I've got a little story to share with you today, one that's influenced the way I approach my work and life.

Recently during my walks to the studio, I've been re-listening to the audiobook Effortless by Greg Mckeown.

It's amazing how a second listen can uncover insights that completely pass you by the first time.

There are two main takeaways from this bit that really resonated with me and I wanted to share it with you as this week's highlight - because they're just too good to keep to myself!

❇️ Set the Right Pace with this Formula:

I tend to work in extreme modes so this is a difficult one.

As someone deeply passionate about my projects, I often sprint to the project's finish line. And I don't do it elegantly.

I usually have 2 major slumps: one at the 80% mark and the other when all is finalized. That's when exhaustion creeps in and it can take me weeks to recover.

On the other hand, if I'm not passionate about doing something but I have to do it, then I slack - badly, and end up panicking the closer we get to deadline. What's the antidote? McKeown suggests:

For example, if you have to finish a PowerPoint presentation for management, your rule could be:

"Don't create less than 2 slides and no more than 10 per day."

In my case it would be: "Don't record less than 2 videos and no more than 4 on a given day."

Defining X helps you keep momentum and defining Y helps you avoid burnout.

What's a good value for Y? Well, this was a major eye-opener for me. McKeown says:

If I finish something earlier than expected, I feel like I need to do more. But that's when you're hit with the rule of diminishing returns.

It's all about setting the right pace for you - by the way, this applies to teamwork too. There can be exceptions of course, but exceptions shouldn't become the rule because then you'll likely either end up exhausted or in panic mode.

❇️ Effortless Success comes from Effortless Results

How do we get effortless results?

We first need to understand the difference between linear and residual results. It's actually an easy concept for us spreadsheet users to grasp.

For example, if you create an Excel report from scratch and this involves lots of manual work that you need to repeat every time, you will get linear results.

If you add some automation in terms of formulas, Power Query, VBA etc., then you do the work once and reap the benefits every time. You will have residual results.

This is clear - but what struck me, is that this principle applies to learning as well.

If every time you need to write an Excel formula, you have to look it up in an online forum (the old days) or you ask ChatGPT (nowadays), then your learning is linear. You don't really understand the concepts so every time you try to find the answer.

I really liked this response from Elon Musk when he was asked how he can learn so many complex disciplines so fast:

If there is no trunk (i.e. no grasp of core principles), the leaves (i.e. the details) have nothing to hang on to so they will be lost. So even in this world of AI and fast answers, we still need to understand the core principles of any application or discipline we're working with.

Not only does learning the principles, help us get ahead, but learning also compounds over time.

For example, if you understand the core principle of a loop in VBA, you've understood it in all other programming languages. If you learn how to combine Excel Functions, you exercise logical thinking in all other fields.

As a teacher, it's important for me that my learners build a solid core (not the six-pack abs, although being strong both ways is a bonus 😉).

Once the core and branches are in place, you can add as many leaves as you need to. I only know I've done my job well, if my learners are able to do that. That's why I was truly moved by the impact our students have made. Here's a glimpse into their achievements, which fills me with gratitude:

Ziad, from our Master Excel Power Query course shared:

Kelly, from our Excel Essentials course said:

Mitchell, after completing our course on New Excel Functions in Office 365 shared:

And Ofentse, an MIS manager who completed our Fast-Track to Power BI course mentioned:

These aren't just success stories; they're milestones of learners building their own resilient knowledge trees. It's about laying down roots so that every new learning is not a one-off event.

Learning isn't easy, but if we stick to it and understand the topics at a fundamental level, we make our lives so much easier.

I'd love for these takeaways to be as transformative for you as they were for me. Feel free to reply and let me know your thoughts.

By the way "Effortless" is also available on Shortform, which takes us to the Sponsor of today's newsletter:

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🤓 Geeky News

🤖 Build your own GPT chatbot

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has held its first developer conference, with some exciting announcements coming out of it.

Key takeaways include a turbo-charged version of GPT-4, the ability to build custom GPT agents using natural language (no coding knowledge required), and the upcoming launch of a GPT Store, where those custom chatbots can be sold.

These updates promise to make AI more accessible and should make it easier to integrate AI into various business processes.

The personalized GPTs in particular generate a lot of excitement.

The no-code platform for training your own bots will be available for ChatGPT Plus subscribers and OpenAI Enterprise customers who can make internal tools for their employees.

👥 All you need for a productive Teams meeting in one place

​Meet in Microsoft Teams is a new app designed to streamline your meeting experience. It offers a single view for upcoming and recent meetings, easy access to related content like chats and documents, and tools for quick prep and review.

Features like "Up next" provide a snapshot of imminent meetings and a chat function to start discussions early​​. Plus, the app offers smart insights like RSVP status and one-click actions for tasks such as recording or rescheduling, to simplify meeting management​.

For Teams Premium users, there's an intelligent recap feature, helping you catch up efficiently on what you've missed​.

👥 Review Teams apps to help improve them

And in case you don't like the Meet app, you can now let the developers know. Microsoft Teams has introduced app ratings and reviews, enabling users to give feedback directly within Teams.

This new feature allows users to rate apps on a scale of 1 to 5 and write reviews, which can be marked as helpful by others.

🎥 Upcoming tutorial

Before I sign off, a quick note: I've been playing around with the new Excel checkboxes feature ✅ (it just popped up this week in my beta Office 365 version!), and I'm eager to show you. Stay tuned for this week's YouTube video - it's sure to make your spreadsheets more dynamic and interesting!

Talk soon,

Leila at XelPlus​

P.S. Many of you have inquired about Black Friday and the deals we're planning. The short answer is - we are planning something we've never done before. Keep an eye out for an email tomorrow. I'll be sharing more info then.

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