A very important aspect of being productive is taking notes. Some of you might have seen the videos that I’ve done before on taking notes in OneNote on a Surface device vs an Apple iPad device. I did a similar comparison at the Microsoft Ignite conference in Dubai (March 2019). Day 1 of the conference, I took notes on the iPad Pro 2018, and on day 2, I took notes on the Surface Pro 6. I compared them both and shared my findings in this blog post – you can also check out the video below (please subscribe to the Business Productivity channel on YouTube).

Day 1: iPad Pro (3^rd generation)

iPad Pro 2018 device overview

This third generation of the iPad Pro was launched by Apple in 2018. It comes in two sizes – 11 inches and 12.9 inches. I have the larger one which measures diagonally at 12.9 inches. It’s an appealing device with its edge-to-edge display. There is a Smart Keyboard that you can purchase separately for your iPad Pro – but unfortunately, I don’t have one.

This iPad comes with a different charger than the previous one – a USB-C charger. There are a lot of benefits with this new charger. For one it’s an industry standard –  unlike the previous lightning connector, which is Apple’s own proprietary technology. It can carry more power, therefore faster to charge and can transfer data quicker. The annoying thing, of course, is that you have to get new connectors if you want to connect your iPad to a projector or external display.

Something that is important to note is that this device does not have an audio jack. To connect a headset, you will need wireless or USB-C headphones.

There is no home button on this device, you use your finger to swipe and switch between apps. There is a little bar at the bottom that shows where to swipe which is quite useful just like the iPhone X.

The iPad Pro has a new Apple Pencil released with the current version. Unlike the previous Apple Pencil that was completely round, the second-generation Apple Pencil has a flat side and is a bit shorter. I find it more comfortable to hold and write with. The greatest thing about this Pencil is that you charge and pair it, by just attaching it to the magnetic side of the iPad. In the previous Apple Pencil, you had to charge by plugging it into the lightning connector, which was inconvenient – especially if you wanted to charge the Pencil on the go!

Taking notes in OneNote on the iPad Pro

Taking notes in OneNote using the iPad Pro is a really great experience. It is quick to get started, the pen is comfortable to hold, and the writing experience is very pleasant.

The OneNote app has been updated so it now has the “Insert space” tool that you can use both to insert space – and remove space, in your notes. I use this a lot in combination with the Lasso tool to rearrange my notes.

One annoying with OneNote on the iPad is that you always need to have the “Draw” tab marked and the pen selected to be able to write. If you have been doing another task, like taking a picture for instance, the pen won’t work unless you go back and select the “Draw” tab and a pen again.

With the iPad Pro, you can’t erase using the tip of the pen. What you can do however, with this second generation of the Apple Pencil, is to double-tap to switch between the pen and the eraser. It’s not that intuitive, and it takes some getting used to, but it is faster than switching between the tabs manually.

The iPad Pro takes great pictures. You can select between Whiteboard, Document and Photo in OneNote. If you select “Document” the image is automatically cropped for you, which is convenient if you are taking photos of presentations.

The battery of the iPad Pro lasts a long time, I could use it in every Ignite session for the whole day without having to worry about battery life.

Day 2: Surface Pro 6 (2018)

Surface Pro 6 device overview

This 6^th generation of the Surface Pro was launched by Microsoft in 2018. It’s a 2-in-1 device, meaning that it functions as a touch-screen tablet, but also a full-blown Windows computer with an optional detachable keyboard. I have a grey Type Cover (sold separately) to go with my Surface. The keyboard has really improved over the years and is now quite comfortable to type on.

The Surface Pro 6 has multiple ports – a Mini DisplayPort a USB type-A port, a microSD card reader, and on the other side a 3.5mm headphone jack. (Unlike the iPad Pro and the Surface Go, which is the smaller edition, the Surface Pro doesn’t have a USB-C port.) The Surface Pro only comes in one size – a 12.3-inch display.

If you want to use the Surface Pro as a normal computer, you can just open up the kickstand. The kickstand can be opened to a wide angle, which is great if you want to write something on the screen while you are typing.

Surface Pro comes pre-installed with Windows 10, so you can use all your normal productivity applications on it like you are used to.

The Surface Pen is sold separately. It’s now in its fourth generation. This version was released in 2017. It’s a bit thicker than the Apple Pen and has a softer tip. It also has a built-in magnet so that you can easily attach it to the Surface device when you are not using it. The beauty with the Surface Pen is that you can easily switch between writing and erasing by just flipping it over, just like you would with a normal pencil.

You don’t have to worry about charging the Surface Pen. It comes with standard A4 batteries. The pen works right away, even without pairing it with your device. If you do pair it however through Bluetooth settings of Windows, you get additional functionality. The button on the Surface button is highly configurable to carry out various tasks. For instance, you can choose to launch the OneNote 2016 application by pressing the button, open the OneNote app by pressing and holding the button, and (for instance), insert a screenshot to OneNote 2016 when you double-press.

Taking notes in OneNote on the Surface Pro

Since the Surface Pro is a full-blown Windows computer you can select between the desktop application of OneNote – OneNote 2016 or the Windows 10 version of OneNote (UWP). Microsoft has discontinued the development of the desktop version of OneNote, so there is no OneNote 2019. However, OneNote 2016 is still available and supported, but they are encouraging users to move to the Windows 10 OneNote app. Luckily Microsoft is adding a lot more functionality into the OneNote for Windows app.

The writing experience in OneNote on the Surface Pro is good. You can choose between a wide selection of different colors and ink thickness. Again, being able to erase with the back of the pen and then quickly get back to writing is a key benefit when taking notes. When you are writing in the OneNote Windows app, a cursor appears which is really annoying, but if you just go to the Pen Settings and unmark “Show cursor”. The cursor disappears and you have a much better writing experience.

The camera on the Surface Pro is not as good as the one on the iPad Pro. You don’t have the option of selecting between “Whiteboard”, “Document” or “Photo” in OneNote. The pictures don’t come out clear at all – and the whole experience of inserting photos into OneNote is a bit clunky.

The OneNote app for Windows is, at this point in time, a bit more advanced than the iOS version. In the OneNote Windows app, you can create “Section Groups” (to get one more hierarchy with sections grouped together), create your own custom tags and “Insert meeting details” from Outlook which is a great time-saver when you take meeting notes.

Even though there are multiple ways to conserve the battery, it’s a fact that the battery life of the Surface Pro is not as good as the battery life of the iPad Pro.

The verdict: Taking notes in OneNote on iPad Pro vs Surface Pro

So what’s the verdict after the two days? Is it better to take notes in OneNote on the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro? Well, as always both sides have their pros and cons.

Pros and cons of note-taking in OneNote on iPad Pro (2018)

The benefits of taking notes in OneNote on the iPad Pro is that it’s very dependable, easy to use and it’s more comfortable to write with, so your handwriting becomes neater. You can take high-quality photos and insert them into your notes and the battery life is phenomenal. The downside is that even though the Apple Pencil is easy and quick to charge, you do have to charge it now and then which is a bit annoying if you just want to jot something down and the Pencil is out of battery. Having to always go back to the “Draw” tab for the pen to work is also very annoying. Finally, you do lack some things in the OneNote app that power users would want.

Pros and cons of note-taking in OneNote on Surface Pro 6

The benefits of taking notes in OneNote on the Surface Pro 6 is that it is a full-blown computer so, at a conference like this, you don’t have to worry about carrying around two devices. You have your note-taking device and your work computer all in one. The pen instantly works, and you can easily switch between writing and erasing. The OneNote for Windows app has more advanced functionality than the OneNote for iOS, and, in addition, you can switch over to the very rich OneNote 2016 application if you want. The downside is the low quality of the photos, the inferior battery life and that your note-taking is sometimes interrupted because your device “acts” just like a typical computer that you need to restart for some unidentified reason or Windows updates.

Conclusion

So, what would I recommend? Well, what I would say is that if you already have a work computer and you are looking for a complementary device for note-taking, I recommend that you go for the iPad Pro. You might object that it’s a very expensive replacement for a pen and paper, but I can guarantee that it will help your productivity a lot – and you can, of course, use it for so many other things as well – both for work and pleasure. If you, on the other hand, are looking to buy a new Windows-based computer that you can use for both for traditional work-related productivity applications as well as note-taking, then I would recommend the Surface Pro.

That pretty much sums it up! I’d love to hear what you think about it so please add your comments to our YouTube video and feel free to reach out with any questions there.

– Ulrika Hedlund, Founder of Business Productivity

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If you haven’t kept up with our series and what we do – We have been helping users increase productivity using Microsoft Office for many years through our scenario-based tutorials. We have received astounding feedback from people around the world, and our tutorials are available through numerous online training platforms such as Udemy, CyberU and OpenSesame – in addition to our own website Business Productivity.

Although many users and organizations today have transitioned to subscription-based applications through Office 365,  there are many individuals and businesses that still use the previous, standalone versions of MS Office, including Office 2013 and Office 2010. We believe there is a sizable demographic that do not have the financial means to invest in courses on how to use these tools effectively, that would significantly benefit from tapping into the wealth of knowledge we provide through our tutorials.

This is where How-to OneNote comes in. How-to OneNote is a new website where we make our tutorials available for free to help people across the globe master Microsoft OneNote 2013 creative notes across devices, prepare and conduct professional job interviews and get organized with a digital notebook.

Our tutorials consist of 6 scenarios that we believe are essential for Microsoft OneNote users. They are easy to follow and are available to view in both video and text formats. The good news is that these tutorials are unrestricted and can be accessible from anywhere in the world, on any smart device, at any time. (If you prefer, the tutorials are also available directly from our YouTube channel.)

What makes How to OneNote tutorials different?

1. Our tutorials focus on the end result rather than accentuating on individual features
2. Scenario-based learning tutorials are more engaging
3. Each tutorial demonstrates best practices
4. They are easy to understand with captions provided for those who with hearing impairment or have trouble understanding English

Here is one of our video tutorials on “How to take effective meeting minutes in OneNote 2013”

We are so excited about sharing our knowledge with a larger audience and we truly believe How to OneNote will help end-users everywhere increase their productivity. For people who find ads to be annoying, or that desire a richer learning environment, we continue to provide these OneNote tutorials ad-free through Business Productivity, Udemy, CyberU and now also through Vimeo On Demand.

Check out our other How-to sites including howtoword.tv, howtopowerpoint.tv, howtooutlook.tv and howtoexcel.tv that we had launched earlier for free Word 2013 and PowerPoint 2013, Outlook 2013 and Excel 2013 tutorials respectively.

PS. For individuals and organizations who have left OneNote 2013 behind and moved on to Office 365, you can check out our latest content on Storyals.com.

The post Introducing How to OneNote – Scenario-based OneNote Tutorials appeared first on Business Productivity.

While many users and organizations today have transitioned to subscription-based applications through Office 365, there are still many individuals and corporations that use the older, standalone versions of Office, including Office 2010 and Office 2013. We truly believe that there is a sizeable demographic that do not have the financial means to invest in courses on how to effectively use these tools, that would greatly benefit from tapping into the wealth of knowledge we provide through our tutorials.

This is where How-to Excel comes in. How to Excel is a new website where we make our tutorials available for free to help people across the globe master Microsoft Excel 2013 to easily navigate a spreadsheet, visualize data with charts, rearrange and clean up data and so on.

The tutorials consist of ten topics that we believe are essential for Microsoft Excel users. They are easy to grasp and are accessible to view in both video and text formats. These tutorials are unrestricted and can be accessed from anywhere in the world, on any smart device, at any time. (If you prefer, you can watch the tutorials directly from our YouTube channel).

What makes How to Excel tutorials unique?

1. Our tutorials focus on the result rather than emphasizing on individual features
2. The tutorials are scenario-based, making them more engaging
3. Each tutorial demonstrates best practices
4. They are easy to understand with captions provided for those who are hearing impaired or have difficulty understanding English

Here is one of our video tutorials on “How to Analyze data in a PivotTable with Excel 2013”

We are so excited about sharing our knowledge with a larger audience and we truly believe How to Excel will help end-users around the world increase their productivity.

We are ready to launch more websites of free Microsoft Office tutorials. You can have a look at our other How-to sites including howtoword.tv, howtopowerpoint.tv and howtooutlook.tv that we had launched earlier for free Word 2013 and PowerPoint 2013 and Outlook 2013 tutorials respectively.

PS. If you have already said goodbye to Excel 2013 and moved on to the updated Office 365 application, check out “The ultimate real-life Office 365 productivity course” available on Udemy and other course platforms. Organizations who are looking for end-user training on Office 365 can check out the content subscription offering on Storyals.com.

The post Introducing How to Excel – Scenario-based Excel Tutorials appeared first on Business Productivity.

Office 365 holds the key to a new way of work – a true digital workplace, accessible from anywhere on any device. But many people who have an Office 365 subscription continue to work the way they always have. To change behavior – it’s essential to focus on the value and the benefits.

This course is unlike any other traditional e-learning course you have come across before. In this course, you will be taken on an eye-opening journey through the Office 365 jungle, guided by Productivity Coach and ex-Microsoft employee Ulrika Hedlund. In this course, you will see real-life scenarios of “what you need to know” to effectively use these tools to work smarter.

In this 3-hour course, users will learn from Productivity Advisor and ex-Microsoft employee Ulrika Hedlund on:

1. How to work smarter with cloud-based documents using OneDrive for Business and SharePoint libraries,

2. Tell powerful stories using Sway and PowerPoint,

3. Get organized using OneNote,

4. Take control of their inbox using Outlook across devices,

5. Enhance Teamwork with Teams, and

6. Connect and Communicate using Skype for Business

These courses include Storyals’ copyrighted material with story-based tutorials that are designed to INSPIRE, MOTIVATE and EDUCATE users on the effective use of Office 365. (Please note that this material is also available for corporations as a subscription offering via Storyals.com)

The post Office 365 story-based tutorials now live on Udemy appeared first on Business Productivity.

Microsoft has announced something called “Coming Soon” to Outlook for Windows, a toggle switch to give users the choice to try out major upcoming updates.

“Coming Soon” toggle switch

The feature is currently being rolled out to users who want to be the first to try new things that are part of the “Insiders program” and soon it will be available for those in the “Monthly Channel (Targeted)”. The beauty with the “opt-in toggle” is that it allows users to try out the new design – with the ability to switch back to the classic layout if desired! So, what can you expect if you switch on the toggle? Let me tell you!

A cleaner, easier to use interface

The new design of the menu bar (so-called “Ribbon”) follows a simple design with a single row of icons. Even though it makes it less cluttered, it can take a while getting used to due to the redesigned icons and the text being next to the icon – instead of underneath as it has been for years. Since most users don’t use all the commands available, Microsoft has stowed a lot of them away. Luckily, you can easily add a command if there something you are missing. I, for instance, am a frequent user of OneNote so I could easily “Pin” the “Send to OneNote” button to the ribbon. Even if I resize Outlook, it adapts to make sure my “Send to OneNote” command is still in place.

The new Simplified Ribbon

The Classic Ribbon

If you prefer to see all the commands, you can expand the Simplified Ribbon by clicking the arrow down icon.

More focus on what’s important

The message list hasn’t changed much – just a few minor changes to help you focus on what’s most important A few of them include, sender’s names are now in bold, flagged messages are highlighted with a light yellow background, message subjects are more pronounced and there is more place for email content as the header now takes up less space than before. Slight changes of fonts and icons have also been introduced in the reading pane to make it easier to quickly skim through emails.

Redesigned message list and reading pane

The most frequently used actions like Reply, Accept and Forward have now also been added to the body of the message to make them easier to find.

The Reply, Reply All and Forward buttons are now easy to view

Booking meetings made easier

The Meeting window has a cleaner interface with a new “Title” section at the top to input the subject of the meeting, two separate boxes to easily fill out the Required and Optional attendees for the meeting, and a Room finder button to quickly choose an available room including suggested times.

New meeting request window

Summary

Overall, the redesigned Outlook is mostly that – a redesign of the user interface, without a lot of added or removed functionality. I believe it’s a good update, especially since a lot of younger people who are used to less sophisticated email applications find the current layout of Outlook too complex. Nevertheless, even with the redesign, Outlook still caters to those of us (like me) who really like the power tools that Outlook provides (like Quick Steps, Send to OneNote, etc.).

There are a few things that I had hoped to see in this redesign, especially in terms of ensuring consistency between Outlook for Windows, Outlook Online and Outlook mobile. One of them is the ability to pin messages to the top in your folder list (this ability is currently there in Outlook Online). The other thing I would like to see is a “Schedule” button (or “Action” as I prefer to call it). Just as you archive messages and move them to an “Archive” folder, I encourage users to have an “Action” button that you press to move messages out of your folder list into an “Action” folder. You have this ability by default in the Outlook Mobile app, where you can just swipe to the right to move a message to a Schedule/Action folder (and swipe to the left to archive). You can, of course, accomplish this by creating your own button via Quick Steps, but this is more advanced, and I don’t think a lot of users do it.

If you’d like to learn more about the redesign of Outlook, you can check out Microsoft’s YouTube video here. Also, if you would like to learn how to use email more effectively using Outlook across devices, sign up for a membership here on businessproductivity.com, or subscribe to the topic “Take control of your inbox” on Storyals.com.

-By Ulrika Hedlund (Founder of Business Productivity)

The post A review of the redesigned Outlook appeared first on Business Productivity.

While many individuals and organizations have already transitioned to subscription-based applications like Office 365,  there are many users and businesses that still use the outdated, standalone editions of Microsoft Office, including Office 2010 and Office 2013. We believe there is a sizeable demographic that do not have the economic means to invest in courses on how to use these tools effectively, that would significantly benefit from mining into the wealth of knowledge we provide through our tutorials.

This is where we introduce How-to Outlook. How-to Outlook is a new website where we make our tutorials available completely free of charge to help people across the world master Microsoft Outlook 2013 to manage contacts, calendar, tasks, and email efficiently and effectively with Outlook.

These tutorials consist of 10 scenarios that we believe are essential for Microsoft Outlook users. They are easy to follow and are available to view in both video and text formats. The good news is that these tutorials are unrestricted and can be accessed from anywhere in the world (where YouTube is available), on any smart device, at any time. (If you prefer, the tutorials are also available directly from our YouTube channel.)

What makes How to Outlook tutorials different?

1. Our Scenario-based tutorials are based on real life and are more engaging to learn
2. Our tutorials focus on end results rather than emphasizing on individual features
3. Each tutorial demonstrates best practices
4. They are easy to understand with captions provided for those with hearing impairment or have trouble grasping English

Here is a video tutorial from Outlook.tv on “How to Manage Your Contacts Efficiently in Outlook 2013?”

We are so happy to share our knowledge with a larger audience and we sincerely believe How to Outlook and our other How-to sites will help end-users everywhere help increase their productivity.

For those who find advertisements to be annoying, or desire a richer learning environment, we continue to provide our Outlook tutorials ad-free through Business Productivity, Udemy, CyberU and now also through Vimeo On Demand.

We are planning to launch more websites with free tutorials on Microsoft Office. Check out our other How-to sites including howtoword.tv and howtopowerpoint.tv that we had launched earlier for free Word 2013 and PowerPoint 2013 tutorials respectively.

P.S. For individuals and organizations who have left Outlook 2013 behind and moved on to the updated Office 365 applications, you can check out our latest content on Storyals.com.

The post Introducing How-to Outlook – Scenario-based Outlook Tutorials appeared first on Business Productivity.

Although many users and organizations today have transitioned to subscription-based applications through Office 365,  there are many individuals and businesses that still use the previous, standalone versions of MS Office, including Office 2013 and Office 2010. We believe there is a sizable demographic that do not have the financial means to invest in courses on how to use these tools effectively, that would significantly benefit from tapping into the wealth of knowledge we provide through our tutorials.

This is where How-to PowerPoint comes in. How-to PowerPoint is a new website where we make our tutorials available for free to help people across the globe master Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 to enhance presentations with images and videos, capture their audience attention with tasteful animations and transitions and create attractive PowerPoint templates.

Our tutorials consist of 11 scenarios that we believe are essential for Microsoft PowerPoint users. They are easy to follow and are available to view in both video and text formats. The good news is that these tutorials are unrestricted and can be accessible from anywhere in the world, on any smart device, at any time. (If you prefer, the tutorials are also available directly from our YouTube channel.)

What makes How to PowerPoint tutorials different?

1. Our tutorials focus on the end result rather than accentuating on individual features
2. Scenario-based learning tutorials are more engaging
3. Each tutorial demonstrates best practices
4. They are easy to understand with captions provided for those with hearing impairment or have trouble understanding English

Here is one of our video tutorials on “How to Use Transitions in PowerPoint 2013”

We are so excited about sharing our knowledge with a larger audience and we truly believe our How-to sites will help end-users everywhere increase their productivity. For people who find ads to be annoying, or that desire a richer learning environment, we continue to provide these PowerPoint tutorials ad-free through Business Productivity, Udemy, CyberU and now also through Vimeo On Demand.

We are planning to launch more websites with free tutorials on Microsoft Office. Check out our other How-to sites including howtoword.tv that we had launched earlier for free Word 2013 tutorials.

P.S. For individuals and organizations who have left PowerPoint 2013 behind and moved on to the Office 365, you can check out our latest content on Storyals.com.

The post Introducing How-to PowerPoint – Scenario-based PowerPoint Tutorials appeared first on Business Productivity.

Do you find it hard to keep track of things? Have you given up on Outlook for task management because it’s just too cluttered? Would you like a simple way to keep track of your to-do’s?
Perhaps Microsoft To-Do could be an alternative?

To-Do is a simple, to-do list app from Microsoft available on Windows 10, Android, iOS, as well as via the web, as a stand-alone app or accessible via the Office 365 portal. To-Do has a very easy to understand user interface and can be used right from the get-go, unlike many other to-do list apps. It helps you plan your day, create task lists, set reminders, and keep track of your tasks. My favorite feature which makes Microsoft To-Do stand out from the sea of to-do list apps is “My Day”, which provides you with a clean, smart view of the things you have planned to do today. Let’s have a deeper look at Microsoft To-Do.

Getting started

To-Do is easy to get started with and only requires a Microsoft account. The straightforward user interface and lack of excessive features can be a blessing for those who aren’t tech savvy. To add a task just type it in and it’s added to your “To-do” list. You can create multiple lists, and tasks with sub-tasks in just a few taps. You can color code, apply themes, and add emojis on the lists to easily distinguish between various tasks.

Once you’ve completed a task, just tap the little circle and you will be greeted with an annoying but gratifying “ding” (which of course can be turned off in the settings.)

“My Day” – A fresh start every day

“My Day” is a view of the to do’s you want (should…) to do today. Either you can add to-do’s directly to your “My Day” view, or you can get help by selecting tasks from your other lists. By tapping the light bulb icon, you get suggestions for tasks that you might want to add to My Day. This way you get a better overview of the many tasks and reminders buried in various lists. It’s important to note, that by setting the due date for a task to today, doesn’t automatically add it to your “My Day” view  (at least not at the moment – though this might change since many people find that weird). You decide for yourself, what to add to your “My Day”.

Access your To-do’s from anywhere

As soon as a new task is added to the list, it instantly syncs with every device that has the To-Do app where you are signed in with the same Microsoft account. If you are using Outlook, your To-Do tasks are also synchronized with your Outlook tasks.

Using a task list effectively

A best practice for task management is to add single item tasks that you don’t have scheduled in your calendar, to your to-do list. Try to break down your tasks so that they are as granular as possible using sub-tasks (these are called “steps” in the To-Do app). It’s easy to get overwhelmed with a long to-do list. In order not to bother your brain with tasks that you anyway can’t do anything about (for instance to see the task of fixing the toilet seat at home when you are in the office), separate your to-do’s into different lists. If you want to learn more about effectively managing tasks, I can warmly recommend a book called “Personal Productivity Secrets” by Maura Thomas.

What’s missing?

There are a few essential features that I’m missing*, including being able to share to-do lists with others (especially my husband) and being able to add multiple accounts so that it’s easier to separate between personal and work tasks. Also, integration with various other productivity tools and calendars including Google Calendar, iCloud Calendar, Evernote and so on is, of course, important for the large group of people that use these daily.

*Update (12-July-2018): Microsoft has finally introduced the two most requested features on UserVoice to its To-Do app.

You can now collaborate with different To-Do users and share various To-Do lists. The other addition to the app is the ability to break down tasks with multiple steps into subtasks.

To find out more about the new features introduced in To-Do, check out Microsoft’s article here. Keep up-to-date with To-Do’s features by checking out Microsoft’s Tech Community on To-Do here.

You can keep track of some of these requested features, and others on the Microsoft To-Do UserVoice web page, where users vote for new ideas and request new features for the app. Here you can see that Microsoft is planning to bring more features to the app including share lists, Outlook Mail integration, Cortana integration, Mac Desktop app and so on.

Closing

Overall, I really like the Microsoft To-Do app! It’s easy to use, it has a clean interface and it does the job of de-cluttering my mind and giving me a sense of control! Being able to start fresh every day with a clean “My Day” instead of every morning being reminded of all your unfinished to-do’s is a blessing in today’s hectic life!

The post Organize Your Life with Microsoft To-Do appeared first on Business Productivity.

Even though many users and organizations today have transitioned to subscription-based applications through Office 365,  there are still many individuals and businesses that use the previous, standalone versions of Office, including Office 2013 and Office 2010.

We believe there is a large demographic group that does not have the financial means to invest in courses on how to use these tools effectively, that would benefit greatly from tapping into the wealth of knowledge we provide through our tutorials.

This is where How-to Word comes in. How to Word, is a new website where we make our tutorials available for free to help people across the globe master Word 2013 to write professional reports, create attractive articles and much more.

The tutorials consist of ten topics that we believe are essential for Microsoft Word users. They are easy to understand and are available to view in both video and text formats. The good news is that these tutorials are unrestricted and can be accessible from anywhere in the world, on any smart device, at any time. (If you prefer, the tutorials are also available directly from our YouTube channel.)

What makes How to Word tutorials different?

1. Our tutorials focus on the end result rather than emphasizing on individual features
2. The tutorials are scenario-based, making them more engaging
3. Each tutorial demonstrates best practices
4. They are easy to understand with captions provided for those who are hearing impaired or have difficulty understanding English

Here is one of our video tutorials on “How to Create an Attractive Article in Word 2013”

We are so excited about sharing our knowledge with a larger audience and we truly believe our How-to sites will help end-users around the world increase their productivity. For people who find ads to be annoying, or that desire a richer learning environment, we continue to provide these Word tutorials ad-free through Business Productivity, Udemy, CyberU and now also through Vimeo On Demand.

This is the first website that we are launching with free videos on Office 2013, with more How-to sites to follow – so stay tuned!

P.S. For individuals and organizations who have left Word 2013 behind and moved on to Office 365, you can check out our latest content on Storyals.com.

The post Introducing How-to Word – Scenario-based Word Tutorials appeared first on Business Productivity.

If you are like me, you get really excited about these enhancements and go and explore how you can benefit from these updates. If you are like me, you can even be part of an “Insider” track that gets the updates before the wider public. But, I’m assuming that most are not like me, so you probably just close the window and go on with your work – the way that you have always done it.  That’s why we decided to add this blog category “Our favorite Office 365 updates” to the Business Productivity blog.

We know that you are busy and that you just want to get your job done, and that’s why we’ll help you by filtering through all the updates and tell you about the ones that you should really care about that we believe can have an impact on your daily productivity.

How to determine which Version and Build of Office you have

Before we start with our first “favorite update” though, we need to make sure that you know how to determine which version of Office you have, so that you can figure out if you have gotten the featured update or not. It’s important to note, that many of you might have Office Pro Plus subscriptions that are managed by your IT department. If so, they might have chosen to delay the updates to give them time to test them before they are deployed. Therefore, you might get the updates on a quarterly or bi-annual cycle instead of a monthly. Even so, it’s better than waiting for 3 years!

So, how do you know which version of Office you have? Open any Office file (a Word document, PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet), click the File tab, and then Account

In the top right corner, you will see the Version and the Build.

How to get the latest Office updates

To make sure you have the latest version of Office installed. Click  “Update Options” next to where it says Office Updates, and then click “Update Now”. If there are any updates available they will be downloaded and installed.

To see information about the various updates that have been included in the various versions of Office, click “Update Options” and “View Updates”.

Here you can go through the list of updates that have been released each month.

So, now that you know how to check your version of Office, just stay tuned to hear about our favorite updates that will help you increase your productivity!

The post Monthly Productivity Treats with Office 365 appeared first on Business Productivity.