Copy your messy text
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2025 4:03 am
How it works: Paste your list into Column A. In Column B1, manually type the first piece of data you want to extract from A1 (e.g., "John Smith"). Press Enter. In Column B2, start typing the second piece of data (e.g., "Jane Doe" if A2 had "Jane Doe (Order #67890)..."). As you type, Excel's "Flash Fill" will often automatically fill the rest of the column based on the pattern it detects.
Why it's lazy: It's like magic. Excel figures out the rule for you. No formulas, no complex setup. Just type, and poof, columns!
Example: You have a list of full names and want just the last name. Type "Smith" next to "John Smith." Excel fills "Doe," "Johnson," etc.
REGEXEXTRACT (Google Sheets - Advanced Lazy):
How it works: If Flash Fill isn't available or your patterns are complex, REGEXEXTRACT can pull out specific parts of a text string using regular expressions. It's a formula, but once you learn basic patterns, it's very efficient for extracting many items at once.
Why it's lazy: One formula copies down hundreds of rows and extracts exactly what you need based on a pattern.
Lazy Method 3: The "Grab It From the Web" Way
Scenario: Data is stuck in a table on a webpage, and you don't want to copy-paste cell by cell.
The Lazy Solution: Copy-paste the whole table, or use browser extensions.
How it works: Often, you can highlight an entire table on a webpage, copy it (Ctrl+C), and paste it directly into a spreadsheet (Ctrl+V). Spreadsheets are surprisingly good at recognizing table structures.
Even Lazier: Many browser extensions (search "table scraper extension" for Chrome/Firefox) can detect tables on a page and export them directly to CSV or Excel with one click.
Why it's lazy: Saves immense time compared to manual re-entry.
Lazy Method 4: The "Ask AI" Way (The Newest Lazy)
Scenario: You have highly unstructured text, like customer reviews or long email conversations, and you need to pull out specific entities (product mentioned, sentiment, problem type).
The Lazy Solution: Use a Large Language Model (LLM) like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Copilot.
How it works:
Paste it into the AI.
Prompt it: "Extract the following information from this text and put it into a table with columns brother cell phone list for [Column 1], [Column 2], [Column 3]: [Paste your text here]" or "Analyze the sentiment for each customer review and provide the product name, the review text, and the sentiment (positive/negative/neutral) in a table format."
Why it's lazy: The AI does the reading, understanding, and structuring for you. It's incredibly powerful for turning qualitative "lists" into quantitative "data."
Example Prompt: "I have a list of customer queries. For each query, identify the customer's name, the main issue, and if they've ordered before. Present this as a table. Here are the queries: [paste queries here]"
The ultimate "lazy" mindset for LIST TO DATA:
Before you manually type anything from a list into a structured format, always ask yourself:
"Can I make this a form?"
"Does this list have a hidden pattern or separator that a spreadsheet can identify?"
"Can a 'smart' spreadsheet feature (like Flash Fill) do this for me?"
"Can I just copy-paste this table directly?"
"Can an AI understand this and put it into a table for me?"
By consistently asking these questions, you'll discover incredibly lazy (and effective) ways to turn your chaotic lists into clean, usable data.
Why it's lazy: It's like magic. Excel figures out the rule for you. No formulas, no complex setup. Just type, and poof, columns!
Example: You have a list of full names and want just the last name. Type "Smith" next to "John Smith." Excel fills "Doe," "Johnson," etc.
REGEXEXTRACT (Google Sheets - Advanced Lazy):
How it works: If Flash Fill isn't available or your patterns are complex, REGEXEXTRACT can pull out specific parts of a text string using regular expressions. It's a formula, but once you learn basic patterns, it's very efficient for extracting many items at once.
Why it's lazy: One formula copies down hundreds of rows and extracts exactly what you need based on a pattern.
Lazy Method 3: The "Grab It From the Web" Way
Scenario: Data is stuck in a table on a webpage, and you don't want to copy-paste cell by cell.
The Lazy Solution: Copy-paste the whole table, or use browser extensions.
How it works: Often, you can highlight an entire table on a webpage, copy it (Ctrl+C), and paste it directly into a spreadsheet (Ctrl+V). Spreadsheets are surprisingly good at recognizing table structures.
Even Lazier: Many browser extensions (search "table scraper extension" for Chrome/Firefox) can detect tables on a page and export them directly to CSV or Excel with one click.
Why it's lazy: Saves immense time compared to manual re-entry.
Lazy Method 4: The "Ask AI" Way (The Newest Lazy)
Scenario: You have highly unstructured text, like customer reviews or long email conversations, and you need to pull out specific entities (product mentioned, sentiment, problem type).
The Lazy Solution: Use a Large Language Model (LLM) like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Copilot.
How it works:
Paste it into the AI.
Prompt it: "Extract the following information from this text and put it into a table with columns brother cell phone list for [Column 1], [Column 2], [Column 3]: [Paste your text here]" or "Analyze the sentiment for each customer review and provide the product name, the review text, and the sentiment (positive/negative/neutral) in a table format."
Why it's lazy: The AI does the reading, understanding, and structuring for you. It's incredibly powerful for turning qualitative "lists" into quantitative "data."
Example Prompt: "I have a list of customer queries. For each query, identify the customer's name, the main issue, and if they've ordered before. Present this as a table. Here are the queries: [paste queries here]"
The ultimate "lazy" mindset for LIST TO DATA:
Before you manually type anything from a list into a structured format, always ask yourself:
"Can I make this a form?"
"Does this list have a hidden pattern or separator that a spreadsheet can identify?"
"Can a 'smart' spreadsheet feature (like Flash Fill) do this for me?"
"Can I just copy-paste this table directly?"
"Can an AI understand this and put it into a table for me?"
By consistently asking these questions, you'll discover incredibly lazy (and effective) ways to turn your chaotic lists into clean, usable data.