Spreadsheets definitely have their place in business. They’re a great tool for keeping track of data and even for planning out everything from schedules to lists. However, spreadsheets can also cause trouble. When you find that you have a large number of spreadsheets, it can be hard to keep track of them. You might have the same data in different spreadsheets and you might not even be sure about which spreadsheets are for what. When your spreadsheets are starting to overwhelm you, you need to do something about it. These solutions will help you to get on top of your spreadsheets once and for all.

Create a Naming and Organization System

When you have a lot of spreadsheets, one of the big problems can be that they’re hard to organize. It can be difficult to find the exact spreadsheet you need when you need it, leaving you opening up different sheets to try and find the right one. If you want to correct this problem, it can be smart to create a single system to name and organize your sheets. Firstly, consider splitting sheets into different folders for various purposes. Next, come up with a naming convention that you can stick to. Name all of your spreadsheets using the same details, such as date, project name and subject matter.

Remove or Consolidate Any Duplicates

If you have too many spreadsheets, there’s a chance that you can get rid of some of them. Checking for any duplicates will help you to find any redundant spreadsheets that you no longer require. If you have two spreadsheets for the same purpose, you can delete one of them or consolidate them so you have all of the data you need in one spreadsheet. This will also give you the chance to get rid of any spreadsheets that are just not useful to you anymore.

Link Your Sheets

When you have a lot of spreadsheets, one of the problems could be that you’re struggling to use them together. If they’re not connected and working together, they won’t be as useful as they could be. However, you can link your sheets together so that they can work even harder for you. In Excel, for example, you can link both Workbooks and sheets within an individual Workbook so that you can manage your spreadsheets more easily.

Get the Right Software

Sometimes the solution might be to stop relying on spreadsheets so heavily. When you are overwhelmed with spreadsheets, there are often better solutions for managing data. A service like eBECS can help you to implement Microsoft Power BI or similar software for recording and visualizing data. You can use Power BI together with Excel to get the most out of your spreadsheet data. If you don’t like any of the readymade solutions out there, you could also consider having custom software created for your business. It could be designed to meet all of your needs.

Don’t let spreadsheets take over your life. There are solutions to help you keep them organized.