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You Should Learn to Use Your PC Without a Mouse—Here’s Why
In the late 90s, our household computer mouse broke. Now, that might not sound like a big deal, but there was no such thing as a cheap mouse. No $5 Amazon special to tide us over. So I simply had to learn to use our computer with no mouse at all.
It turns out this was the best thing that could have happened to me, because the keyboard controls I learned during that time completely changed how I used computers from that day onward.
Keyboard Shortcuts Save Serious Time
When we went from typing commands at a prompt to moving a mouse pointer around, it made computers much more accessible. There's no need to memorize a bunch of commands, you can usually figure out how to do something by just exploring the graphical interface of an app or your operating system.
That's great, but it's also slow. Using File>Save As is much slower than just Alt-F + Alt-A, for example. Switching between windows using the mouse is likewise much slower than simply using Alt+Tab in Windows.
All of these little time-savers add up, and as you build your muscle memory, you can often just jump straight to the function you needed. Using Win+E to directly open Windows Explorer was a game changer, and, of course, using Control+C and Control+V to copy and paste. By learning the keyboard shortcuts for the things I do most often on my computer every day, I spend less time and mental energy on mousing through a bunch of menus—it's just better.
Accessibility and Ergonomics
The mice I use these days, like my lovely MX Ergo S and my all-time-favorite MX Master 3s, which have basically cured my wrist pain. However, there's another option, and that's to minimize how much you use your mouse in the first place. By learning more keyboard shortcuts, you reduce the number of times you have to put your hand on your mouse and make those repetitive motions that lead to RSI. A good ergonomic keyboard that keeps your wrist in a stable and comfortable position is a good choice here.
It's also a potential accessibility boon. If you have trouble with pointing devices because of an accessibility issue, then knowing some keyboard shortcuts offers an alternative. Also, those shortcuts can usually be mapped to special accessibility hardware.
When Your Mouse Fails, You’re Not Helpless
It doesn't happen that often anymore, but if you're in a situation where your mouse or touchpad stops working, you'll be glad you learned a few keyboard shortcuts to keep going!
It doesn't even have to be a physical hardware failure of the mouse. An operating system update or busted driver can put your mouse out of commission, and if you don't have time to faff around with a fix at that moment, being a well-versed keyboard warrior will come in handy.
Operating Systems Are Built for It
Despite the graphical user interface (GUI) being around for many decades at this point, all modern desktop operating systems are designed in such a way that there's nothing you can't do with just the keyboard. Well, nothing truly important anyway.
When I switched over to macOS in 2019 from Windows, one of the first things I did was learn the most important Mac keyboard shortcuts. Six years into using a Mac as my main computer, and there's no doubt that this was the right move, since I and most of my Mac colleagues use these shortcuts on a daily basis. Though I have to say some touchpad gestures have also become a key part of how I interface with my Mac.
Linux is no different, and knowing the shortcuts for popular distros like Ubuntu will make your life much easier. I don't daily-drive Linux, but over the years I've had to use it for extended periods of time (all through college almost) and learning at least the equivalent to the Windows keyboard shortcuts I knew was essential. Especially since I was using a little netbook back in 2009 to take notes in class, with a terrible tiny postage stamp touchpad—and I actually used it on my lap!
No one likes to learn stuff, but I promise you if you start to embrace keyboard shortcuts your life will be so much easier whenever you need to use a computer for work, play, or anything else. It might even be a good idea to print out a keyboard shortcut cheat sheet from the internet and stick it somewhere close to your computer. At first, you'll have to look up the ones you use the most often, but soon your fingers will find the way without any conscious effort.