work before some other unexpected event occurs only to find that your mouse is no longer responding, wonderful. At this point, would it be nice to be able to save your work and properly shut down your computer before you head out to purchase a new mouse? Hmm, maybe those keyboard shortcuts, you thought so unnecessary, would come in handy right about now.
It is unnecessary to use your keyboard for everything, although you could. The key to learning (and using) keystrokes is to learn the shortcut for those tasks that you perform the most often and have that list handy, perhaps tacked up next to your monitor.
My rule of thumb has been that if my hands are already on my keyboard I will use a shortcut key, if my hand is already on my mouse, then I’ll use my mouse, that simple!
Navigation
Let’s say for a moment that you are editing a document and you need to move to a specific paragraph to make some changes, how do you get there? Do you move through the document using the scroll wheel on your mouse or do you tap the down arrow key on your keyboard? How long does it take you to find a specific paragraph in that existing document? 1 minute, 5 minutes… How much time each day are you loosing when you inefficiently navigate through documents? Just think of how much more time you could spend doing something else such as reading a book, playing with your kids or watching the new fall TV line up?
Using the navigation tools built into your word processing software of choice is always going to be faster then pounding on the arrow key. For example, within Microsoft Word there is a feature called the Document Map, provided you are working with a properly formatted document (see my comments above regarding styles). The Document Map is a powerful tool, what this tool allows you to do is have a visual table of contents that you can use to skip through your document with a quick click of your mouse.
Yet another simple way to navigate documents in Word uses Select Browse Object. Quite often, when I mention the Browse feature, people say they are unfamiliar with the tool, but I bet you are using it and just did not realize it. Select Browse Object consists of tons of tools; the most frequently used seems to be Find (Ctrl+F) and Hunt & Replace (Ctrl+H). You can use Select Browse Object to move through your document based upon tons of things, such as tables, graphics, footnotes and more!
The costs involved in running a legal practice can add up very fast, but one thing is certain, a computer is at the top of the must have list. Considering the cost of purchasing a computer, there is the monitor, keyboard, mouse, the machine itself but there is also the software, which does not come cheap, far from it. Next time you sit down at your workstation think about how much it costs to run a program like MS Word, it is not just the software licensing cost. Using your word processing software as effectively as possible is all part of getting more bang for your buck, you have invested the money now you need to invest a bit of time to make the most of your purchase.
About the author
Tara Cain has been working in the Legal Industry for the past 14 years, the past 9 of which have been spent in the area of software training, support and technical writing. She is currently employed at the firm of Clark Wilson LLP in Vancouver British Columbia as their Document and Software Support Specialist.
Tara has spent time improving her skills though software specific course study, completed college programs on delivering adult education and attended workshops to assist her instructional methods.
