10 Google Sheets Tricks That Save You Hours Every Week
đź“… August 30, 2025
Google Sheets isn’t just an online spreadsheet—it’s a powerful tool that can make your work faster, smarter, and easier. Whether you’re managing finances, running a business, or simply keeping track of your daily tasks, these Google Sheets tricks will help you save time every single week.
Let’s dive in 👇
1. Use Keyboard Shortcuts
Stop wasting time clicking menus. Some handy shortcuts:
- Insert row: Ctrl + Alt + = (Windows) or Cmd + Option + = (Mac)
- Open insert link box: Ctrl + K
- Fill down: Ctrl + D
👉 The more you use shortcuts, the faster you’ll work.
2. Freeze Rows & Columns
When scrolling through large data, freeze the header row so it always stays visible.
- Go to View → Freeze → 1 row/column.
Perfect for budgets, attendance sheets, or long inventories.
3. Use Conditional Formatting
Make your sheet “talk” to you visually.
Example: highlight expenses above â‚ą10,000 in red.
- Select range → Format → Conditional Formatting → set rules.
4. Create Drop-Down Lists
Avoid typing errors and keep data consistent.
- Select cells → Data → Data validation → Dropdown.
Example: Add categories like Food, Rent, Travel for your budget tracker.
5. Explore the “Explore” Feature
Click the star-shaped Explore button (bottom right), and Sheets will automatically give you charts, summaries, and insights—without writing a single formula.
6. Use Filter Views
Instead of disturbing your main data, create personal filter views.
- Go to Data → Filter views.
This lets each person in a shared sheet analyze data their own way without changing it for others.
7. Split Text into Columns
Got messy data like “John Doe - Marketing”?
- Select the column → Data → Split text to columns → choose a separator (space, dash, etc.).
8. Protect Ranges & Sheets
Sharing your sheet but worried someone might break your formulas?
- Go to Data → Protect sheets and ranges.
Give editing rights only where needed.
9. Use Simple Functions Smartly
Some must-know time-saving formulas:
=SUM(A2:A50)→ adds values instantly.=AVERAGE(B2:B50)→ finds average.=UNIQUE(A2:A50)→ removes duplicates.=IMPORTRANGE("SheetURL","Sheet1!A1:B10")→ pull data from another sheet.
10. Create Custom Templates
Instead of building sheets from scratch, save a master version of your template (like budget, invoice, or project tracker) and just duplicate it whenever needed.
👉 Pro tip: I’ve built ready-to-use templates that you can plug in right away. Check out my Google Sheets Templates here.
Final Thoughts
Google Sheets is more than just a spreadsheet—it’s a productivity powerhouse. Start using these 10 tricks and you’ll notice how much time (and frustration) you save every week.
If you want to skip the setup and get straight to managing your data, grab one of my ready-to-use Google Sheets templates. They’re designed to make your work simple, fast, and effective.
