The Daily Dose

Another November. Another first Wednesday. Another International Keyboard Shortcut Day. The day when people from all over the world become far less efficient in an effort to be more efficient the rest of the year.

Let’s mix it up a bit this year. Instead of me listing various levels of participation, I want to turn you into an evangelist. No, you won’t be required to best the devil in a fiddle playing contest or anything like that.

Today, tell someone else about a keyboard shortcut you like. You can, for example, casually mention to a co-worker how much you enjoy using hyperlinks since you learned the Ctrl+K shortcut.

Even better, you could exclaim loudly throughout the office how you wish there was an easier way to switch worksheets in Excel. Someone may yell back “Just use Ctrl+PgUp and Ctrl+PgDn” thereby educating the whole office. If nobody yells back, find a willing confederate and give him the answer and instructions about how to yell back.

Dramatic reenactments are another effective method of communication. Stage a skit in the cafeteria about an office worker at her wit’s end. You see, she has such a long list of sub-folders under her Inbox and the one she wants to click is never in view. She always has to scroll. Then she learns about Ctrl+Y and, later that day, becomes the CEO.

You might hear things like “Get out of my office!” or “Stop shouting. We’re trying to work here!”. Don’t be discouraged. Our message must be heard.