Ever Got Yourself Into A Death Scroll?

You know the one; you’re scrolling in a large spreadsheet trying to find the end of your data, only to zoom past it and have to scroll back the other way.  Before you know it you’ve scrolled up past the end and are heading towards the top at lightning speed.  By the time you react you’re almost at the top again.  Only to repeat the scrolling again in another vain attempt to find the end.  Frustrating isn’t it.

One of the biggest hindrances to productivity is over use of your mouse.  If you want to increase your productivity you need to master your keyboard.  Sure, your mouse has a time and a place, but typically if you’re navigating large documents there are many keyboard shortcuts that will get you to your destination quicker.

If you use your mouse for any of the following commands then it’s high time you mastered your keyboard:

• Cut (CTRL+X), copy (CTRL+C), paste commands (CTRL+V)
• Bold (CTRL+B), italics (CTRL+I), underline (CTRL+U)
• Scroll to the top (CTRL+HOME) or bottom (CTRL+END) of a document or spreadsheet
• Highlight all text/cells to print/format/copy/cut (CTRL+A)
• Print (CTRL+P)
• Undo (CTRL+Z)
• Repeat in Excel (F4)

I could go on and on, but I will hold myself back in the interest of making this short.  Instead I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts for Excel, Word and Outlook that you can download from My Online Training Hub.

I recommend you identify the actions you do most frequently.  Compile your own list and stick it to your wall for reference.  After you’ve used them about 30 times each you won’t even have to look at the list, it will be automatic.

If you’re going to improve your productivity you need to find more effective ways of doing the things you do every day.  So go and download the files, and compile your list of shortcuts and start using them today.

What's your favourite keyboard shortcut?  Let us have your comments below.