Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
• If you spend too much time launching applications and opening files, read
• If you want to copy and paste multiple items quickly, start with
Supercharge
• To automate your mouse, trackpad, or other input device, read
Automate Your
• If you want to switch applications with your voice, try
Control Your Mac with
Speakable Items
, or find other options for quickly getting in and out of apps in
Type Faster
Ifyoudon'talreadyknowhowtotouch-type(thatis,typewithalltenfingers,withoutlooking
at the keys), learning to do so will probably save you more time and increase your efficiency
more than anything else in this topic. You can find numerous free or inexpensive apps tohelp
you learn, such as
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
.
But if you're already a touch typist, you can increase your typing speed and accuracy even
further. For example, I frequently write about a product called DEVONthink Pro Office,
but I
never
type out all 21 characters of that name. I type
dtpo
and my Mac expands
that automatically into the full name. That not only saves time, it ensures I get all the
capitalization right. I do the same thing with frequently typed names, addresses, phone
numbers, URLs, dates, and other phrases—especially those that I use more than a few times
a day.
Write it down:
Consider all the email messages and documents you wrote in the last 24
hours, and see if you can pick out long names, phrases, and other text you used repeatedly,
such as a company name, chemical name, or address. Make a note of them.
What to do:
Set up shortcuts for yourself to
Automate Text Expansion
using OS X's built-in
tools or a third-party utility.
Use Keyboard Shortcuts
One premise underlying many of the automation techniques in this topic is:
Using the keyboard has the potential to be considerably faster than using a mouse (or other
pointing device).
To the extent that this is true, it would seem logical to learn (or create) as many keyboard
shortcuts as possible. But I wouldn't go so far as to say that keyboard shortcuts are always
