Breaking the Mouse Barrier

November 6, 2008 By

Do you use your mouse to do most tasks in a Windows environment?
If you answered yes to that question I guarantee I can cut the amount of time that it takes for you to write e-mails, browse the Internet, and create and edit documents in Microsoft office programs, by about  half!
I’ve taught hundreds of people in individual and group settings how to break the mouse barrier!  Precision mousing is a waste of your precious time, and I bet  that you have complained one more than one occasion that you do not have enough time!  Don’t feel bad, were altogether on that!  We have entirely too much going on our lives  and were consistently bombarded with information.  Why not learn how to process that information more efficiently.  it all starts with this simple phrase.


“There Are Alternate Ways to Control Your Computer”
Oh sure, I can hear many people  say I know keyboard shortcuts, I don’t need any help with those!  But then I watch them, and they don’t use them.  If they do,  they only use two or three of the most basic ones, which are the ones you only use at the beginning and end of your computing tasks.
Press the Alt key  in any Windows program including Internet Explorer.  Seriously, right now, press the Alt key!
Watch what happens to your menu at the top of the page. It is activated  and every menu item has a letter that is underlined.
While that menu is activated, type any one of the underlined letters  from the keyboard and you automatically get that item.
Also note to the right, Ctrl+ combinations of keys.  Those combinations will give you those items even when the menu is not activated!
If you make a point every week to learn and use one of those commands, you will cut the amount of time that you spend doing any single task, that you used to do with a mouse, in half.  It ads up.  1000’s of clicks you  would normally do in the course of the next couple of weeks or months will add up to hours of  available time for something else. So, what are you waiting for? Get in the fast lane and Break the Mouse Barrier!