It may have been mentioned before, but my husband always comments on how quickly I can fly through small tasks on my computer and be done before he even starts typing. Overall the two key areas that let me do that are:
Getting better at touch typing. I began learning to type on a typewriter (yeah – those) since I was oh maybe 12 or 13. My mother had a book on typewriting dating from the 50’s. Every year during school vacation, I’d learn bit by bit. I’m still not as good as mom though, sometimes I stumble over my finger placement badly but it has helped tremendously. Especially when blogging.
Mastering keyboard shortcuts. Yes, it sounds like a ton of work and in the beginning it could be. But here’s the trick. Don’t learn all of them at one time. Learn the basics first. On every operating system, there are basic keyboard commands that work on every single program you have. Things like Ctrl/Cmd+C for copy, Ctrl/Cmd+V for paste, Ctrl/Cmd+X for cut, and Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+Right/Left for highlight should be something you already know if you’ve been computing for anytime. If you don’t, learn it now. You’ll be amazed how much quicker this is.
There are tons of little hacks like these that could shave off seconds here and there. But don’t despise those seconds because they add up quickly when you do them over and over all day long. This video by David Pogue nicely and quickly points out 10 tech tips – many of them, like the tab to move from field to field that I’ve personally mastered and highly recommend you do it too. Some are on the phone. Love the space bar twice thing. Watch it and save yourself some time today.