As a CPA I can attest Excel is really useful for financial data analysis and problem solving. It takes time to learn, and there are limitations to manage, but when you know what you’re doing it really gets out of your way so you can focus your attention on the work product instead of the tool.

On how I got efficient, when I started my career I tried to optimize any task I had to perform repetitively, and after 3 years everything was pretty fast. After that I tried to optimize one process every month, and now I have a pool of ideas to pull from when problem solving.

I’d look at ryzen 7840U laptops, which should have similar gaming performance to the ROG Ally without paying a lot extra for a graphics card that may push you out of budget

I’ve been a CPA for a decade and don’t use a numpad, though I have to give credit to World of Warcraft for my ability to hit any number with ease. I’ve found you will be most efficient when you never have to leave home row with either hand, so learning to use a trackpoint also helps.

The “front page” experience of seeing general news I should be aware of is getting better but it’s harder to find active niche communities as expected, and I wish there was combined or less fracturing with communities, like having to choose whether to follow technology@lemmy.ml or @lemmy.world since I would assume they’re somewhat redundant

Personally, it’s smoother and more enjoyable sure but it’s not the end all be all, like I’ve had more fun playing Diablo 4 on my steam deck at 40 fps than on my desktop at 144 fps.

If your monitor already supports it you could A/B test at like 720p if you prefer 120 medium settings or 60 high to see what you value more