Get Organized: 25 Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

http://www.pcmag.com/article/print/294026

Get Organized: 25 Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

ARTICLE DATE : February 13, 2012 By Jill Duffy Organization and productivity go hand-in-hand. It's hard to have one without the other. I've been thinking lately about how and where I picked up certain habits of organization and best practices that I use every day. Almost all of them were learned. I picked up a lot of them at one particular office job where I worked with two very sharp and organized women. They would teach me different skills by simply doing whatever it was I needed to learn while I looked over their shoulders. I kept fastidious notes. I wrote by hand lists of the things I needed to do, and referenced them over and over throughout the day, while I was working, until I had memorized all the steps. When I hit a block, I asked for help or looked up a solution online when it was available, annotated my notes, and got back to work. I believe in notes. I also believe in keyboard shortcuts. Those notes I took were full of keyboard shortcuts. I wouldn't know half the keyboard shortcuts I use today if I hadn't kept the notes, referenced them while working, and practiced them over and over again. When we need to get work done, we can't always stop, bookmark what we're doing, and research the problem or an answer or a solution on the spot. It interrupts the flow. One of the most effective ways to learn a skill and develop a habit is through repetition. This column is all about giving you the tools you need to master 25 essential keyboard shortcuts. Get organized and learn them, and you'll find yourself much more productive. The shortcuts I've picked (which appear on the following two pages, one for Windows and one for Mac) operate predominately at the OS level, although a few work across many programs, and five are specific to browsers, where computer users tend of spend a lot of time. Perhaps you know some of these keyboard shortcuts already, in which case you'll only need to learn a few new ones. But if you're not a "power user" and find yourself limping along with a mouse, print out this list of short cuts (or copy them by hand on a new piece of paper, as writing often reinforces learning), highlight the ones you think you'll use most, and keep that paper next to your computer until your new skills are down pat. I've provided versions for both Windows and Mac see the following pages. If you don't learn well through written words or have a hard time imagining how some of these shortcuts look on screen, there's a video below to help. It doesn't show all 25, but a few of my favorites are in there. Do note that while my lists focus on default shortcuts, you can change the defaults as well as create your own. Next: 25 Essential Keyboard ShortcutsWindows >>

25 Essential Keyboard ShortcutsWindows

Note: Single letter keys are shown capitalized, but you do not have to hold Shift unless it's specified. You also don't have to type the plus sign; plus sign just means push the keys on either side of it at the same time. Commonly Used OS-Level Shortcuts 1. Alt + Tab (toggle between programs) 2. Windows button + M (show desktop, i.e., minimize all windows) 3. Windows button + Tab (show all active windows in task bar) 4. PrtScn (save screen capture to clipboard; "paste" the image into an image-editing program to make it into a file) 5. Windows button (opens applications menu) Browser Shortcuts 6. Ctrl + T (open a new tab) 7. Ctrl + Shift + t (reopens the tab you last closed; works multiple times) 8. F5 (reload page) 9. Backspace (go to previous page; works multiple times) 10. Ctrl + Tab (cycle between tabs) Commonly Used Shortcuts in Most Applications 11. Ctrl+ Z (undo last operation) 12. Ctrl + Y (redo last operation) 13. Crtl + O (open file) 14. Crtl + S (save) 15. Ctrl + W (close active window or file) 16. Crtl + Q (quit application) Copy-and-Pasters' Delight 17. Ctrl + A (select all in active window; e.g., select all text on page) 18. Ctrl + X (cut to clipboard) 19. Ctrl + C (copy) 20. Ctrl + V (paste) Find, Select, and Navigate Text 21. Ctrl + F (find; helpful if you're searching for a particular word on a website or document) 22. Ctrl + Shift + down arrow (select until end of line) 23. Ctrl + Shift + up arrow (select until beginning of line) 24. Ctrl + Home (move cursor to top/start of document) 25. Ctrl + End (move cursor to bottom/end of document) Next: 25 Essential Keyboard ShortcutsMac >>

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Get Organized: 25 Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

25 Essential Keyboard ShortcutsMac

http://www.pcmag.com/article/print/294026

Note: Single letter keys are shown capitalized, but you do not have to hold Shift unless it's written. You also don't have to type the plus sign; plus sign just means push the keys on either side of it at the same time. Commonly Used OS-Level Shortcuts 1. Command + Tab (toggle between programs) 2. Command + M (minimize active window) 3. Swipe three fingers up on trackpad (show all active windows) 4. Command + Shift + 3 (take screen shot; the default settings will save it to a predefined location, usually the "Pictures" folder and name it "Picture1," "Picture2," etc.) 5. Command + N (opens new Finder from desktop; new window/file in most other programs) Browser Shortcuts 6. Command + T (open a new tab) 7. Command + Shift + t (reopens the tab you last closed in Chrome, Firefox, Opera; works multiple times) 8. Command + R (reload page) 9. Backspace (go to previous page; works multiple times) 10. Control + Tab (cycle between tabs/go to next tab in Chrome, Firefox, Opera) Commonly Used Shortcuts in Most Applications 11. Command + Z (undo last operation) 12. Command + Y (redo last operation) 13. Command + O (open file) 14. Command + S (save) 15. Command + W (close active window or file) 16. Command + Q (quit application) Copy-and-Pasters' Delight 17. Command + A (select all in active window; e.g., select all text on page) 18. Command + X (cut to clipboard) 19. Command + C (copy) 20. Command + V (paste) Find, Select, and Navigate Text 21. Command + F (find; helpful if you're searching for a particular word on a website or document) 22. Command + Shift + down arrow (select until end of line) 23. Command + Shift + up arrow (select until beginning of line) 24. Command + up arrow (move cursor to top/start of document) 25. Command + down arrow (move cursor to bottom/end of document) Get Organized is a weekly series of articles on PCMag.com to help you keep your digital files and online life organized. Check back every Monday for new tips and tricks.

Copyright (c) 2012 Ziff Davis Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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