Spreadsheet Basics for Office Work
Learn how to enter, format, and organize data in a spreadsheet for everyday office tasks.
📘 Reading Lesson
Lesson Notes
Read through the key concepts before you try the challenge.
Real-World Scenario
Your manager at TOR Tech hands you a sticky note with 15 client names, phone numbers, and contract dates scrawled on it. "Enter these into a spreadsheet and sort them by date," they say, walking away. This is a daily reality in office work — and knowing spreadsheets is what separates a capable assistant from a great one.
Spreadsheet Fundamentals
Spreadsheets are the backbone of office data management. Master these fundamentals and you can handle most data tasks with confidence:
- Cells, rows, and columns — a cell is the intersection of a row (number) and column (letter). All data lives in cells.
- Entering and formatting data — type directly into cells; use Format > Cells (or right-click) to adjust number formats, dates, and text alignment
- Basic formulas — =SUM(A1:A10) adds a range; =COUNT(A1:A10) counts entries; =AVERAGE(A1:A10) calculates the mean
- Sorting and filtering — select your data range, then use Data > Sort to sort by any column; use Filter to show only rows that meet a condition
- Freezing header rows — use View > Freeze > 1 Row so your column headers stay visible as you scroll down through data
AI Assist
💡 AI Task: Ask ChatGPT — "What are the 5 most useful Excel or Google Sheets formulas for an office assistant?" Review the response and try at least 2 of the formulas in a practice spreadsheet.
Knowledge Check
Which formula adds up all values in the range A1 through A10?
Challenge
Apply what you've learned in this lesson.
Create a spreadsheet with at least 10 rows of fictional client data. Include columns for: Client Name, Phone Number, and Contract Start Date. Sort the data by Contract Start Date (earliest to latest), add a row count below the data using the COUNT formula, and format the header row so it stands out (bold text and a background color).