As I've trained editors working in Microsoft Word, I've noticed a strange phenomenon: Left to their own devices, some editors will scroll for pages using only the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys (the cursor keys). That's like using a toothbrush to paint your house. This is going to sound pretty basic, but there's a whole hierarchy of keys you should use to move through a document. Here it is, from big movements to small:
CTRL (COMMAND on a Macintosh) + HOME takes you to the top of your document.
CTRL + END takes you to the bottom of your document.
CTRL + G (Go To) takes you to a specific page.
PAGE UP takes you up a screen.
PAGE DOWN takes you down a screen.
CTRL + UP ARROW takes you up a paragraph.
CTRL + DOWN ARROW takes you down a paragraph.
HOME takes you to the start of the line.
END takes you to the end of the line.
CTRL + LEFT ARROW takes you back a word.
CTRL + RIGHT ARROW takes you forward a word.
LEFT ARROW takes you back a character.
RIGHT ARROW takes you forward a character.
Ordinarily, you shouldn't use keys that are lower on the hierarchy to make a move that is higher on the hierarchy. As an extreme example, you shouldn't use the RIGHT ARROW key to move from the top to the bottom of your document. If you do, you're wasting time. For the same reason, you shouldn't use the RIGHT ARROW key to move forward a word. In the short run it won't matter much, but if you spend most of your day editing, those small movements will really add up. I'd guess that over the course of a year, you could measure them in miles. Want to increase your efficiency? Get into the habit of using the right key combinations for the movements you need to make. At first it may seem awkward, but after a while you'll notice a big difference in how quickly you can get around a document.
By the way, our Editor's ToolKit program adds one more item to the hierarchy:
ALT + CTRL + LEFT ARROW takes you back a sentence.
ALT + CTRL + RIGHT ARROW takes you forward a sentence.
Something else that will help you move around more efficiently is to increase your cursor speed. In a Windows environment, follow this procedure:
1. Click the Start button.
2. Click "Settings."
3. Click "Control Panel."
4. Double-click "Keyboard."
5. Set the repeat delay as short as it will go.
6. Set the repeat rate as fast as it will go.
7. While you're there, you may want to set cursor blink rate as fast as it will go (making it easier to spot your cursor).
8. Click "OK."
On a Macintosh, do this:
1. Click the Apple icon.
2. Select "Control Panels."
3. Select "Keyboard."
4. Set the key repeat rate as fast as it will go.
5. Set the delay until repeat rate as short as it will go.
6. Close the Keyboard dialog.
At first these new settings may seem impossibly fast. If you can stick with them, however, you should soon get used to them, and they'll definitely speed up moving around your document. That means you'll be working faster and more profitably, with more time to spend on the things that really matter. Good luck with your fast moves!
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