Comments on: Put Down Your Mouse http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/ A blog about our thoughts on entrepreneurship, teamwork, our services, the Web and anything we find interesting. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:26:59 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Daniel Tsang http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-36067 Daniel Tsang Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:45:42 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-36067 Hi Dave, Nice story. I use Ctrl-A a lot for word-processors and file management. I have never related the letter X to scissors, but now that you mention it... Another reason why they might have decided on those letters is that they are the closest letters to the Ctrl key. It would be difficult to do a Ctrl+P for pasting unless you use your right Ctrl key and right hand. -Daniel T Hi Dave,

Nice story. I use Ctrl-A a lot for word-processors and file management.

I have never related the letter X to scissors, but now that you mention it…

Another reason why they might have decided on those letters is that they are the closest letters to the Ctrl key. It would be difficult to do a Ctrl+P for pasting unless you use your right Ctrl key and right hand.

-Daniel T

]]> By: Dave http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-36065 Dave Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:38:46 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-36065 Other hotkeys that I look for Ctrl-A : select all A hotkeys tidbit (heard from a mentor WAYYY back): Do you know why apple selected the original cut copy paste hotkeys keys they did? (it was apple x,c,v) -C: because it was the first letter of Copy -X: because it looked like scissors -V: because it was beside the C and the X I dont' know if it is true, but it makes for a good story... Other hotkeys that I look for
Ctrl-A : select all

A hotkeys tidbit (heard from a mentor WAYYY back):
Do you know why apple selected the original cut copy paste hotkeys keys they did?
(it was apple x,c,v)
-C: because it was the first letter of Copy
-X: because it looked like scissors
-V: because it was beside the C and the X

I dont’ know if it is true, but it makes for a good story…

]]> By: Daniel Tsang http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-36058 Daniel Tsang Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:13:37 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-36058 Hi Stewart, That's useful. I think some keyboards can be programmed as well. Mine comes with some buttons to automatically bring up IE and Outlook although I don't use them much. Hi James, Don't forget to use Windows Button + R to bring up the RUN window instead of moving your mouse to the start menu. You can also access the start menu with Ctrl + Esc. Cheers, -Daniel T Hi Stewart,

That’s useful. I think some keyboards can be programmed as well. Mine comes with some buttons to automatically bring up IE and Outlook although I don’t use them much.

Hi James,

Don’t forget to use Windows Button + R to bring up the RUN window instead of moving your mouse to the start menu. You can also access the start menu with Ctrl + Esc.

Cheers,

-Daniel T

]]> By: James http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-36028 James Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:33:45 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-36028 Some of my favourites are Alt Tab to tab through menus, Alt and the associated underlined letter in windows apps, also Alt D in IE to get to the address bar to type in your URL. Also typing in your url via Start > Run Some of my favourites are Alt Tab to tab through menus, Alt and the associated underlined letter in windows apps, also Alt D in IE to get to the address bar to type in your URL. Also typing in your url via Start > Run

]]> By: So you think you are fast? http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-35756 So you think you are fast? Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:39:22 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-35756 [...] few months ago, I made a blog post about improving your productivity with hotkeys.  This week, I’ll show you how to increase your productivity by increasing your mouse pointer [...] [...] few months ago, I made a blog post about improving your productivity with hotkeys.  This week, I’ll show you how to increase your productivity by increasing your mouse pointer [...]

]]> By: Stewart Collins http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-28440 Stewart Collins Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:46:16 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-28440 Note quite a hot key, but check out Bayden systems SlickRun. This allows you to create shortcuts for anything - so I now have 2 char codes for all my apps. You just hit Windows Key + Q, then type the code you defined. ie=Internet Explorer, ol=Outlook, ex=Excel Note quite a hot key, but check out Bayden systems SlickRun.

This allows you to create shortcuts for anything – so I now have 2 char codes for all my apps. You just hit Windows Key + Q, then type the code you defined.

ie=Internet Explorer,
ol=Outlook,
ex=Excel

]]> By: Mike McDerment http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-27619 Mike McDerment Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:08:13 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-27619 CTRL + T - has got to be my favorite. CTRL + W - going to introduce it to the mix. Thanks. CTRL + T – has got to be my favorite.

CTRL + W – going to introduce it to the mix. Thanks.

]]> By: Daniel Tsang http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-27605 Daniel Tsang Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:22:36 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-27605 Hi Ryan, Thanks for the FireFox short-cut. I typically use IE 6,0, so I find it very handy to hold “SHIFT” down when clicking on links that I want to pop-up in a new window. I also find Ctrl + N for opening a new window second-nature to me. I find Windows Button + M less useful, because Windows Button + D does the same thing with the added bonus of restoring all the windows to their original positions. Cheers, Hi Ryan,

Thanks for the FireFox short-cut. I typically use IE 6,0, so I find it very handy to hold “SHIFT” down when clicking on links that I want to pop-up in a new window. I also find Ctrl + N for opening a new window second-nature to me.

I find Windows Button + M less useful, because Windows Button + D does the same thing with the added bonus of restoring all the windows to their original positions.

Cheers,

]]> By: Ryan http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-27499 Ryan Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:07:05 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-27499 Just a couple I use: I use firefox and often have many tabs open and like to close them easily: Ctrl + W - closes open tab You mentioned maximizing windows but I always need to minimize the windows to get to the shortcuts on my desktop so: Windows Button + M = Minimize all windows. or Windows Button + D = Show desktop. Just a couple I use:

I use firefox and often have many tabs open and like to close them easily:

Ctrl + W – closes open tab

You mentioned maximizing windows but I always need to minimize the windows to get to the shortcuts on my desktop so:

Windows Button + M = Minimize all windows. or

Windows Button + D = Show desktop.

]]> By: Levi Cooperman http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/comment-page-1/#comment-27446 Levi Cooperman Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:32:19 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2007/01/19/put-down-your-mouse/#comment-27446 I have been a hotkey fanatic ever since I watched a mentor of mine at my first job after university work his Excel spreadsheets on his laptop entirely with hotkeys. Things moved so fast I was in awe! My all time favourite is F2 which is very handy for renaming files, and getting to the edit of an Excel cell. Oh, and don't forget ESC...it has to be the original hotkey that is a saviour for many actions that you know right away you shouldn't be doing. I have been a hotkey fanatic ever since I watched a mentor of mine at my first job after university work his Excel spreadsheets on his laptop entirely with hotkeys. Things moved so fast I was in awe!

My all time favourite is F2 which is very handy for renaming files, and getting to the edit of an Excel cell.

Oh, and don’t forget ESC…it has to be the original hotkey that is a saviour for many actions that you know right away you shouldn’t be doing.

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