Programming your brain to use keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts can be very underrated. For experienced programmers, many shortcuts are second nature. But for newer programmers, it takes time and concerted effort to train your brain to use these shortcuts.

Here’s the system I use for learning shortcuts:

First, depending on your relationship with keyboard shortcuts, you will likely want to google a list. In my case, I use Visual Studio Code on a Mac, so I googled “VS Code shortcuts macOs and immediately found this helpful cheat sheet.

Take a quick scan through the list and note or highlight a few new shortcuts that you could see yourself using regularly.

For me, and I assume most folks out there, the key to “training” myself to do anything is repetition. Surprise, the best way to program your brain into using keyboard shortcuts is repetition!

One key (pun intended) for learning keyboard shortcuts is to take it one at a time. Choose a specific shortcut you want to learn (either from the list you googled or just one that you come across) and write it down on a sticky note. Put it on your computer and force yourself to use that shortcut by making a tally on the sticky note every time you use it. If you don’t end up with at least five tallies by the end of the day, or whatever amount seems reasonable for what you’re working on, cross out your tallies and start fresh the next day. Do this until you have used the shortcut five times in one day and chances are you’ll start using that shortcut in the future.

Also, make sure you are somehow keeping track of keyboard shortcuts when you run across them. I keep a page in my notes specifically for keyboard shortcuts. It prevents me from losing track of them. As long as I think to go back and reference the list, I can use the sticky note strategy to slowly but easily integrate every shortcut I come across into my daily coding!