{"id":6598,"date":"2017-05-15T04:45:13","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T09:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/2010\/07\/using-keyboard-shortcuts-to-boost-your-productivity.html"},"modified":"2022-02-15T12:35:57","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T18:35:57","slug":"using-keyboard-shortcuts-to-boost-your-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/using-keyboard-shortcuts-to-boost-your-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am not a big fan of computer mice. Every time I have to take my hand off the keyboard, it costs me a few seconds. This may not sound like much, but it adds up over the course of a day.
\n
\nInstead, I like to keep my hands on the keyboard. With a little memory work and the right tools, you can boost your productivity and run circles around your mouse-dependent colleagues.
\n
\nThe trick is to use keyboard shortcuts. What are these? They are combinations of simultaneous key presses that perform specific actions that might otherwise require pointing and clicking multiple times.
\nKeyboard shortcuts usually require a combination of modifier keys (command, option, control, and shift) plus other keys\u2014either a letter or number.
\nHere are four\u00a0ways you can kick the mouse habit:<\/p>\n

1. Learn System-Wide Keyboard Commands<\/h3>\n

For example, on the Mac, these keyboard shortcuts generally work in every program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Command-,<\/td>\nSet the application preferences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-A<\/td>\nSelect all text<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-B<\/td>\nBold the selected text or turn on the bold style<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-C<\/td>\nCopy the selected text to the clipboard<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-F<\/td>\nFind text<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-G<\/td>\nFind next occurrence of text<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-I<\/td>\nItalicize the selected text or turn on italic style<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-N<\/td>\nCreate a new file<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-O<\/td>\nOpen an existing file<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-P<\/td>\nPrint a file<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-Q<\/td>\nQuit the current application<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-R<\/td>\nPreview the elected document<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-S<\/td>\nSave a file<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-T<\/td>\nShow the available fonts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-V<\/td>\nPaste the text from the clipboard<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-W<\/td>\nClose the current window<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-X<\/td>\nCut (and delete) the selected text but places it on the clipboard<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-Z<\/td>\nUndo the last action<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

This just scratches the surface. You can find numerous online references with a complete list of shortcut keys. One of my favorites is the MacRumors: Guides<\/a>. Windows has similar system-wide keyboard shortcuts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Learn Application-Specific Commands<\/h3>\n

In addition to system-wide commands, each application has its own specific commands. For example, I live in Apple Mail<\/a>. Common Mail shortcuts include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Command-R<\/td>\nReply only to the sender<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-Shift-R<\/td>\nReply to all<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-Shift-F<\/td>\nForward message<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-1<\/td>\nGoto inbox<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-2<\/td>\nGoto outbox<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-3<\/td>\nGoto drafts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-4<\/td>\nGoto sent<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Command-5<\/td>\nGo to trash<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Every application has its own unique shortcut keys. Usually these are listed in the applications documentation. It may be a little \u201cgeeky\u201d to read through it, but I\u2019ve found it worth the investment.<\/p>\n

3. Use a Keyboard Application Launcher<\/h3>\n

This is what takes it to an entirely different level. Typically, on a Mac, you launch an application by clicking on an application in the dock (via the mouse) or going to Finder<\/strong>, selecting the Applications<\/strong> folder, and scanning through all the application files. With a keyboard launcher (like Keyboard Maestro<\/a>), you can launch an application by typing a few keystrokes. Your hands never leave the keys. I have a keystroke combination for every program I use on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

4. Use a Keyboard Macro Program<\/h3>\n

This type of program takes a few keystrokes and expands it into a word, a phrase, a paragraph, or even an entire document. I use TextExpander<\/a>. When I type \u201c;blog\u00a0\u201d, the program replaces that text with the URL of my Web site: https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com. If I type \u201c,addrh\u201d (for address, home), it replaces the text with my home address.
\nThe possibilities are endless. Basically, you can create a macro for anything you find yourself typing over and over again. TextExpander\u00a0even comes with several preloaded sets of abbreviations, including spelling corrects and HTML snippets.
\nEvery time your hand comes off the keyboard to grab the mouse, consider it a penalty. And while you're at it, think how you can create a keyboard shortcut using one of the methods above to avoid ever having to do it again.
\n

Do you make extensive use of keyboard shortcuts? What tools do you use? How has it impacted your productivity?<\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am not a big fan of computer mice. Every time I have to take my hand off the keyboard, it costs me a few seconds. This may not sound like much, but it adds up over the course of a day. Instead, I like to keep my hands on the keyboard. With a little memory work and the right tools, you can boost your productivity and run circles around your mouse-dependent colleagues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":36441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[213,601,602,603,604,605,30,606,607,608],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUsing Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity | Full Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/using-keyboard-shortcuts-to-boost-your-productivity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity | Full Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I am not a big fan of computer mice. 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