Recently, after commenting on a fellow blogger’s site, I was challenged to write about something that may help a few folks out. If you are already technically savvy, this post may not mean a hill of beans to you though. One way to gain efficiency in your daily work routine is to use shortcuts. Not the type that get you in trouble, but the type that increase your productivity.  In my case, I picked these tips up from the place I use to work at it to keep my job. You see, they had spotty equipment and my mouse was forever dying on me. I had to learn these keyboard shortcuts so that I could continue to work – without a mouse! “My mouse is broken” was never a good excuse, and saying “I called the helpdesk” would get several sets of eyes rolled at me. So, I adapted and kept on working.

Today, let’s talk about keyboard shortcuts 🙂 This list is only good for PC users unfortunately (as these commands do not translate well in the iWorld of products).If you are looking to begin using some of these, please bear in mind that it would be good to add one new short cut to your typing routine per week. This way you allow yourself time to get over the awkward stage of looking at your keys and fingers as you attempt to press these buttons. Go slow. Don’t become overwhelmed. Just take it easy and slow and when you see something work for you, merge it into your typing. If something doesn’t work for you after a week, then it’s probably not going to do you any good.

Here goes…

Fall in love with your F-keys 🙂 Here’s what they can do for you…

F1 –

Help!!!  In any applications you are using, the F1 key is the universal placement for HELP. Can’t remember how to zoom? Press F1, Can’t remember how to calculate your spreadsheets? Press F1. Can’t figure out how to crop? Press F1.  F1 is a lifesaver, but you must remember to use it 😉

F5 –

Refresh. This little dandy will refresh your page, your document, your spreadsheet, your pictures, your website….just relax and refresh 🙂

Now we will move on to pressing two buttons at once. In some cases, the “Shortcuts” may be disabled on your PC or program. This is usually the choice of the user. Default settings or turning the shortcuts on will enable you to use these:

Ctrl + P – This wonderful combination will cause your printer to spit out paper filled with ink, lined up that it exactly matches the screen you were just staring at! It’s the fastest way to print anything! To do this, press the Ctrl button, then the letter P. You could think of P for Print.

Ctrl + C – This is your copy command. Simply highlight the area you wish to copy and press the Ctrl button, then the letter C. You could think of C for Copy

Ctrl + V – This is your paste command. Simply click your mouse where you want to paste the last item you copied, and press Ctrl and the letter V. I have no word reconciliation for this one. It’s never made sense to me anyway! All I can tell you is P is for Print so V is for Paste.

Ctrl + A – This simple command can save you a ton of time! If you need to highlight all the material you’ve read, press Ctrl, then the letter A. This command HIghlights everything for you. After you have everything highlighted, you could copy it (Ctrl + C) or cut it (press Delete or backspace) or do whatever you were going to do. Go ahead….try it now. Press Ctrl + A and look at what it does to this page you are reading…  Think of it as A for ALL.

Ctrl + N – N is for New. You can press this combination to bring up a new whatever…new word document, new internet browser, new sticky note, new email, new spreadsheet, new notepad, etc.

Ctrl + B – This little dandy is super helpful. While you are typing, press Ctrl+B and magically, your typing is bold. Think of B as Bold. To remove the Bold effect, press the button combination again.

Ctrl + I – This again, is super helpful to speed of your typing. When pressing Ctrl+I, Your typing is placed in italics. Think of I (eye) as Italics. To remove the Italics, press the button combination again.

Ctrl + U – U is for Underline. While you are typing, simply press the Ctrl button & then press the letter U. After this what you type is underlined. To remove the underline, press the buttons again.

Ctrl + S – The Super Smart Saving power of Ctrl+S is very helpful! This will save your progress in anything you are working in. Every good writer knows that you never type for more than 5 minutes without saving your progress. Anything could happen if you are saving as you go. The cat could jump up on the keyboard and close your session. The kids may call to you and pull you away from your desk. A boss may need you for a brief meeting and then when you return, your PC could be off!  Anyway, always save as you go when writing or doing numbers in excel. For this, think of S as SAVE!

Ctrl + F – Find!  F is for Find! Save time and energy by using this shortcut often. If you are searching for a word or phrase to find information quickly, press the ctrl button + the F key. This works on almost every document and every website (Depending on your browser).

Alt + Tab –
This combination may seem awkward at first, but when you get use to using your left hand for commands, it makes switching between programs, documents,  music players, pictures…any open window – a breeze! Have you ever opened several windows at once and then found your self clicking on all the little boxes in your toolbar to find the one you are looking for? Well, Alt+Tab will slide between these will little effort! It’s a serious time saver.

Arrow keys –
These keys had their heyday back when DOS based games were big. Oh the days 🙂  But now, they are still useful when typing. You can use these nifty little directional buttons to navigate through your writing quickly for editing purposes or any other reason.

There are too many short cuts to list on just one post and I feel as though I may have overwhelmed you (if you are new to this concept) already. I will stop for now, but please do let me know if you’d like to know more.

Have a blessed day folks! 🙂