Please, Don't Right-Click to Copy

Let’s have a talk. It’s about your mouse. I see you, reaching for it to copy, to paste, to close a tab. Each time your hand leaves the keyboard, you’re not just moving a cursor; you’re fragmenting your focus and willingly participating in a less efficient way of life. It’s a series of tiny, self-inflicted papercuts on your productivity.

The goal isn’t to become a keyboard warrior for the sake of it. It’s about achieving a state of flow, where your tools disappear and there’s nothing between your brain and the screen. Also, it will make you more sane. I promise.

This is the baseline. The absolute minimum. Consider this a public service announcement.

(A note to the Mac users in the room: You’re special, and so is your Command (⌘) key. Use it instead of Ctrl for most of these. You probably knew that already.)

The most basic keyboard shortcuts you should know

These work almost everywhere. Your browser, your code editor, your email. If you ever use a mouse for these actions after reading this, I will personally come over and hide your mouse. No, really. I will.

• Ctrl + C: Copy the selected item.
• Ctrl + X: Cut the selected item (copies it, then deletes it).
• Ctrl + V: Paste the copied/cut item.
• Ctrl + Z: Undo your last action. Made a mistake? This is your magic wand.
• Ctrl + Y: Redo the action you just undid.
• Ctrl + A: Select All text in the current document or field. Stop dragging your cursor from top to bottom.
• Ctrl + S: Save the current file. Press this compulsively.
• Ctrl + F: Find text on the current page or in a document. Incredibly useful.

Browsing Like a Pro

You live in your browser. You read in your browser. You work in your browser. So why are you still clicking around instead of using these shortcuts?

• Ctrl + T: Open a new tab.
• Ctrl + W: Close your current tab.
• Ctrl + Tab: Switch to the next tab to your right.
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab: Switch to the previous tab to your left.
• Ctrl + L: Instantly jump your cursor to the address bar to type a new URL or search.
• Ctrl + R (or F5): Refresh the page.
• Ctrl + 1 through Ctrl + 8: Jump to a specific tab. Ctrl + 9 always jumps to the very last tab, regardless of how many you have open.

Text Editing

This applies to any text field, anywhere. Stop interrupting your train of thought to nudge a cursor around.

• Ctrl + Arrow Key (Left/Right): Move the cursor one whole word at a time.
• Ctrl + Shift + Arrow Key (Left/Right): Select text one whole word at a time.
• Home / End: Jump to the beginning or end of the current line.
• Ctrl + Home / End: Jump to the very beginning or end of the entire document. Stop scrolling like you’re trying to win a prize on a game show wheel.

A Recovery Program for Your Mouse Dependency

Knowing is not doing. Here is your de-programming guide.

1. Pick One. Don’t try to memorize the whole list like it’s a test. What’s the one action you reach for the mouse for most? Opening a new tab? Copying text? Isolate that single, most frequent offense.
2. Force It. For the next few days, every time you’re about to perform that action, stop. Force your fingers to use the shortcut. It will feel slow. It will feel awkward. That’s the feeling of your brain complaining as it’s forced to build a new, more efficient neural pathway. Ignore its whining.
3. Add Another. Once the first shortcut is second nature, pick your next most common mouse-reach and repeat the process.

In a couple of weeks, you’ll be doing these without thinking, and you’ll start to look at your old mouse-heavy workflow with a mix of pity and confusion. How did you ever live like that?

This is just the price of admission. The bare minimum. Beyond this lies a world of extentions, complete environment setups, and a lot of other fun stuff that can make you even more efficient.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Master these first. Then maybe we’ll talk about the fun stuff.