I spend a lot of time in front of a computer and when I find something that can save me time I like to implement it into my daily schedule. One of the best things I’ve found is using hotkeys with different programs. With just a quick key combination I can do things that would require many more steps with a mouse.
Some of the hotkeys that I’ve found have really revolutionized the way I work. I use the popular Control-C for copying files and Control-V for pasting almost without thinking. These keystrokes are ingrained in my memory and they work in almost any program.
The big problem I have with hotkeys is that there are so many of them. Given the number of choices they can be hard to remember and I usually find myself searching the menus of my programs to refresh my memory. To overcome this I put my favorites on printed business cards and keep them on my desktop for quick reference.
I put the 5 most common for each program that I use regularly, so that with a little use they will lodge themselves into my long term memory.I usually have two or three under my monitor for quick reference.
Three of the ones I’ve recently discovered that have been especially helpful are…
Control-Enter in Internet Explorer or Firefox. Just put the name of the site you want to go to in the address bar of one of these browsers and hit control-enter. Viola… the browser automatically adds the http://www to the front of the name and then adds a .com to the back. The site name plus control-enter = http://www.site.com. This save so much tedious typing and works well as long as the site you are going to is a dot-com.
Control-P in Powerpoint: Open your PowerPoint show and go to a slide that you want to expound on. Hit Control-P and the cursor turns into a pen. You can doodle and highlight things on the screen with just the flick of your mouse. Right click to change pen size, tip shape, and color. One very handy tool. Just click the ESC key to go back to your show.
Windows Key and E: This quick combination opens up Windows explorer (My computer) and is a quick and easy way to copy and move files around. I like this key combination because it opens explorer with all the folders closed which makes navigation quick and easy.
To give you a quick start remembering these popular hotkeys, I’ve put together a free download of the most popular ones in a Microsoft Word Template. Just download the file and print them out on Avery business card stock. Break them apart and keep them by your computer for quick reference. You can easily modify the template and add additional hotkeys as you discover them. You’ll soon be amazed how much time you save each day with these quick keystrokes.
Instructions for use:
- Download the Hotkey Cards Template for MS Word
- Open the template and modify as necessary
- Print out on Avery business card stock (10 Card)
- Break cards apart
- For portability, stack cards in order and clip together with mini clip
- Transport easily in pocket or purse
- Add to your Walleteer organizer
Please note these cards have been tested on WindowsXP and Microsoft Office 2003 applications. They may not work on older windows or Office versions and will probably not work on the Mac.
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