After you have created your shortcuts, you will want to place them
around your directory structure in convenient locations. In translation,
this means directories in which your various programs will place you by
default. These are places you will find yourself when you really want to
be somewhere else. One good location is the "My Documents"
directory where Microsoft Word defaults when you "open" a new
Word document. You might also consider various "root" or
"parent" directories. For example, the "C:/"
directory is an easily reached directory that would be a good place to
have shortcuts located.
Needless
to say, everything you do changes over time, and you will want to
continually update or make adjustments to the scheme you have created.
This calls for the creation of another "shortcut".
Create two directories
directly on your desktop, one to contain all the shortcuts you
create, and another to contain shortcuts to the directories
where you locate your "navigation" shortcuts. This
illustration shows them both "open" on my desktop. The
window on the right is a different view of the window you saw on
the previous page. The window on the left is your storage of
shortcuts to "placement locations".
You can place single
shortcuts or groups of shortcuts conveniently by selecting them
from the right window and copying them to your clipboard. This
technique can be used for initial placement (if you have created
the setup in the left window first), or for subsequent updating
when you add new navigation shortcuts to your scheme.
Next, you have to step through
the placement shortcuts to paste your new navigation shortcuts.
Begin by selecting the first location and opening it (with a
"double mouse click" or the "Enter" key).
Paste your update into the resulting window ("Ctrl V"
is the keystroke). Close the window ("Alt F4" is the
quick way) and repeat the process for each of your
"placement shortcuts".
Using
these tips creatively will make your computing experience much more
efficient. It does require a little setup time, but, if you spend a lot
of time at the keyboard, it will pay off substantially.
These
and other computer tips
like them can become part of your integrated
computer training and education program in your own offices. We offer
customized training and education programs designed to fit the needs
of your particular situation. Computer tutoring
that addresses the operating environment in your office is the most
cost effective way to improve office
productivity.
Call or write us now to arrange for a free initial
consultation (by phone or e-mail) to identify the ways that we can help you become a more modern, efficient and competitive business.
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