How-to: Avoid Bad Formatting Costs

I generally use between 5 and 10 or more software programs a day. While I consider myself to be pretty techie (no doubt my family would use the word nerdy), I know there is a LOT more out there that I could know about any of the programs I use. It's pretty easy to learn how to use a program, using only the parts and pieces you need, without taking the time to become an expert. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

However, there are some programs that can save time and money in the long run with time and money invested initially in training. Word processing can be one of those programs. Roberta Gelb writes in Beware the Hidden Costs of Bad Formatting from Law.com Legal Technology that learning how to use a word processing system's formatting capabilities (she uses MS Word as an example) could increase staff efficiency and therefore save money through staff time.

And you don't have to necessarily take a full class to learn specific functions in a program. Microsoft (easy example) has a great how to web site. You can read through how-to articles, take short tutorials, find tips, wander through the training section...

I can attest to this from personal experience. While it can take some time to get the hang of using the styles and formatting features--especially when using MS Word and it's infuriating tendency to take over and do what it wants--once you have it conquered, you can do some great things with formatting and updating documents.