◆ Formatting · drill · Excel Keyboard Fluency track
Typeset the memo
Ctrl+B bolds, Ctrl+I italicizes, Alt H F C colors the flag red — and =TODAY() dates the page.
The coverage memo goes out tonight and the typography is flat: the header row carries no weight, one body line is bold it never earned, the margin notes read like data, and a discontinued item still sits in the list like it’s live, unflagged. Set the type so the page reads at a glance — then sign it with a live date and save it down.
The shortcuts in this drill
Alt walks: tap Alt, release, then the letters in sequence — each key steps one ribbon menu. On a Mac, tap ⌥ and use the same letters (KeyTips, Excel 2024+).
Ctrl+B⌘B on macBold
Bold marks structure: titles, total rows, anything the reviewer’s eye should land on first.
Ctrl+I⌘I on macItalic
Italics are the convention for memos, footnotes, and anything explanatory rather than computed.
Alt h f c⌥ h f c on macFont color
Font color: blue inputs, black formulas — the oldest convention in banking models, still enforced.
functions you'll type: TODAY()
The optimal line
the par-setting sequence, straight through:
bold A2:D2 · UNbold row 3 · ctrl+i the memos A10:A12 · ctrl+5 the dead line A5:D5 · =TODAY() at B14 · ctrl+s
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