A day in my life; Week 2

An everyday normal day in my life: 

1. Go to my job – I spent a good portion of my day handling tasks related to my job in insurance. This included responding to client inquiries, updating policy details, and ensuring coverage accuracy. It's always busy, but I enjoy the challenges it brings and meeting new people.

2. Took the dogs for a walk – I took my two golden retrievers for a walk when I get out of work. It’s not only good for them but also gives me a mental break and a chance to enjoy some fresh air.

3. Cooked dinner – Most nights I prepared a home-cooked meal. It’s usually fairly simple, but I find cooking to be a relaxing and rewarding task, especially after a long day.

4. Work on marketing material – I spent some time creating and refining marketing content aimed at attracting new clients. This included writing a few posts for social media to promote myself.

5. Watch some of a series on Netflix – After a long day, I end my day by watching a few episodes of a series on Netflix.

6. Work on school work – I dedicated time to completing assignments for my school courses. As I am actively engaged in UAGC and Sophia Learning trying to accelerate earning my degree. 

7. Drive my car – I run some errands around town and drive back and forth from my job daily.

8. House cleaning – I usually vacuum to keep up with all of the pet hair or “golden glitter” as I call it.

9. Sleep  – I have to sleep in order to be rested for the next day! 

10. Organized my workspace – Before ending the day, I organized my desk and computer area. A clean workspace helps me stay focused and motivated for the next day.

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Week number 2; this assignment allowed me to dive a little deeper into specific Microsoft applications and understand more of how each application can play a crucial role in recording, presenting, and analyzing information. From documenting daily routines to preparing professional or academic presentations, understanding the strengths and limitations of different applications is essential for all educational, personal, and workplace productivity. My paper compares the main functions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint applications. I will also explain their advantages and disadvantages and how I use each application for various tasks. 

Each application used in this assignment serves different but essential functions. Microsoft Word is ideal for writing research papers and essays, creating resumes, and composing business proposals. It offers helpful features such as built-in formatting tools, citation reference tools, and various templates and integrations.  Personally, I use Word primarily for schoolwork. Since many courses require weekly essays or written discussions, Word formatting and editing tools help me maintain consistency, correct spelling, and properly format my assignments. Microsoft Excel, on the other hand, excels at organizing data, performing calculations, and producing visual representations such as charts and graphs. I have found Excel to be highly efficient for budgeting, tracking goals or routines, and managing work-related information. I use Excel almost daily as an insurance agent. It helps me track new sales, schedule follow-up quotes, and manage client marketing efforts. As Baker and Sugden (2003) note, Excel has long been recognized as a flexible tool for modeling, analysis, and data interpretation in educational contexts. Its user-friendly interface allows me to record and sort large amounts of client or sales data efficiently, which is critical for planning and performance tracking. Finally, Microsoft PowerPoint is particularly valuable for creating engaging visual presentations. I use it for school assignments, client pitches, and new employee training to show different aspects of our systems. PowerPoint allows me to present a bunch of information visually through slides and animations, making it easier to keep people viewing and engaged. 

Sometimes, a regular Word document can be "boring," and it is hard to maintain a strong attention span, especially when giving out mixed information; a visual presentation often communicates key points more effectively, especially in settings where focus and attention are crucial. Understanding when to use each of Microsoft's application tools and functionality greatly enhances academic, personal, and workplace productivity. While Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all serve a purpose, Excel proved to be the most effective for documenting and analyzing this assignment for "A Day in My Life.". Mastering these tools allows me to meet school and work responsibilities. It increases my efficiency and ability to present information clearly and professionally, depending on what task I am working on.

References

Baker, J. J., & Sugden, S. J. (2003). Spreadsheets in education – The first 25 years. Spreadsheets in Education (eJSiE), 1(1), Article 2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/27827008_Spreadsheets_in_Education_-The_First_25_Years

The feedback I received from my professor: "Good work with this assignment, Kailey. You covered the requirements well. The disadvantages of the applications needed more detail."