If you’re like most people, you probably use outlines to help organize your thoughts and keep your writing on track. But if you’re like me, you sometimes find yourself struggling to fit everything into the outline boundaries. That’s where tabs come in handy. By using tabs instead of outlines, you can create a more flexible document that’s easier to read and navigate. Here are four tips for using tabs to create tighter outlines in Word:

  1. Start by creating a basic outline with headings and subheadings. Use tabs to divide each section into equal parts. This will help you stay organized and avoid getting bogged down in details later on.
  2. Add further detail as needed by dividing each paragraph into smaller chunks with tab stops. This will give your readers a better understanding of your argument while still keeping the overall structure intact.
  3. Use tabs to break up long paragraphs into shorter blocks that are easier to read and follow along with onscreen. This will help keep your readers engaged throughout the entire article without feeling overwhelmed or lost at any point along the way.
  4. Finally, use tab stops to indicate where specific points should be highlighted or referenced for further reading or discussion purposes. This will make it easy for readers who want to explore further details on specific topics without having to search through entire paragraphs all over again ..

Condensing Your Outline

Here’s one of Word’s default Multilevel List styles. It’s an outline with lots of extra space:

Here’s the same content in outline form, but using tabs (at the default .5″). You can see it’s already much tighter:

Here’s the outline with .2″ tabs, with much more space for content:

With .35″ tabs, it’s a bit easier to distinguish between levels:

Set Your New Default Tab

To create outlines similar to the examples above, all you need is the tab button for each new entry. The default tab is set to .5″ but you can set it lower and then add spaces or tabs if you want more indention for a particular entry. Choose the tab setting that works for you, and you may decided to make tweaks after finishing your outline.

To change your tabs, simply click to expand the Paragraph dialogue box.

Select Tabs at the bottom-right.

Set your new default tab and press OK.

Choose Your Style and Stick to It

When you use only tabs to create your outline, you need to designate your multilevel list format so that each level is distinguishable from the others. For instance, only one of your levels should be noted with capital letters (i.e. A, B, C). Here’s one way you could you designate levels #1-5:

Follow your formatting consistently to keep your outline organized and informative.

If You Need More Space..

The tighter the outline the more informative it can be. However, you may decide that you want to add more space to make it easier on the eyes.

To add more space, you can:

Reduce the margins Expand your default tab For entries that need more space, use more than one tab or simply more spaces between the entry heading (e. g. A, II, iii) and the text Add spaces between lines, entries, or levels (you can also add lines and reduce the font for those lines so that they aren’t too spacious) Put less content on each page

Convert to Tabs

If you have the right outline format, it can enhance your business meeting, academic presentation, or research paper. If you have the wrong format, it can make your outline a mess, detract from your project, and deter from even making an outline.

Consider ditching Word’s Multilevel List format to take control over your formatting and keep your outlines tight and efficient.