Tip for remembering Key Commands

Like I expect most folks I have Key Commands I use all the time and remember, ones I use occasionally or sporadically and often need help recalling, and ones I don’t care about.

This has resulted over the years in 3x5 cards with scribbles all over them and nothing in order, or a printed list that also ends up with out of order scribbles all over it. These often end up wrinkled with coffee stains and lost under a stack of papers. Then it hit me how to make a list that was fairly easy to update and make additions to, and would always be right at hand.

First I used a spreadsheet to create a multi-column list of Key Commands. A word processor or anything else that lets you create tables would work. Then, purely for aesthetic purposes, I set the background color in the table the same as my desktop color. Then I used the Window’s Snipping tool to grab an image of the table and save it. I set that as my desktop image (original size not stretched). Now all I have to do is hover my mouse over over the right edge of the Task Bar so all the windows temp. minimize and there is my list of Key Commands. Making additions and changes is easy in the spreadsheet and then just snip and save a new image of it to the same file used for the desktop image.

I’ve found since doing this I’m using a lot more commands because it is easy to look them up where before I’d have gone for a menu because finding my cheat sheet was more effort than it was worth.

While my explanation is PC specific, I’m sure the Mac folk can do similar.

Great idea. I also think it would be a great idea to just have a Thread on this Forum that is “stickied” and only full of Shortcuts/Key Commands/Macros.

Ha ha! That’s actually brilliant!

Yeah, for Mac, one way to get it done would be Hot Corners, set to show desktop (I use this all the time to quickly retrieve files from desktop). When you move mouse to the very corner of your screen, all the open windows fly off, revealing the desktop. Repeat to bring windows back.

Could also set a key command or swipe gesture on Magic Trackpad/Mouse.

This is a great idea! Thank you for sharing.