Carol Bratt

A lot of legal secretaries have written to me asking for ways to quickly change the line spacing in a document as they are frequently moving from single line spacing for block quotes and double line spacing for text and then back to single line ... spacing for signature blocks in pleadings. It really isn't all that difficult. If you find that you are frequently changing the line spacing in MS Word to double or you are making the switch more often than not, it's time to take measures so that this happens seamlessly and without lots of time and keystrokes. After speaking with more than a few of ... (view more)

If you are anything like me, you have lots and lots of documents open at the same time when you are working in MS Word. Hopefully, I have taught you well and you save your documents at the beginning and end of your work. But wait, don't you hate ... closing each of those documents? It can become tedious, especially when you have to get them all closed to leave at the end of the day or when you have to close many sensitive documents before you go to lunch. That's where the keyboard shortcuts come into play. Follow the steps below to learn how: In MS Word when you are ready to close up shop, ... (view more)

There is a little known feature in MS Outlook that allows you to display appointment times on a clock instead of text. Bet you didn't know that did you? Me either! But now that I know it I use it all the time. It's a lot spiffier looking than boring ... text. I think visually oriented persons like the graphics better, too. Everyone sees and learns things differently. If you are one of those people who wants to use clocks, follow the steps below to find out how: Right click anywhere in your calendar in MS Outlook; just make sure that you aren't on an appointment. Choose Other Settings from the ... (view more)

One of my subscribers wrote to me recently asking how to suppress the page numbering on the first page of her document. She said she knew how to do it in an earlier version of MS Word but the latest version was giving her problems. Luckily, it is a ... very simple fix. Follow the steps below to learn how: Click on the Insert ribbon and select Page Numbers. Choose the format of your liking. Then, click on the Page Layout Ribbon. Click the arrow in the lower right-hand corner of the Page Setup group and select Different First page from the Layout tab that of the dialog box that appears. Click OK. ... (view more)

It can be a real drag when you receive an email with several attachments and you want to save them all. If you are like most folks, you save each attachment by itself. Well, I'm here to tell you that you don't have to do that! No, sir! There is an ... easy way to save all of your attachments in one fell swoop as long as you are saving them into the same folder! Follow the steps below to learn how:Select the email with the attachments you would like to save. Click on the File menu. Click the Save Attachments menu. When the submenu opens, it will list all of the attachments and at the bottom, you ... (view more)

When you open MS Outlook at the beginning of your day do you find that you are constantly toggling back and forth between your Inbox, your Tasks, and your Calendar? Well, guess what? You do not have to do that any longer! There is a great feature ... called Outlook Today that you can use instead! Follow the steps below to get a quick summary of everything in MS Outlook: Click on the View Menu. Click the Go To submenu or Outlook Today. One little click and you have a summary of your entire day in front of you! It sure beats all that toggling back and forth doesn't it? When you become a member at ... (view more)

Have you ever created a list in MS Word and when you were finished -- you decided you would like to have that list alphabetized? Yeah, I thought so. Hmmm...how to do it? Well you could copy and paste or use arrows to move things up and down but that ... seems like a lot of effort to me. Luckily, MS Word can do the heavy lifting for you! Follow the steps below to learn how:Highlight the text to be alphabetized. If you are using MS Word 2007, you will need to click the Sort button found in the Paragraph section on the Home ribbon. If you're using an older version of MS Word, you will need to select ... (view more)

You create a table in your document at the top of the page and it looks great! But now you or your superior decide that there should be text before the table. Not as easy as you thought it was going to be, is it? I know you tried clicking above the ... table, but it doesn't work, does it? Before you drive yourself batty trying to do it, or worse yet retype your text, let me show you how to resolve this maddening problem. I promise you that it is quick and easy. Follow the steps below: Click in the upper left cell of the table before the text. Then just hit the Enter key. Told you it was quick and ... (view more)

Several people have asked me how to save all of their attachments at one time in MS Outlook. It really isn't as difficult as one might think. Of course you want to save all of your attachments in your e-mail, but it is a real pain in the neck to ... open each and every e-mail and save each attachment isn't it? Well I am going to tell you a way to speed up the process and eliminate the stress. . Follow the steps below to learn how: Select the e-mail that has the attachments you want to save. Click on File. Select Save Attachments from the menu. From the sub-menu that appears, click All Attachments ... (view more)

If you use MS Outlook for your e-mail, and you like keyboard shortcuts instead of using your mouse, I am sure you will love the shortcuts below: CTRL + F will forward a selected e-mail. CTRL + R will reply to a selected e-mail. CTRL + Shift + R Will ... reply to all for a selected e-mail. CTRL + Enter will send your e-mail quickly. Once you are in your e-mail you can use the Tab key to move through your e-mail and Shift + Tab to back up through your e-mail. Less time and less keystrokes; that's what I am all about! When you become a member at CarolsCornerOffice.com, you have access to this and ... (view more)