One Trick That 10x My Productivity At Computers
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How shortcuts make you faster than everyone else.
Master microsoft windows and master mac.
The only way to use mac shortcuts and microsoft windows shortcuts.
This week, I have a quick one for you, but it will blast your skills using a computer through the roof.
When I first started my studies in computer science, I thought I was a super hacker.
I was running Microsoft Windows and Debian Linux in parallel.
I would have never touched a Mac.
I was handling a hundred application icons on my desktop.
My files were organized in deeply nested folder structures.
It was a mess.
It took me ages to find and click the application I wanted to start.
I had to remember where everything was and the path of +20 clicks to get there.
And the search function in the Windows Explorer never found any file.
It usually finishes a 10-minute search with no results while I'm staring right at the file to search.
It was a complicated system to use and needed a lot of brains.
But I was king at doing so.
I was faster and better than anyone I knew in using this crappy system.
So, I was the cool tech god among my friends.
Ah, the good old 90s and 00s.
Then, with the release of Microsoft Windows 8, they upgraded their search function.
Or at least they introduced a working global search eight years after MacOS.
This feature was a game changer.
A simple button press brought the knowledge stored on my computer to my fingertips.
Today, I can't think of using my computer without this search function.
I got rid of all icons on my desktop.
Nice and clean.
More headspace free to be productive.
I'm working on a MacBook now.
Yes, I went to the dark side.
It was worth selling my soul. 😀
My productivity and speed are higher than ever before.
Because instead of clicking or searching for a file 100 times a day, I ask for it.
If you want to be productive, it is the tiny things you do 100 times a day that make the most significant difference.
How to speed up everything you do on a computer?
The search function of your operating system will skyrocket your productivity.
Hit win + s, or cmd + spacebar respectively on your keyboard.
A search bar opens in the middle of the screen.
Type the name of the application or file you're searching.
Hit enter.
Done. No mouse is needed.
Your fingers can stay on the keyboard the whole time.
It even searches the internet for the answers to questions you enter or calculates 1+1.
It's as simple as that.
The UI of the future
In the end, it doesn't matter which operating system you use
What is important is that you become proficient at using whatever system you use.
This applies generally to all systems you're using in your day-to-day life.
The things you do often yield the most significant potential for improvements.
Make it a habit to make these tiny adjustments to your system usage regularly.
1% better everyday.
A lot of applications have similar search or command functions already built in.
See if the software you use daily has such a command bar to unlock its full potential.
The most challenging thing in using a command bar-based system is naming things.
It isn't anymore about remembering where to find something.
Today and in the future, it will be all about articulating your needs.
Expressing precisely what you want is essential to succeeding in anything you do.
The future of UI will be a chat prompt.
The more intelligent AI becomes, the more critical communication skills become.
If you can name it correctly, AI can find or do it for you correctly.
Those who can communicate well will succeed in the age of AI.
What other essential keyboard shortcuts do you use daily to make your life easier?
Tell me in the comments below.
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Thanks for reading to the end!
You rock!
Cheers,
Marcel