User interface expert Jeff Atwood calls this “two-fisted computing” – keeping both hands busy to make maximum use of both keyboard and mouse. If you’re inserting a page break, hitting CTRL-ENTER is far faster than digging through the menu sequence Insert | Break | Page Break Your right hand just flicks up to hit the F8 key, and your left hand is already in position to do the bold. With the keyboard shortcut, you simply hit F8 twice to select the sentence, then CTRL-B, and you’re done. Think of what’s actually involved in various tasks. Every time you take your right hand away from the keyboard, you’re slowing down your workflow and adjusting to a different mode of operation, then you have to put your hand back on the keyboard to continue typing.įor example: to make a sentence bold using a mouse, you need to drag over the text to select it, then go to the bold icon, then resume typing. Right there, you’ve saved yourself hours of frustration.
You’ll never again have to worry about losing your work. It’s so much easier than clicking File | Save that it becomes almost a reflex action whenever you finish a paragraph. Once you’ve learned to type CTRL-S to save your work, you’ll find yourself doing it unconsciously every couple of minutes. Learning to touch type will make an enormous difference if you do a lot of text work – some things haven’t changed! But the skill you most need to learn is keyboard shortcuts.Īnd there are hidden benefits. To get the maximum speed out of your computer, you should learn to make the most out of your keyboard. But it’s not always the most efficient way to work.
Graphical user interfaces, replete with buttons and menus, are easy to use, and we love them. The mouse is a wonderful invention that has changed computing. Top of the list is learning keyboard shortcuts. We’re often asked by customers for our favorite tips and tricks for getting more done.
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