Kill Your Mouse - Use Keyboard Shortcuts

This is week four of the RSI Program. Give the skill outlined below a try for one week. Consider it a one-week experiment. Commit to following these simple steps every day of the week.

Introduction

What You’ll Do: It’s not just the keyboard that can make your hands and wrists sore and painful; the mouse is also a culprit. Most people experience wrist pain and other repetitive stress injury (RSI)) symptoms in their “mouse hands.” This is because the hand directing the mouse never rests and is constantly performing very small, fine muscle movements. This week, you’ll learn alternatives to using the mouse with the same hand all the time.

How It Works: You’ll learn alternatives to using the mouse that are better for your hands and wrists. These new moves may take a few days to feel “normal,” but they have actually been shown to be much faster and easier to use than the mouse once people get used to them.

Get Motivated: The mouse puts many people’s hands and wrists “over the edge.” The constant use of the mouse, with its fine motions, can really damage your wrist. Learning to use the mouse correctly is the next step in your plan to prevent RSI.

The Steps

1. Keyboard Shortcuts: Within most programs, everything can be done with keyboard commands. This is great news. When you get proficient at them, using keyboards commands is faster than breaking your flow and reaching for the mouse. Search online for lists of keyboard commands; just type “[program name] keyboard shortcut” (changing [program name] to the program you are using). We’ve included some of the most common shortcuts in a document for you to print out, found under the “downloads” tab of this skill.
2. Don’t Rest Your Wrist: Don’t drive your mouse with your wrist resting on the desk or table. Be sure that your wrists float above the table, just like when you are typing. A wrist rest will help you to remember that.
3. Switch Hands: This may be a challenge at first, but switch your mouse to the other hand. After about an hour or two, your non-dominant hand will get good at using the mouse. This is actually a very good brain exercise, and it will give your other hand time to rest. Switch every day; use your left hand in the mornings and your right in the afternoon.

Commitment: I will take steps to use the mouse less, not rest my wrists and switch “mouse hands” this week.

Tips

• Expect it to take some time before you get used to the keyboard shortcuts. Have a printout of the commands next to your computer until you memorize them.
• Be careful with contorting your hands while using keyboard shortcuts. Remember to use both hands for any key combination that is awkward.
• Be very certain that you are not resting your wrist on the table or desk while using the mouse. You want to use big, wide motions for controlling the mouse, rather than tiny, fine ones.

More

Unplug your mouse. Just take the plunge and unplug it entirely. There is nothing you can’t do using keyboard commands and even your voice. There will be a learning curve as you discover how to make menu options and links in websites pop up to be selected. It will take you a couple of days to get used to it, but then you won’t need a mouse anymore. People say that their efficiency increases greatly when they get rid of the mouse.

Here is the whole program. Give each one a solid one-week try, and then come back and do the next one. If you want a reminder, sign up for the Prevent RSI E-Course. It is free, and you’ll get short e-mail reminders each day to help keep you on track.

The Prevent RSI Program

• "Prevent RSI Program Overview"
• "Stretch" (week one)
• "Type Right" (week two)
• "Breaks and Limits" (week three)
• "Kill the Mouse" (week four)