My Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts

Tutorial by Juan Ruiz

Today I would like to share with you my favorite keyboard shortcuts. In the past, I have seen my wife type so fast, that smoke fills the room. (It might be dust, but I haven't taken the time to find out exactly.) But recently, it seems she has slowed down a little. I have observed her while she is at the computer to see what might be slowing her down. Aha! I see the problem. (My eyes are trained for that, you know.) She is reaching for the mouse way too often for things she could be doing with key combinations. Instead she is wasting time finding the arrow, dragging the cursor, moving the arrow up to edit, clicking copy, scooting the mouse to the new insertion point, clicking to anchor the cursor, scrolling the mouse towards "edit", clicking for the drop menu, highlighting "paste"... you get the point (I'm dizzy now.) So, let's get to it. Using keyboard commands might make you a little more productive. Here's a few to get you started: 1) Hold the CTRL key and type the letter "c" (CTRL + c) is copy. That is the same as if you would have reached for the mouse and clicked the "edit" menu, then the "copy" option. "Ok?" you say, "I already know how to "copy" with the keyboard." Don't fret, here's how to make it useful. Once you have copied something you must paste it somewhere, right? 2) CTRL + V is commonly known as the "paste" command. (Just like copy, hold the CTRL and type the letter v.) "Yeah, but I still have to use my mouse to select the text I want." Stay with me... 3) Hold the Shift key and type on your arrows. Do you see what is happening? Holding the shift key and a combination of arrows highlights your text. Want more speed? 4) Hold Shift and CTRL, while you hit the arrows. Enough for now. Practice these key combinations and soon, you might even get rid of the mouse.