From the JCR
By Merilee Johnson
Remote life has changed our workday morning routines. Rather than jumping into a car, bus, or train to make our daily commutes, we are now taking a short stroll from one room to another. While we’re saving time by not having to commute past our home offices, that time has been exchanged for increased time in front of our screens.
So if our commutes have been given a short-cut treatment and we’re in front of our computers more, this is the ideal time to implement some keyboard shortcuts as well. We all know that we are more productive when we can keep our hands on the keyboard versus moving from our keyboard to our mouse and back again. Here are some keyboard shortcuts to speed up everyday tasks for your remote setup.
Windows shortcuts
All commands start with the windows key.
+E opens File Explorer
File management is key to organization. This is a great shortcut to quickly open your list of files.
*Extra tech tip: Have folders you search every day? Pin those to your Quick Access in File Explorer
+D hides desktop
Are you shopping during your breaks? This is a great command to quickly maintain the privacy of what you’re shopping for when your family unexpectedly walks in.
+L quick lock or change users
Running out the door before you have time to save and close? You can leave all your files open and quickly lock your computer as you dash out the door.
+ shift + S open Snip and Sketch
Snip and Sketch is an underutilized app that comes with Microsoft Windows. Need to capture a screenshot or just part of your screen to share with someone? This is a handy shortcut to quickly grab a picture of part of your full screen.
+ . (period) choose an emoji
Sometimes there are no words, and emojis explain it best. This little command opens a little clipboard that lets you choose the emoji you want to share.
+ , (comma) peek at your desktop
Do you have something saved on your desktop, and you want to take a quick look at the file name? Rather than minimize or close all your open programs, this command will help you take a quick peek without disrupting your current workflow.
+ M minimize all open windows
+ shift + M restore all minimized windows
+ tab opens Task View
In the world of multitasking, you likely have multiple programs or files open on your computer. Rather than minimizing your screens one by one, Task View allows you to preview all the programs that are currently open/running on your computer.
+ shift + arrow move program to another monitor
If you’re not working with multiple monitors, this is worth checking into! This shortcut allows you to quickly move your programs between monitors without the hassle of dragging, dropping, and resizing.
Merilee Johnson, RDR, CRR, CRC, is a freelance CART captioner and court reporter based in Eden Prairie, Minn., and a member of NCRA’s Technology Committee. Questions or comments for the Tech Committee may be sent to jcrfeedback@ncra.org.
