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Excel for Everyday Work, a free technology course on Tomo

Excel for Everyday Work

Turn raw numbers into clear, automated answers using modern spreadsheet essentials. Learn to write dynamic formulas, clean up messy tables, and connect separate data lists with confidence.

Like Duolingo, but for Excel for Everyday Work. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.

A short one: 11 levels across 2 sections, about 22 minutes end to end, roughly 4 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Building Working Sheets and Answering Everyday Questions. It starts from scratch.

11 bite-size levelsAbout 5 minutes each

Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android

Sammy the Spreadsheet Sloth, the guide who teaches the Excel for Everyday Work course
Excel for Everyday Work
with Sammy the Spreadsheet Sloth
11
Levels
2
Sections
5
Min/day
What you'll learn

Key ideas in Excel for Everyday Work

  • Excel treats any entry starting with letters or numbers as literal text or values unless it begins with an equals sign
  • Typing an equals sign (=) tells Excel to treat the contents as a formula and calculate the result
  • Without an equals sign, math expressions like 50+25 remain plain text on the screen
  • Formulas that point to cell coordinates look up the current value stored in those cells dynamically
  • Hardcoding static numbers (like =10*5) means the formula will never change when worksheet data updates
  • Using cell references ensures outputs stay in sync whenever earlier numbers are edited
  • Functions like SUM and AVERAGE condense repetitive arithmetic across multiple cells into a single compact instruction
  • A colon between two cell references specifies a continuous range of cells for Excel to evaluate
  • SUM totals values while AVERAGE divides the total by the count of numeric entries
  • Dragging the fill handle copies a formula to adjacent cells
  • By default, Excel shifts row numbers when copying downward and column letters when copying across
  • Copying one row down changes references to the next row (A2 becomes A3, B2 becomes B3)
  • Sorting only one column reorders just those cells, detaching them from the rest of the row
  • Expanding the selection ensures Excel moves entire rows together so names stay paired with their correct details
  • Excel displays a warning prompt when it detects data adjacent to a single selected column before sorting
  • Applying a filter in Excel temporarily hides rows that do not meet your criteria
Why not just Google it

You've tried the other tabs

Wikipedia

Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.

YouTube

You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.

ChatGPT

One answer, then back to scrolling.

Online courses

Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.

Tomo gives Excel for Everyday Work the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.

Try a question

Here's what playing it feels like

A real question from this course. Take your best guess.

Making Excel Do the Math

What happens the moment you type an equals sign (=) at the start of a cell?

Get it right to open this lesson and 10 more in the app.

Course map

How to learn Excel for Everyday Work, step by step

Go in order. 11 short levels across 2 sections, about 22 minutes in all, five minutes a day.

  1. 1

    Building Working Sheets

    • Formulas That Update Themselves
    • Taming Messy Lists with Sorts and Filters
  2. 2

    Answering Everyday Questions

    • Automating Decisions with Conditional Logic
    • Connecting Separate Lists with Modern Lookups

2 sections · 4 units · 11 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.

Questions

Questions about Excel for Everyday Work

  1. How do I learn Excel for Everyday Work?

    Go in order: start with Building Working Sheets, then Answering Everyday Questions. On Tomo that's 11 short levels, about 22 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.

  2. Is there a Duolingo-style app for Excel for Everyday Work?

    Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Excel for Everyday Work is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.

  3. Is the Excel for Everyday Work course free?

    Yes. Excel for Everyday Work is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.

  4. How long does it take to learn Excel for Everyday Work?

    11 levels across 2 sections, about 22 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.

  5. Do I need any background to start Excel for Everyday Work?

    No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.

New

Tomo is in ChatGPT

Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.

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How it's taught

You pick the voice

This course
The Bestie

Excel for Everyday Work is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.

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Start Excel for Everyday Work today.

Download Tomo, search Excel for Everyday Work, and play your first lesson in under a minute.