

# Keystroke Savers for Computer Addicts

By Earnest Long

Copyright 2016 Earnest Long

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

#  Chapter 1, Introduction

The tips in this book help you to keep your concentration and make doing anything on your computer quicker and easier. And you are less likely to make mistakes. Also, the book says that speech recognition is a good alternative to having to type with your hands. The book is for computer addicts who use their computers at home for non-commercial activities.

In Chapter 2, Big Keystroke Savers, the reader can make enormous savings in keystrokes, screen time and time generally. He can do this by using his computer for less long overall without being worried about all the great things that you hear computers can do. Keystroke savers using the software and other tips for fewer keystrokes are in the next chapter. This is Chapter 3, Tips. Chapter 4, Tasks is if you do still use a computer such as for a creative arts hobby, then you may now feel more creative and produce better work. And, if you use a computer for planning and problem-solving stress and worry in your life, then you may find solutions only if you use your computer properly. Last, there is Chapter 5, Conclusions.

At least, you can enjoy yourself more than you might have done otherwise. And really, if you don't enjoy yourself using a computer and make too many keystrokes that you worry affect your health, then you may as well do something else you would like better. Also, the book offers the reader any solutions that there might be so that he or she can still use his or her computer. Generally, the reader can decide not to use a computer at all, to use one much less or to use it the same with fewer keystrokes.

In this book, the word 'keystrokes' is used both for the depressions of keys on the keyboard and for doing mouse clicks. This is just to add variety and to avoid repetition of the same word too many times in the text.

#  Chapter 2, Big Keystroke Savers

MOTIVATION

'You must have a purpose in anything you do. Still, your computer should only help you with anything you want to do or you are using it wrong'.

You might have a psychological need to see your work published. Perhaps, you had a long-held ambition to be an artist or a writer. Or possibly, you feel driven to write for other reasons. It could be an Internet addiction. Or you could just be extremely vain. You might want to do something creative just as a therapy for an actual condition you have. Or you write, do art and publish it just because you enjoy doing art and going online. Also, you might possibly see that there is no good reason why somebody wouldn't read your book as well as anyone else's book. And there is no good reason as well you can see that somebody wouldn't want to be an artist or writer. This is if they had the opportunity. Today, online, people do have such an opportunity. When you have time on your hands, you might want to occupy it doing something moderately useful. And you really might feel it is not so much of an effort to write. This is if you are going to be in all day. So why not do it. As well, you might think of all the amazing things computers can do and the wonderful opportunities you have to use them. Then, you want to be part of the Internet phenomena you can see and have heard so much about. As well, if something is a hobby or you are doing some art, then that is completely normal. But today, you have an outlet for your creative energies by going online. Also, people need to keep mentally and physically active. This includes penning a story or painting a picture if bored.

Writing and having a book published might make you feel better about yourself. It does perhaps if you think you are a good artist or writer. But it could make you feel worse if you have doubts about your creative ability. As well, thinking positively about computers may mean you improve your computer use immediately.

A motivation to write might be just that you know a lot about a subject. Again, it might reduce to what your teachers told you. This was such as what things they thought you were good at. Perhaps, your teachers were right. Or, as well, it is just that you took what they said too much to heart and you could write now anything you want to.

An idea is that stories have a high value generally to lots of people. Having a hobby or interest that is something that you do rather than just read about has value. Art has a high value. Writing or being an artist is something others value and respect in anyone who is able to do this role well. Also, people respect anyone who is able to write and paint agreeably.

Doing anything on a computer may just be a gimmick to get you started. This is because clicking on buttons and links or 'interactivity' is attractive to Users.

Keep a Quotes Folder

Get out a paper notepad and write down all the motivational quotes that you have heard that you thought were funny, sad, poignant or just downright motivational. Then, keep them somewhere that you can get out and refer to later. They may be quotes from famous poets, classic novelists or something more up to date. Or they can come from many sources and anything you find motivational. It's important that you find ones that mean something to you and that you will want to look at again later. You could look at them when you feel down or you start slacking for some other reason.

Some Examples of Motivational Quotes

'Plan your work and love your work'.

'The greatest artists or writers did not spend any longer on even their best-known masterpieces than was strictly necessary'.

'Treat your computer with respect and it will respect you back'.

'If you do anything in life, then at least don't make mistakes. Don't make mistakes even if you don't do anything normally regarded as a major achievement. Just not making mistakes is a positive contribution. Flawless works of art fetch millions at auction'.

'Treat yourself with respect and others will then have some reason to respect you as well'.

'Take time planning now. And you'll spend less time later correcting mistakes'.

'It is as if computers were purpose-built for planning. Really, they are brilliant for it. So why wouldn't you be able to use one successfully to plan? If you were serious about planning anything, then you would use a computer and nothing else'.

'Good planning means less stress. And poor planning means you feel more stressed'.

'Nobody wants to read a book with mistakes in the plot. This is regardless of whatever else it's got going for it'.

'All you have to do is take breaks. Then, you will be able to concentrate when otherwise you wouldn't have been able to. Also, you can work well only if you concentrate. You could, if concentrating reasonably, produce a decent piece of work. This is when before you might never have produced anything more than something that was only practice'.

PLAN

'You do not need to worry what anyone says about your work if you don't show them it'.

Your plan is more likely to succeed if it is simple. As well, use your computer to help make a plan. And learn all the computer skills and other skills you need to make a decent plan. Also, you can organize your thoughts by writing and doing art. This could be about things you have read, heard or seen on television or you can see around you.

Prioritize some goals that are more important over others. The most important goal for anyone will be his or her physical health. After that, it might be keeping up with all their hobbies and interests. Perhaps, as well, you might have a goal of not doing just one thing in all your spare time. Instead, you can have a variety of things to do.

Here is one tip that will save you the most amount of time out of all the tips in this book.

Don't publish stuff online unless you feel that you are a decent writer.

That's it! This one tip will save you an enormous amount of time, keystrokes and other efforts. As well, when you produce work that makes you feel good, it is often because you have done a decent creative work. Just having a computer word processor and basic writing skills doesn't mean that you have to post stuff online. It takes a lot of practice to write well. And you will probably only feel happy about a work you post online when you know it is a decent creative piece of work.

You would be better off practicing writing new creative work rather than polishing old ones that you've already done most of already. Also, when you want a work to be publishable, it takes much more proofreading and editing than you might have done otherwise. And it particularly takes more time if you are not already a good writer. Once you can write without it needing a lot of proofreading and editing and you know it is a decent creative work, you might try publishing stuff online then.

They say that you work better doing something you are familiar with. So you should always do things you know about. For example, read lots about a subject that you are going to write about. Still, watch some different TV now and again or read different books to ones you would normally do. But keep up watching your old television shows and doing your old reading as well, even if it is not as much as before. And don't get bored with anything before you change.

Once you are a good enough writer that you don't have writer's block, you have the problem often that there is too much to write that you really could do.

To use a computer well, you have to follow all health advice for using computers, learn the software and understand the real tasks you do. As well, you need other skills such as understanding figures and being able to write well. Also, it is helpful to have the skills you need to do art and graphic design so you can have readable and attractive looking documents, reports and data entry points. On your computer, you have programs, such as spreadsheets and word processors. You have formatting tools, editing tools, you can do calculations and you can print. And you can use your computer to do research online. Also, you can organize and change your files so they are easier to use. Or you can design files so that they have a better look and feel.

The basic criteria for having a spreadsheet or WP file are that it is useful to you and you continue to find it useful to you. When it is no longer useful to you, you are demotivated to keep it. As well, there is no good reason to keep it anyway. To keep files useful, you can change the data you record, its presentation and what you do with it.

Information

'The usefulness of information has to be more than the time and effort to get it'.

'See what you need to change. Or see what you need to change to do your hobbies better. And then see how you need to change your files. You may not need to have as much data or do as much analysis once you have some insights'.

To make decisions in your personal life or about your hobbies, you need 'information'. 'Information' is just something that you want to know, such as how many times on average each week you've been to the gym. Or it is how much you've written in a month. To get this information, you must have recorded it. And you must have a report about it. For example, a health plan might be under the headings of diet, exercise, hygiene and sleep.

Some find computers are motivating, such as seeing progress is motivating. They can also remind you to do something, such as, 'I can see it's nearly the end of the week and I've only been once to the gym. So I need to go again today'. Everyone needs reminding of some things. And computers can help remind them.

Hard Work

If you don't enjoy writing or doing creative arts, then there is no good reason to do them. However, some find creative arts are a good hobby. And don't as well worry that you feel stressed. Stress can sometimes be a good stress. You might have heard research that says challenges are good for people and improve their health.

Just these following few pieces of advice will solve many problems you'd otherwise have.

Don't work too hard or not take breaks. It will make your concentration better. And you'll be more productive over any period, short, long-term or in-between.

Have an app to help you take breaks.

As well, follow other advice to use your computer healthily, such as ergonomics, posture and overall length of use.

Use a printer so you don't spend too long reading from the screen.

Have less work you are doing at any one time.

Use the productivity features of your software.

Look after your physical health and keep mentally active.

You want to have some spare time if only to watch a bit of TV.

Also, using the Internet encourages book reading. This is of both EBooks and paper books. And it encourages other reading as well.

Typed Copies

There is no good reason to have a typed copy if you don't want to read it again yourself. Or there is no good reason to have a typed copy as well if nobody else wants to. This is another big keystroke saver if you don't type everything up.

When you handwrite something, you may decide not to use all of it in a finished text. This saves time on your computer. You may decide not to use it all if it is too personal. Also, there might have been some mistakes in it. But you could only see them afterwards. As well, you can see how it could be shorter when that improves the text you are preparing. And when you come to write your book, you can see what notes you need and what notes were only to help you understand the subject better or were other basic preparations. With experience, you can make the notes that you need from the start of your project.

Having handwritten notes varies the task of making notes, is more interesting, saves time and you can make notes when an idea is still fresh in your mind. It may mean you are more productive. And it is a good way of taking a break from your computer. Also, it is easier sometimes to handwrite than to type. You can use abbreviations and arrows. Or you can allow your writing to get messier if writing quickly. But don't throw anything away just because it is on paper or not very neat. You may still want it later. Or you could write something again the same that would be a waste of effort. It wastes time and effort duplicating things you have already done.

To have a typed-up copy, you need a WP. Using copy and paste if you have typed it up saves time. As well, scanning in documents saves time. And backing up files saves time and keystrokes. Also, you can copy and paste to reuse things you've typed up in other documents.

A WP helps you to be more creative when writing a story because you have editing tools. And the same editing tools help you make a plan without having to retype it all when it needs changing.

Files on Computer and Paper

It is probably a waste of time to have files on both computer and paper. Files on a computer are often more useful than paper files.

Organizing your folders is important. So take some time to label them correctly. For paper files, there are different types. Choosing what type you want for your own filing needs is often the most important decision you'll make for filing.

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

What hardware and software you buy is important for how healthily you do a hobby or other activity and the number of keystrokes that you use. You need to read up about what hardware and software are available in the press to help you make up your mind what you would like. Often, though, just get the best hardware and software that you can afford on your budget. Or get anything you think is just as good that is cheaper or free. Good hardware and software would probably help you do any tasks to the standards you want for them.

Also, remember that there is more than one thing you might need. So if you spend a lot on software, then you might have less to spend on a bigger more ergonomic desk and a better office chair. Also, you could get a faster computer or spend more money on something else to do with your computer or something else entirely.

It depends on what you want to use your computer programs for and exactly how you do use them the number of keystrokes you are likely to use, the tips you find helpful and the software that you will find most helpful as well. When you want to be a writer, then you will probably need a top of the range word processor program. And the same would be true of anything else you did to a high standard. Still, it is just common sense that you would want a top of the range program for anything that you knew a lot about and did a lot. Different programs might use different numbers of keystrokes. In a way, the simplest programs may use fewer keystrokes because using advanced features will inevitably use at least some keystrokes. This is only from common sense that using any feature will inevitably use keystrokes in itself.

Your software might help you make the most of the talents that you have already. Or it could give you features that would help you improve your work beyond that of using paper or other older technology. Also, you might want the software to help you do a hobby when you had little talent to start with. And software can take the drudgery out of doing some of the work as well. Examples of this are grammar and spelling checkers in word processors.

MANAGE YOUR LIFE

There are literally thousands of books on how to manage your life. How to manage your life has been written about for centuries. Some are classics of self-help. They cover healthy living, budgeting, time management, social skills and other subjects. You might get helpful advice from books like these. The other alternative is to think that none of it really matters. It doesn't when everyone already knows how to live his or her life. This is just by them being here. Also, it is without having to think about it still.

The self-help section does not have the only advice for personal problems. For example, it seems sex and relationships, personal problems, worries and everyday life are important subjects to everyone. And this includes for society, for academics and for readers generally.

Clicking on a mouse and using a computer can make people feel better if they are a bit low. And this is sometimes entirely a physical thing that they might find it relaxing. As well, you have interactivity with computers that can make you feel good because it gives you the impression that you have some control. Also, you have a sense of achievement every day for having done something like composing a story. Or, perhaps, you formatted a document so it looked more aesthetically pleasing. Also, it makes you feel good when you have made a document more aesthetically pleasing, you look at it again and it is as well more readable.

Anxious people might do a lot of clicking. But, it seems, they can't take enough of a trouble to do things to help them. An example is changing the computer's default settings. Or you can learn the navigation keys or other useful software features. Also, people don't organize their files properly. Nor do they back them up when anxious. This is despite doing many other time-consuming and key-heavy activities.

To avoid using too many keystrokes, you can do a number of things. First, realize the tricks played on you. Knowledge gives you power over something. Next, analyse your work to see how you could do it faster. Use the features of the software! Are you using the right software for the tasks you want to do? Some people try the interactivity of spreadsheets and find it helpful to reduce stress. You can sort by different categories your task list or other lists. Another example is that reducing the amount of work you do in something such as formatting a document, it does not then seem such a complicated and nor such an interesting task. This means you are unlikely to do it unless it is strictly necessary. And this will save you time and keystrokes.

Indeed, any keystroke savings you make mean your computer use is often more relaxed and you concentrate better. So you get more work done in a shorter time for this reason as well. And you'll feel better about yourself afterwards if you didn't make too many keystrokes. Keystrokes are physically distracting and an effort.

End the love affair you have with computers. Instead, you can see them just as being tools to help you to do things that you might do anyway. Really, you solve many problems feeling stressed and other problems as well when you just end this love affair.

Understanding computers can reduce the stress that you might normally have using them. You can do things quickly and easily when you just take the time to learn more of the features. Then, you might just have better computing and hobby experiences. Also, you might see that a computer only helps you with anything and is not the thing itself. When you make a proper effort to get to know the software, then you sometimes do not see that you had any good reasons to have a computer to start with.

Something that might help is to read some business books or books on information technology and office work to see how these books analyse the job done by office workers working for businesses and in other organizations. After reading these books, your own labour at your computer might not seem so complicated and nor so important. And you might then see that it is genuinely just a hobby or it is something to pass the time. Also, you probably got your computer just for these two reasons of a hobby or something to pass the time but then found it just a bit too complicated to do what you had in mind. This was when you did not know what all the buttons and menus did. Also, you may have had too many files that you did not think you would have needed to start with.

Do you feel stressed over using speech recognition? This is when it doesn't always work. For example, when it doesn't work for file navigation, then you give up and you use your hands for everything. Or possibly, it doesn't work when you want to format something. So having been frustrated, you use the keys and don't use speech recognition anymore. Also, speech recognition might accidentally insert some text. This is when using it to scroll down a long document. Perhaps, it is a file with only a few errors in it. This is if somebody makes some noise or there is the sound of traffic outside your window that the microphone accidentally picks up. And then the software thinks it is a word. So, worried you might have introduced some kind of typing errors, you type all the corrections you need to do. This means you use a large number of keystrokes. You do because you are typing and not dictating when proofreading and editing.

If you are like this, then perhaps you can learn to feel a little less stressed. You could do so over time if you can't right away. And that might make you see how to use speech recognition more clearly and, as well, you can use your computer better. Alternatively, you could just make some rules now. For example, use speech recognition whenever it is working reasonably well. And then you won't get too upset and frustrated because you used your hands for some things. This is as long as you didn't use them too much. Overall, you would probably not have used your hands too much if you really had used speech recognition as much as possible. And when you use speech recognition for almost everything, then you might just find that you use your hands very little.

A big thing that you can do is to plan your computer time around how often and how long each day you think speech recognition might work. Then, you can use your computer in that time. Think that you really can't use speech recognition when it is not working well. So that will make using your computer simpler if you have to avoid times you can't dictate. Also, it gives you a valid excuse to have a computer when it is at least not harmful. Perhaps, you have reduced many of the keystrokes you used to make in the past. So well done! As well, you could have cut out or reduced much of the other time and effort you could still be wasting. So well done you again!

Some people feel stressed when writing on a computer rather than paper. This is because they feel pressurized in some way when a computer is more of an advance in technology. Instead, think that a computer is just a very good typewriter. This is when thinking computers are not really so complicated can sometimes solve all your computer problems. You can try to think of this just as an experiment, to take a break from your usual worries or you might think of it just for the sake of argument.

As well, computers in some ways really are better than a typewriter or pen and paper. A computer doesn't have carriage returns or paper to feed in at the top. Nor do you have to use carbon paper if you want a copy. All this was bad for your hands and caused strain on your upper body. And with a printer, you can have as many copies as you want. Or you can see a copy on any computer. These reductions in worries about health and increase of convenience should mean people have better writing experiences. In the past, people worried about their health using a typewriter with no very good solutions as to how to do it better. Another worry many people had was over losing their only copy of a manuscript. Or they worry that it would become grubby. As well, if you do make a mistake, then you don't have to tear up the piece of paper you are on, crumple it up and throw it in the wastepaper basket. But you can instead edit easily and quickly. As well, with a computer, you can scan in any loose pieces of paper that you have. Loose paper can become grimy. And scanning might solve this problem. This is only from common sense that digital copies don't become soiled.

Also, computers have features to help you to keep your notes and other data together. So this means you gain better use from your notes. And you might get some insights you would not have done otherwise. For a deliverable, an advantage is that you are more able to reuse data that you keep on computers. And this makes it faster to produce more deliverables, to have longer more comprehensively written deliverables and it improves the quality. Also, with a computer, you can reuse data more than once and for anything at all.

Nor, if you have a creative writing hobby, do you have to write down all the ideas that come into your head. And nor do all your notes, whether on paper or computer, need to be used always for a full piece. Think through ideas first when they are still only in your head. If you only used your best ideas and as well, you abandoned anything you started that wasn't working, then it will likely save much time, effort and keystrokes.

You might write a lot more if you just didn't have writer's block or worries about what you were writing or about using your computer. Doing this, as well, you really could write so much more that in just a few short years, it would be more than enough for any of your readers to want to read or more than enough also for you to want to write for yourself.

Generating and choosing between ideas and using only the best ones helps with this. Turning only your best ideas into finished pieces saves time. It saves time when you don't feel you have to give up publishing something that is not as good as it should be. Also, a work you do may have some mistakes in it. These could be such as factual errors or it lacks artistic merit. Or, at least, you feel this afterwards. But at the time, you might have just wanted to finish it off only because you had already started doing it. Still, once it is ready, then you can sit back and take a longer look. This longer look might make you feel it is not as good as you thought it was beforehand. And this alone might make you feel that it was not worth the effort. Or if you don't want to publish it because it is not good enough, then that is also a waste of time and effort. Getting a work ready for publication is often many more times over the effort and worry of a work that was not going to be published. And you might know by taking some time out to give it some thought at an earlier stage if it is worth publishing and if you can save some time. When it is just a hobby or for practice to start with, then often, people will find it no trouble at all. But if it is for publication, then a work might need lots of polishing and thinking about. Anything you do to prepare a work for its publication that you wouldn't otherwise do is time, effort and keystrokes. Also, just by common sense, anyone can see it is likely to be stressful if you publish anything at all and for any reason that you do so.

Almost nobody really wants to read dozens of books by the same author. And one reader will probably not read more than two or three books by the same author at most. People, once you had written a lot, might not read anything except your best-known works. Or they'd read only your most recent works. So, if over time you as an author had written many works, then you are likely to have too many books anyone would read. Knowing this, you might think that it is probably a waste of time and effort to write too much.

Particularly, it is a waste to try too hard to get a lot of work done when that is bad for your health. That is unless you don't plan to write in a few years' time and only make any effort to use your computer now. This is such as if you think the market will change by then. However, if you stop writing, then people are soon likely to forget you. Nor will they visit your web page if you have no new works on offer. And this is just the likely outcome for any writer who stopped writing. Also, getting fewer readers for your best works and likely almost no readers for your less popular works is often as well another outcome for any writer. So knowing this, you might not try to write quite so industriously. And you can take the time you save on writing to do other things. Perhaps, you would enjoy something else just as much. And this is when, as everyone knows, you only have one chance of life in which to do everything.

Some people feel anxious that when their computer is off, then they will not be able to see what they have written. So they might worry about it. For example, they may think of a mistake they might have made that if they don't make a note of it or they are not able because they're not on their computer to see if they really have made the mistake or not, then it might not be corrected ever. This is as they might have forgotten it by the time they come back to it. It could be a bad mistake in their final manuscript if they are doing creative writing. Also, it might be a mistake left in other creative art. Or they will not have made a correction or made some good point in a plan about something. And without having their files on their computer open, they will not be able to, for example, just quickly see that they worried needlessly. Perhaps, they do not need to make a correction after all. Also, they might make extensive notes to describe what the possible correction is because they can't remember exactly what it was that was at fault or where it was in the file. Or they feel stressed when they would really like to make the correction now. This is when it is on their mind. But then, they feel they shouldn't turn their computer on. Perhaps, this is a rule they try to keep to that they will stop using their computer at some time they set themselves to do so in the evening. Possibly, it is too much effort to switch it all on again as well unless they are very worried. Still, they make notes and spend time worrying anyway. They might handwrite extensive notes when it would be quicker if they just got on their computer. And then they could type it in. So, they might actually worry less if they had their computer turned on more. Nor would they worry as much if they tried but did not always succeed to use it less as any kind of rule. And nor might they worry as much if they didn't have some other kind of rule to do more useful non-computer hobbies more of the time. Yet, some find a rule not to use their computer as much is useful if they can stick to it.

If you want to keep files to solve personal problems, then perhaps consider keeping them on a memory stick or USB drive. Or don't have them on your computer in some other way such as they are only on your portable sound recorder. Particularly, don't mention people that you know if you are going to talk about your own faults, health problems or other worries. If you use your computer only to make art or to do hobbies, then you might have no worries. It reduces a lot of anxiety if you don't have things on your computer that you don't mind other people seeing. Otherwise, you might be switching your computer on again. And this is just to remove stuff. All this kind of thing involves making keystrokes and gives you worries and anxiety. By common sense, it is as well a waste of time to delete things and then do them all over again. But people still do it. Perhaps, don't you do it!

EASIER WITH DIFFERENT INTERESTS

Some Users find some computer programs easier than others do. For example, you may find word processors easy to use and quick to learn because you have an interest in chatting and communicating generally. Spreadsheets are easy to learn and to use when you are good at figures and like math. You can try to improve your English or math when it will help your computer use. Or, if that is not possible or too much work, you then have an explanation about why computers are hard for you or time-consuming.

A GIMMICK

As well, you might still realize if you do try to make your computer work for you that it is just a gimmick. It could help you keep to your plans but then, you don't really need it. Often, it is just that you don't feel like getting up from your comfortable warm chair and going to the gym. And instead, you'd prefer to watch TV and make no effort.

Computer software companies designed powerful WP and spreadsheet software for Business Users. But they repackaged it for Home Users. Businesses use word processors for writing letters and reports. Spreadsheets are mainly for accounts. For the home, the use of the software is different. You can use a word processor to write a novel or for other creative writing. Spreadsheets are for a budget, other figures or for lists. An example of a list is things to pack for a holiday. And you can use these programs for any notes about your hobbies as well.

Think it is your life and there is no good reason to have poor health and poor concentration using a home computer. You have complete control over how much you use your home computer and what computer you have. It seems, though, that there is always some new tip to help you. Computers are like that. But some people feel they have had enough of computers when after years they are still learning new tips. Others enjoy learning new things they didn't already know. However, it still has to be worth the effort for what you get out of it.

Yet today, if you want to produce professional-looking high standard work, then computers are much more than just a gimmick. But this assumes that you need a creative writing or other creative arts hobby at all. Also, there is really no necessity to post stuff online. And you can still do many hobbies on paper even now and you don't have to use a computer at all. You, at least, wouldn't have screen radiation. Nor would you have to learn how to type. Computer software offers tools that help people learning creative arts. They improve knowledge and understanding of arts subjects. This is all much more than a gimmick. But this is still assuming gimmicks didn't really work. Yet, often they do. And they improve the standard of work of hobbyists. Even if it was only a gimmick, then it might still help enormously. Yet there is often more to creative art software in the help it can give the hobbyist than it only being a gimmick.

IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY

Spreadsheets

A big saving with using spreadsheets is if you don't use them all the time. Instead, try to remember some of your figures. Then, you don't have to keep looking them up. Also, work out what figures you usually want to see. And keep to these.

As well, just try to feel a little less anxious. Then, you don't need to check your figures merely to boost your self-esteem. For example, you might check them only because you think somebody else would ask you about them. And nor do you check because you feel that somehow you would not be able to by some mischance if later you wanted to. This was if for some unfortunate reason you were away from your computer. Or it was for some other chance reason.

Files

You will save a lot of time switching on your computer to check your files or worrying about your work if you just remember what files you have, their labels and what folders they are in. You should be able to remember all of your files even if you're not on your computer.

As well, you will save time if you remember what work you've done recently and what work you still have to do. It could be work in the near future or even your long-term plans. However, it is possible to print things to remind you of them. After a while, you may be better just thinking of plans in your head. It is better for your health not to touch paper too much. Touching paper a lot wears out your hands, creates clutter and confusion in a room and is unhygienic.

HYGIENE

Be as hygienic as possible. This is when using computers and sitting at desks is often unhygienic. You can use keyboard wipes. They might really help you keep away germs. But then, the best policy is often just to keep any computer use short.

Try to reduce stress from using your computer no matter how much work you have to do. The best advice is to take breaks always. Also, don't overuse the keyboard or mouse. You can perhaps sometimes use alternative technologies. Alternative technologies are such as speech recognition or sound recordings. And you need to follow general hygiene advice all the same as you always used to do. This is as well as any more specific hygiene advice you have now about computers.

#  Chapter 3, Tips

SOUND

Using sound has advantages and disadvantages over word processing or any other software. One disadvantage is that it is harder to edit than WP files. But an advantage is that it is faster to record the same number of words. And it uses fewer keystrokes than dictation into a word processor. Also, you may already be familiar with word processors. Using sound may take quite a long time before you are used to it so you start to get the benefits from it.

Speech Recognition

For common sense reasons, speech recognition should reduce the number of keystrokes that you use. However, if you still use the keyboard for doing some things, then you can't be careless with how you do use it thinking that speech recognition will make it all up or more. It will at least reduce the value that speech recognition has or you might be using your keyboard just as much. For example, using Click and Drag a lot, scrolling or proofreading and editing by hand is still too many keystrokes if you added them up overall even when you had dictated any new text that you did otherwise.

Perhaps, you need to make a note of how many keystrokes you are using and add them up on a spreadsheet if you don't know how much it might be. Then you can decide whether you use speech recognition for more things than you might have done otherwise. For example, you can use speech recognition for formatting your document or for moving text around and not just for dictating words onto the page. Remember, though, that there are quick and easy tips for formatting quicker or for editing even when using the keyboard or mouse.

If you use speech recognition well, then you will often finish your work quicker. And the whole experience of inputting using this method will feel more relaxed. This means that your speech recognition will not stop working because your voice had become hoarse after just a short time such as an hour or two. Or it might stop working after even less time. Also, it avoids using one input method too much. This is when one method can be repetitive or is boring. Some people feel that when they can use combinations of speech recognition and the keyboard, then this gives them faster inputting than using either one on its own. But other people feel that they would only reduce their keystrokes significantly if more certain how many they have used that it is not still too much. As well, they don't want to feel that speech recognition has encouraged them to spend longer on their computer that might mean more keystrokes or more screen time overall. Also, they might have used Click and Drag a lot such as when selecting to delete text. Or otherwise, they are still using too many keystrokes. As well, they could have other bad habits such as scrolling that they might now feel don't matter. But it is increasing the number of keystrokes.

Study the help documentation of your speech recognition program and take any tutorials it gives you so that you are familiar with all the commands and any helpful tips. This can then reduce how long it takes to dictate text or otherwise use it. It can also reduce strain on your voice by avoiding using the same commands repeatedly such as it might give you alternative commands or quicker to use commands. And the variety of commands and the utility that they have for using speech recognition quicker and faster means the whole experience is more relaxed. This encourages you to use speech recognition more often and not revert to using the keyboard. And this is as well when speech recognition might not have even been working properly that you would have had no alternative but to stop using your computer or to start using the keyboard again. But you can now wait until speech recognition is working better. Particularly, you can do this if you enjoy using it more than a keyboard.

Portable Sound Recorder

You can use a portable sound recorder to help you plan or to make notes. And, as well as a portable sound recorder, you can use the sound recorder on your computer. Dictation and making notes in a word processor with speech recognition can use more keystrokes, take longer and it can be harder on your voice and lungs. This is when it doesn't always recognize everything you say the first time.

To use a portable sound recorder or to make sound recordings work for you, then it is probably helpful to keep to some rules about how you make your recordings. For each sound recording, keep to just one point. Try to keep sound recordings as simple, short and succinct an expression of what you're feeling as possible. Delete any sound recording files where you sound tired, you hesitate, you ramble, you repeat yourself, you use unnecessary words or phrases or you get upset and angry. You might not want to hear these sound recordings again yourself when you did not sound good or at your best. And it would be embarrassing if a friend got hold of them. Anything you're not satisfied with, then delete and start again. This is at least good practice for making better sound recordings in the future. As well, don't mention people that you know or things people have said to you. This makes for more and longer sound recordings. It does when it raises the emotional temperature to think about how people have let you down and, as well, you are thinking about other people's faults and not just your own.

The fast forward or cue button on your portable sound recorder or playback software is a type of keystroke. That is a good reason to have only one point per file. You don't then need to find when you start talking about something else such as if it was in a longer file. Also, it is easier to remember what you've said with one point per file. As well, you are less likely to ramble. That means recordings sound good. So you don't after you've made them, feel like deleting them.

Thinking Saves Keystrokes

'Think as you stroll'.

A big saver in keystrokes, in time and using your voice is if you just think things through first in your head. Also, you probably do not need to write down some things or record them at all. And possibly other things could be a lot briefer. Saying anything that you want to say, but in a shorter way, saves lots of effort and keystrokes. This saving is possible just from taking some time to think before you commit pen to paper. Or, nowadays, it could just as well be a word processor. People effusively give out their emotions it seems to any page that they have to write on. This is also when having a page in front of them on their computer screen. And it is not just the proverbial large paper pad of the past. Or it is not anything that they used to have for such things.

It saves time as well when you might be able to do two things at once. For example, you can think in your head when on a journey you would otherwise have nothing to do on, when you were doing the housework or if you were waiting for food to cook.

Instead of using a computer, you can go out for a walk. This is often the best way for anyone who needs to think about something. They can think more clearly and concisely about it than if they were still in their house or they were sitting at a desk using a computer. You might like to think about what you have to do on your computer when you get back. This could be such as if you should do some things at all, how you might do ones you still want to do, when you need to finish things by or if you could do some things differently. Perhaps, you could do some of what you had thought of on your stroll even as soon as you get back in from it.

Really, it is excellent to 'walk and to think'. It means that you at least get some fresh air and exercise. As well, you may solve some of your problems like this. And you could solve them without having to do any more work. As well, you could think about anything at all when out walking. And it doesn't have to be about computers, the creative arts or about work that you have to do on a computer.

Also, you could just go and lie back down in bed. And whilst doing this, you could put the radio on. Or you can have the TV on in the background. Perhaps, as well, you can watch it from the bed. Alternatively, you could just sit in a comfortable chair and look out the window. Also, you could go and make yourself a snack or a drink in the kitchen and take it back to your armchair in your living room. Then, in your living room with your snack, you could relax and enjoy the taste of the food and drink in comfort. Or you could just look out the window.

FOLDERS

You can use fewer mouse clicks when opening folders. To do this, you have to organize better your folders on your computer with this aim in mind. Possibly, you could have more of the main folders and fewer levels of subfolders but with more files in any folders. Use tools such as on the View tab to see your files more easily. Or you can sort them into a more useful order. Also, you can use shortcuts on the desktop and shortcuts within folders. You can also change the size of icons on your desktop to make them easier to see. Or if you can still see them quite reasonably, then you can have more icons if smaller. This gives quicker access to files and folders and so uses fewer mouse clicks. That is so long as there aren't too many it is confusing. However, you can organize your shortcuts any way you want. Organize them so you'll be able later to find easily the folders and files you want. You are after all the person who might know best how you like working.

Having many desktop icons can be more work to delete ones no longer in use. Still, there are advantages to having many as well. Also, you can try adding a picture to your desktop shortcut that might make it stand out amongst the other icons. And having a more relevant icon might mean it is easier to remember what is in the folder. As well, with a little thought, you might not need to edit your shortcuts so often. For example, you might think what you need to suit your needs for longer. Perhaps, you can just have shortcuts to all of your most popular folders. Also, if you are doing a particular task that needs a lot of folder navigation, then it will pay you back to have shortcuts to make navigation faster. An example of this might be starting doing a new hobby making multimedia video. When you use tips like the above, then you might find shortcuts more useful.

As well, there are other things you can do to reduce keystrokes when navigating folders or using files. You can have programs on the Task Bar, on the Start menu or on the desktop as a shortcut. The Recently Opened files list is available on the File menu. And that means you can quickly open any files that by chance you had opened a short time ago and now want to again. You also have a button in the bottom right-hand corner in Windows 8 or later that gets you to the desktop in one mouse click. That can save several keystrokes if you have quite a few files open and you want to see the desktop.

In the Open dialog box, you also have a desktop icon that gives you all of your shortcuts. This folder can save keystrokes during file navigation. The icons appear in alphabetical order. But you can rename them if that is helpful.

QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR

Icons on the Quick Access toolbar give quick access to commands that will save keystrokes every time you use the Quick Access toolbar instead of another way of using the command.

FOLDERS OPEN WITH ONE MOUSE CLICK

In Microsoft Windows, there is a big saving you can make by changing the settings on your computer so that folders open with one mouse click and not two. This will save 1/2 of all mouse clicks opening folders or files. You can find the setting in the Control Panel, Folder Options dialogue box and on the General tab.

EASY TO USE TOOLS

Use Your Computer Less

You'll do more work in a shorter time and see what needs doing when you can concentrate better. Nor spend hours to add illustrations, graphs or tables to a WP document. You can often produce a readable document when not using too many elements. Not everyone can otherwise.

Shortcut Keys and the Alt Key

Have you tried using shortcut keys? If you haven't used them already, then they can save a few mouse clicks. Or, at least, they are different from repetitive movements you might make otherwise such as too many of the same types of mouse clicks or keystrokes. This is also true of using the ALT key.

Tool Bars

If you are using Open Office, then perhaps you can make better use of the toolbars. You don't just have to use the global drop-down menus. In Microsoft Word, you can add more items to the Quick Access toolbar. This may sound like a small point. But often people don't make use of this toolbar. In Open Office, you can customize toolbars. Or you can make your own new toolbar. Again, this is something not made much use of always. Still, it can make it easier and faster for you to use your programs if you do use more toolbars.

Advanced Features

Some advanced features may overall reduce keystrokes. An example of these is Page Breaks if you wanted to put headings at the tops of the pages in a WP. Using Page Breaks means that you don't have to manually go through and delete blank lines appearing at the tops of pages after you have edited. This is however only if you did want to put headings at the tops of pages, but it does not include simpler one-page documents and nor does it include if you're not bothered too much about what the document looks like. As well, it does not matter having Page Breaks usually if you don't want to print it. Yet it could save hours on even one document when you did wish to print and so it had to look right.

NAVIGATION

Moving around in a document is navigation. For example, you can find bits you may want to read again or edit. Navigating well in a document will save you many keystrokes and as well, it avoids too much scrolling.

Scrolling

Holding the mouse button down to scroll is equivalent to clicking it several times. Or it is equivalent even to a dozen times when you hold it down for a long time. So avoid scrolling as much as possible. Instead, use Page Up and Page Down. As well, you can also use the other navigation keys. You can use Page Up and Page Down in any program. Also, avoid using the wheel on the mouse if you have one. This is a strain on your fingers and hands.

Navigation Feature 1, 'Document Map' or 'Navigator'

The 'Document Map' or 'Navigator' is useful for going to the start of chapters you are working on. For example, you can go through a book to edit it by particular chapters. The Document Map or Navigator gives you the chapters or headings of the document down one side of the screen in a panel. You can click on the headings in the Document Map or Navigator to take you to them in the text. The heading you clicked on will appear at the top of the page and the body text will be below it. In Microsoft Word 2010 or later, the Document Map is better than it was in earlier versions. This feature is the Navigator in Open Office Writer.

To use this feature, you must have used 'Heading Styles'. Heading Styles is a formatting feature that will make text into a heading or subheading.

Navigation Feature 2, 'Navigation Keys'

These let you jump to places in your file using keystrokes. They are useful to improve concentration. You do not need to scroll or press the same key repeatedly if you use them. And you can find what you want easily and quickly. They are the same in both WPs and found on the keyboard.

'Page Up' and 'Page Down' will jump a page forward or back and a page at a time. 'Ctrl + End' goes to the end of your document/file. This is useful when you start work and you want to go to the last thing you typed in at the foot of the document, but the file opens at the top of the first page. You do not ruin your concentration by scrolling if you use this. 'Ctrl + Home' will take you to the top of the first page. And you might use this to remind you of the start of the book. Also, you can copy the document title to the 'Header' before printing. Another useful feature is the 'Ctrl + Arrow' keys. Particularly useful is the 'Ctrl + Right Arrow' to jump one word at a time when you are correcting a sentence. The 'Home' key will take you to the start of the line and the 'End' key to the end of the line. You can use this to get to a part of the line quickly. Ctrl + the Arrow keys are more useful when used with other navigation keys.

The scroll bars have the page number on them if you scroll by 'Clicking and Dragging'. This is useful for finding a page quickly. For example, if you have previously edited a document and you had noted down the page number you'd reached, then you could find it again.

Navigation Feature 3, 'Find' Dialog Box

You can use the 'Find' dialog box to find the text. And you can do this instead of looking through each page in your document to get to the bit you want. It is on the top right in Microsoft Word 2007 or later. You can also use 'Copy' and 'Paste' so you accurately enter the text. This also saves on keystrokes. Misspellings or wrong spacing will not return the correct text.

Usually, you need only one or two words to find what you are looking for. However, you can also have several words. The Find dialog box is useful if you can remember exactly the words you wrote. When a word is unusual, you are more likely to find it. Also, you are more likely to find two words that appear together. And particularly you are likely to find the text you are looking for if one or more of the words are less usual. You don't have to type all the word if it is a long word. Nor do you have to type all the words if it is more than one word. This is as you are still likely to find only a few instances. Also, you do not select 'Find Whole Words' if you are not going to type in the entire word. Copying and pasting will solve the problem of typing too much if you are trying to be economical with your fingers.

If you have repeated something in the text that you did not intend to duplicate, you can click on the outside of the Find dialog box and then delete it. You may have a feature in the Find dialog box to search either up or down the file. Then you can decide what text to keep or to remove.

EDITING

Changing the text or words used in the story is editing. You can edit to produce the readability and the meaning you want. And it is possible to use fewer keystrokes when editing than you might do otherwise.

Editing Feature 1, Copy and Paste

To move text around, make corrections on the same page and edit more easily, you can use the 'Click and Drag' editing tool. This editing feature is particularly useful if you are making corrections that are on the same page. But it is less useful for text on different pages. It means you can 'Drag' text from one part of the page to another. You can 'Move' it. Also, you can copy it. Use the Select menu. It appears when you use 'Right-Click and Drag'. And you can choose Move, Copy or 'Cancel' on this Select Menu. You need to select the text first. Hold the mouse button down for this feature to work. You can also use 'Left Click and Drag' if you only want to move text. In Microsoft Word, you can use Right Click and Drag, but you can't use Right Click and Drag in Open Office Writer. You can use Left Click and Drag to move text in both. Also, you have Cut, or Copy and Paste on the Select Menu as well without dragging. And you have them as well on the 'Global Menu' that is at the top of the screen.

You may save time and have a smoother computer experience if pasting in works first time, such as if the formatting merges and does not stay the same as from where you copied it. In Microsoft Word 2007 or later, there are menu items on the Paste drop-down menu for this. For example, you can use 'Merge Formatting' and you can use 'Keep Source Formatting'. You may also use 'Paste Special' called the same in both applications. In Open Office Writer, you can use a drop-down list by the Paste icon on the toolbar. Also, in Open Office Writer, text merges automatically when pasting to the same line as headings. However, it does not merge formatting when pasting from headings to body text. You can also use Styles and Formatting to change the format of text at a click of a button. Alternatively, you can use Styles in Microsoft Word 2007 or later. Or it is Styles and Formatting in Microsoft Word 2003.

There are other features to move or copy text. For example, you might decide that the chapters are in the wrong order. You have the Document Map and the Navigator described in the navigation section above that help with this. But also, you have 'Outline View' in Microsoft Word. Outline View gives you a view of your text with the chapter headings only. Or you can also choose to show sub-headings. You can move up or down whole chapters or sections with this feature at a click of a mouse. The button to change to Outline View is on the View tab. In Open Office Writer, you can use the 'Bullet Point toolbar'. Then use 'Up' or 'Down'. You have to select all the text first for it to move with the chapter heading.

Editing Feature 2, 'Replace'

'Replace' and Find is together on the Edit menu in Open Office Writer. And they are together in Microsoft Word on the Home tab. You can replace text in one mouse click. Also, it can prompt you to decide if you want to change it each time.

You select 'Match Case' if you want to change the case of text.

Another feature is 'Find Whole Words Only' that will not find the same word with different suffixes or prefixes. You do not always want the Find Whole Words Only feature. An example of not wanting it is if you want to change possessives and plurals at the same time. A more specific example is replacing all instances of a character's name with a different name. Also, you want this feature turned on to find short words like 'it' or 'of' that are sometimes part of other words.

Editing Feature 3, Automatic Proofreading Tools

When using the 'Spelling and Grammar Checker', you may have heard it said that a serious writer does not also use the 'Style Checker'. They say that readers will know the Style Checker you have used. Also, they will not see the writer's own good writing style. However, you can use it for tips. And you can use it for things you really should change. Nor do you have to change everything. As well, you can sometimes find mistakes you might not have done otherwise. And these might be poor sentences even when they are grammatical ones.

Possibly, you might always try to revise fragments and run-ons when the computer shows that there are some. From some research that looked at unpublished pieces, run-ons do not always make proper sense. This is even when they are with another sentence. Also, making run-ons into full sentences often feels like better writing as well. You can leave fragments of speech when these are how people would speak, but your text might be easier to follow if you also make these into proper sentences.

If you change anything the Style Checker or Grammar and Spelling Checker suggest, you can then save time for when you next proofread your work through again. This is when the grammar checker suggests fewer corrections.

'Fewer corrections are fewer keystrokes'.

This is a good rule to follow when using any kind of grammar checker. As well, it is a good rule when making any types of corrections in a document or to any type of file.

SELECTION TOOLS

You can select text better so you work faster and keep your concentration. To select all text, you can use 'Ctrl + A'. And you can select a line at a time by placing the cursor in the margin and clicking once. Click twice in the margin to select the whole paragraph. You cannot select text in Open Office Writer by clicking in the margins. But you can by clicking on the text.

READ MODE

In Read Mode in Microsoft Word, you can show two pages at a time. Then, you only have to press Page Down once to go to the next two pages. This saves 1/2 the number of keystrokes you might otherwise have used with one page.

As well, you can make the text a bit smaller but still readable. This reduces the number of keystrokes further when using Page Up and Page Down. However, if you were worried about eyestrain, you could still at a click of a button make the text larger.

You can also use Read Mode instead of other modes to edit text if you click on the Allow Typing feature. Also, you can use Speech Recognition with Read Mode. This is if you use this Allow Typing feature. As well, you can use Page Up and Page Down using Speech Recognition. And you can use Speech Recognition to press Page Up and Down even when you are not editing.

LEARN MORE FEATURES

Try to learn more of the software's features. Do so until you know all the commands that might help you.

It seems that some people can find computers stressful for years. Often, this is just because things take a bit too long. Or they are just a bit too much effort. Yet, just working only a bit better, perhaps from having a few tips you still might need, could mean you feel less stressed and cope better. When you can do things on your computer easily and productively, it seems that often, you reach a tipping point with so many other things as well. Then, after that, you are all right with computers and anything else.

As well, you might not have learnt how to do the real activity properly a computer helps you with because having a computer confused you. Also, if you learn to do better the real activity a computer helps you with, you might then find that you don't need to learn as many of the features of the software as you first thought that you did. You don't when you know what features you want for the real tasks you are doing and you know what you don't need as well.

FEATURE-HEAVY DOCUMENTS

Reduce mouse clicks and save time and effort by not having such feature-heavy documents. It takes more time overall to use these features even if they only take a little time on their own. This is when it can really add up to a lot at the end of the day or end of the week. Still, correctly used, advanced features save some people much time and effort. And they can if used properly reduce keystrokes. Users keep their concentration better, they are able to see more clearly their notes and make use of them and advanced features help make many peoples' computer experiences more productive and interesting.

SPREADSHEETS

What Can You Do With a Spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet can do calculations that would take too long by hand or when using a pocket calculator. A budget on a spreadsheet is the most important planning tool. And using a spreadsheet can be part of a hobby.

Format-Table Feature

For Microsoft Excel, here are a few tips about how to work faster. One is that if you press Return at the end of a row, it will add in new formatting without having to reformat the entire table. However, it might be better if you used plain black and white formatting and didn't use the Format-Table feature. Some people don't find formatting the table using this feature means they see their data really much better. Others think that it does help. Also, Computer Users might neglect other effective features for formatting tables. Examples of these are leaving blank lines between columns or rows, indenting, using bold, italic and underline and changing the font size. You can also centre text or place it on the right-hand or left-hand of the cell. Also, you have lines and colours that you can add in different from the Format-Table feature, but which sometimes may be better. You also have a Format-Table feature in Open Office Calc, but you may want to use other formatting features in addition to it or instead of it.

Do Less Data Entry

A basic principle in deciding what spreadsheets to have is to see how much data entry they need. Too much keying and you're demotivated to do any. And having many cells can be too many to find information.

Have a spreadsheet that cuts the number of cells to about the right level. You can have fewer formula and information cells if you like. Remove any columns that you do not often use. And change anything that is too much work for little back.

You may want to change your spreadsheets but then not want the hassle of doing a lot more of any typing. Use copy and paste to recycle what you've already typed.

Backup

Follow all security advice such as on backing up your files. Losing files or having lost or damaged data causes a massive amount of wasted time, lost keystrokes or more keystrokes needed to replace the files and the data. For example, a good tip is not to be online all the time. When you are just working on your files, then you might disconnect your computer from the Internet. Also, you might just not have your computer switched on all the time when not using it.

Another big saving in keystrokes is to have your browser or other software remember your passwords for websites. Having your passwords remembered and not typing them in is more secure in some ways despite warnings you get that sometimes it isn't. For example, you can have a longer password. And it won't be any more keystrokes or hassle to type in. As well, when people first log in to a website, they are often just starting using a computer, they feel a bit distracted and they don't type well with their fingers on the home keys. So you save yourself some poor typing as well. Saving passwords for websites adds up to many keystrokes over a period of a month or year. And there is usually no reason to have these keystrokes. As well, if it is your computer and nobody else uses it, then it is a real advantage that you have in owning one yourself. So, it is often a 'no brainer' that you would want to save your passwords. Some password saving software advertises as being more secure than others is. But you can look up which ones you want. Or just change the settings on your browser that you have now to save your passwords if you feel it is safe enough.

Try talking about other things and not just your computer. If you don't talk about your computer, then false friends are less likely to try to get at you with malicious pranks or anonymously vent their anger at you. This is even when they don't show you this in real life. They are less likely to than if you do talk about it so that they might see how important your computer is to you. Also, they might see how much of your life is on your computer as well. Then, it will not be so devastating if you have some other life than just your cyber life and you do get lost or damaged data, criticism of you online or a malicious prank played on you. Examples of malicious pranks are someone else changing the settings on your computer so that it is harder to use, so you cannot do your hobby or other work properly on it, you use more and unnecessary keystrokes or otherwise you harm your health. As well, if you don't give details about what you do online, it makes it harder for anyone to get at you in any emotional way. And this is just by common sense.

People, when they discuss how they can make small savings at home with the time they spend on their computer or the number of keystrokes they use, feel they might be criticized for it. They could be told that they're trying to be too clever, that they're making something as wonderful a piece of technology as a computer into something ugly or that they should just get a qualification in it if they were going to do office work. Yet, there is really no good reason to have a computer if you get into poor health from them. It would not be worth computers affecting your health even if you used them for a lifetime let alone only a few years that some people are becoming ill in. Also, when computers are only for doing hobbies and for reading and watching a video, then it makes no sense for them to affect your health at all. And this is for a whole lifetime you want to be healthy. Something else you did might have a health downside you really couldn't avoid. An example is if you temporarily had to do a job that was bad for your health just to put food on the table. But hobbies are not like that and should have no health downside.

Wrists

Using the mouse can be bad for your wrists. A tip is that when you are closing a document just press Return so that it clicks on the default button to save. And do not use the mouse to navigate to the Save button as you might do otherwise. Using the mouse like this is bad for your wrists. As well, you might press the wrong button by accident and so not save it when you had wanted to. Using the ALT key also reduces using your mouse. And the Quick Access toolbar can reduce the amount of mouse work you do when you don't have to open a new tab on the ribbon before you find the right command.

#  Chapter 4, Tasks

REUSE BUDGET DATA FOR A HEALTHY EATING PLAN

The goal of having information about food is to eat more healthily and change your spending habits to buy more healthy food. When you do your shopping, you may not use all your food before your next shop. However, you can look at your shopping over longer periods. For perishable items, it will be correct for shorter periods, but for cans, it is less right.

A DIARY

Is using a computer really just like writing a diary? You might record personal data on your computer day-to-day a bit like a diary. So do you really want to keep a personal journal? Perhaps, you can make notes on the different topics you've thought about that day, write poems, make jottings and generate figures about your activities.

USING YOUR COMPUTER TO STUDY

Does Recreational Study Get You Nowhere?

It seems that recreational study has a bad reputation. Some say it wastes all your time and gets you nowhere. This book suggests that you really can do recreational study successfully. And you can do it using fewer keystrokes and use your computer and the Internet less. You can study to improve your hobbies and interests by being better at them. Or you can get a better general knowledge and broaden your mind. Also, if you were to improve your mind, then you are more able to solve problems. And this is day-to-day problems everyone has and not just big problems for others. As well, you'll more easily make any plans in the future that you do still need. And you'll more easily keep to them.

Revise

You can revise your schoolwork from old exercise books or old textbooks you have. This means that you are revising what you've done already and can then do more. Also, you will be able to remember things you studied in the past quicker than learning any new facts.

In quite a short time by doing structured purposeful study, you might be able to revise much of what you did previously. And you can always do more studying as well later when you want to do it again after you've had a break and if you've not worked too hard this time. Perhaps, you can stop studying after a time such as you can stop once you've revised all that you used to know.

Some end up resenting too much random learning when they have not yet met their learning goals and as well, it has left them in bad health. You should find learning a joy. And you can find it a joy only when you still have your health, you were able to concentrate and you didn't overuse your computer. Many things you might read about or study when you don't intend to get a job needing a qualification in them are just for entertainment or for their conversational value. So there is no good reason for doing anything as a hobby or interest to be too much effort or like hard work.

Don't Worry About Reading

Reading skills are essential for any reading you do. Also, 'faster reading' or 'speed reading' tips are really the accumulated academic knowledge of centuries.

Just say you would like to 'get more from reading'. And don't worry about it being any serious study if that would be less stressful to you. You are bound to have reading skills already. And you can quickly revise any reading skills you used to have but have forgotten. Then, you can just read anything that you have an interest in. It means that you will be able to understand things you read if they do not stress you. Then, they don't feel like such a problem to you. And that is a good start for any learning. It is even if it is not seriously studying.

Computers Are Valuable Tools

A computer is a valuable tool for learning. Also, you could just watch TV and learn. Some feel TV is all you need. Nor will you get bored with it. And you won't even in a lifetime. So there is no good reason to read. This is particularly if you read poorly that there is really no good reason to keep reading anything at all. It solves many problems when things you do are just for yourself and your own amusement. Still, you must be able to do them well without problems. Possibly, though, at some time you might actually need reading skills. Learning reading or any other skills then is never a waste. This is, at least, as you could always just enjoy a good novel.

Studying Again

To study again if you feel you would like to do some more, you can make notes from books and from websites and then write essays on a WP. There are advantages and disadvantages to studying from books or looking things up on websites compared to doing a course. As well, there is nothing wrong with having a life where you just watch TV and read books and newspapers in your spare time and don't do much else. And you can still use your computer occasionally for anything you do want it for. Perhaps, you could learn about subjects that you didn't do much of at school once you have revised what you did do.

Worrying about anything really isn't the right way to learn. Some say that 'you just get some facts from reading and not much else'. And nor does doing some learning give you mixed feelings if you are doing it correctly and you're not doing anything that is too hard for you. You'll feel better if you stop thinking that someday you'd like to go to University. Nor should you think useless ideas that you'll be the next leader of the country or anything like that.

'Study broadens the mind' they say. Also, it can reduce worrying. And studying anything improves self-esteem. So your computer if you use it to study can improve your self-esteem. As well, the worried person will worry less if he addresses his worries and concerns and doesn't just ignore them. To address any worries, you can read anything you like about them. Much good information is in academic textbooks. Also, you are already educated from going to school. This is when the school-leaving age is higher than ever historically. And more money has gone to education than ever before. Anyone who worries about not knowing things could just try to revise his or her own education or do some extra studying and as well, they can use a computer to help them with this.

Learning will cut worry, but you might still worry if you learn haphazardly. So if you have a computer, you can use it to organize your notes. Also, you can do additional research online. Having a purpose for your reading and writing will alleviate worry. Why don't you try putting some more meaning to your reading? Make notes, study a subject seriously and write essays about it. You'll find this is really the only way of 'learning' anything.

CREATIVE WRITING

A creative writing class might really be all the help you need with a creative writing hobby. As well, it could answer many of the other worries you have now. Also, you can read about writing as a craft and as a profession to see if it is something that you'd like to spend time on. This is when sitting at a computer using a word processor is not always attractive to everyone.

Read how famous authors organized their time and thought about their work. It is in fact very good advice for 'writers' on computers in their bedrooms today. Nobody wants to toil needlessly. Yet some still do. The right advice means that you will likely save much of your time and probably use fewer keystrokes. Also, you'll feel happier about your computer. And you'll feel happier more generally as well.

You may know how to write already. And if you wrote just as your creative writing or English teacher taught you and didn't try harder, you would probably produce passable or even very good work. The same is true for any factual writing. You can revise or learn again how to do spelling and grammar. Also, you can see how you might have a better style with practice. If you know how to write, it will improve any writing you do.

Good Things to Write About

Worries are good things to write about. Don't worry that you write about your worries. When you worry, you endlessly turn over the problem in your head. And you use words to do this. Worry produces words that you want to get out of your head.

And don't start any files just about your worries around writing. This is when really at least you know what not to write. You do already from common sense generally and as well, you might know what subjects are problematic particularly to you.

Just not writing anything embarrassing to you or your readers might improve many of your works enormously. Change anything you worry about so that it is not embarrassing. But instead, make it into a work of art anyone can read. Things you could write that you worry about yourself will likely embarrass readers as well. They will do even when you feel you're writing about something that others should know about. And so you feel that you can write about it when you have suspended your own embarrassment. This is mistaken.

Write from the start as you mean to go on. A writing hobby should not be problematic. Try not to write anything you really know yourself that it will need a lot of editing later. After all, they say that writers, unlike other people, have the ability to plan their work just by pulling out a fresh sheet of paper from a drawer. Really, you have no excuse to waste time. Plan it! Don't make a mess of it for no good reason! You have the solution. Writing a plan is all you need to do.

Write Something That Is Different

Beg, borrow and steal if this means you work quicker and you're not actually stealing anyone's copyright. When you are writing something that you feel is unique, you have probably made a mistake. To write something that is different, you only have to update it with modern references. For example, you can update it with references to political, social or technological change. Read and don't just write. Get some decent ideas. And don't just think only about your own. Think of popular books you've read. And write something similar. You don't want to write to become the bane of your life and something you don't really enjoy. Reading is something that you might want to do so you can decide what to write. For example, ask, 'What authors or what writing do I want to emulate?' This is often a good starting point for you to produce an excellent piece of work yourself.

General Knowledge

Also, your writing will improve if you have a better general knowledge as well as anything more specific that means it has convincing detail.

PROOFREADING AND EDITING

Principles

You want to be able to write with the minimum possible time and effort if you write at all. Proofreading and editing a manuscript could take the same amount of time as writing it to start with if not more. If the manuscript has many mistakes, then proofreading and editing might take a very long time indeed.

When you know how to write and as well, you write about what you know, you have planned your work and you know properly what you had in mind, then you work quickly and easily with fewer keystrokes and corrections. Particularly, you would want to do less proofreading and editing of your own work just to save some time you could spend on other things that were less boring.

A very basic principle of writing, proofreading and editing is that to save time and effort, you write in a good standard of English to start with. And you plan your work. This is so it does not need much correcting. And rewrite completely a poor text.

To proofread faster with fewer keystrokes or without the need to do a lot of handwriting, you can correct text on the screen. Printing, though, does have advantages in not getting screen radiation. However, generally, if you have many corrections to make, it is usually easier to do it from the screen first. You will correct mistakes faster if you correct them when you first see them. This is when computer proofreading and editing tools are often faster than proofreading on paper. Perhaps, as well, you can have a checklist of things to correct you keep on a spreadsheet.

As well, text-to-speech conversion is really quite a good gimmick. The computer's voice can read out your text to you. It can add interest to proofreading. Also, it means that sometimes you see mistakes that you wouldn't have otherwise. But text-to-speech conversion uses more keystrokes than reading it out aloud to yourself in your own voice. That is a disadvantage. As well, the computer's voice does not always read out the text perfectly so that you can hear every word it says. And nor does it always have completely correct diction. Also, there are other problems. So it does not always work very well.

Speaking your text out aloud yourself can cause strain on your voice. However, you don't have to say it very loud. Saying something louder is more of a strain. It is completely safe, though, to say the words out aloud in your head. Also, by doing this, you hear your own voice and how you'd say things. And you can stop at any time. This is easier than with the computer's voice.

You can completely rewrite poor texts. This is often quicker than doing a lot of editing or proofreading. For example, you might not want to abandon a text that you have already done a lot of work for. Also, you might have written something before you'd been able to improve your writing skills. But it still has good ideas in it. Or it has at least some good material in it. Insert the cursor and rewrite every paragraph and all your text.

Proofreading and editing with printing, you correct the text using marks you make on the printed page. Then, you switch back on your computer. And you type back in the corrections to your WP. You usually print with double-spaced text. This is so you have room to write your corrections. The hobbyist writer just writes down anything that will show them the corrections they need to make. Then, they can type them back in later.

If you only have a few corrections to make, you can print your manuscript single-spaced. Reading too much text with a lot of white space between lines or on the page is bad for health. Also, printing is expensive for anyone. Just underline any mistakes and write the corrections in the margin. With double-spaced text, you can handwrite in-between the lines as well as in the margins.

A more expensive printer with a flat tray for paper is better for the human back than the paper you feed into the top. And it will last longer without having to refill it. However, it is good for health such as circulation to have an excuse for getting up occasionally.

Proofreading from the screen can be healthy even if a few years ago it was unhealthy. Flat screens, Smart TVs and Smartphones, HDMI leads and USB hubs mean you don't have to sit right up against the VDU. So they mean as well that you don't get as much radiation.

You also have desk fans and air conditioning for fresh air when sitting at a desk. In your own home, you can just open a window or move your desk nearer the window. Another piece of advice is to stand up every so often for circulation in your legs and arms.

So WPs don't now have as much radiation as they used to do. And nor is using a computer sitting at a desk as unhealthy as it used to be just a few short years ago. VDUs, or their equivalents such as Smartphones, may be no more harmful, or even less so, than TVs are, for someone who watches his or her favourite shows in the evening in their living room.

Another idea is that you have a checklist of things you do to correct any manuscript as this saves time. By dividing a complex task into simpler tasks, you can do these simpler tasks quicker overall. Then, they do not need as much skill, concentration and effort. This is even when you are doing them all yourself. What is on your checklist will vary between different people. It depends on the writing skills you have. Or it depends on what you see as your current writing problems that you need to work on.

Yet another idea is that you make notes of the corrections that you've had to do. This is so you can learn them and don't make the same mistakes again. Conversely, to some things you hear about it, this can reduce boredom and not cause it. As well, just this one tip of learning from your mistakes can save almost all keystrokes using grammar and spelling checkers.

Knowing how to write and how to proofread and edit, your manuscript will need less long spent on it, it will be less boring to do and it will need fewer keystrokes. And you will now have time for other things. This means you will have a more normal life. You will if you don't only use a computer or you don't only use a word processor. As well, this is even if writing well didn't make you feel better on its own. Nor will you have much to proofread and edit if you have good writing skills to start with and you had planned your work. But if you don't have these two things, nor do you know the features of the software that can help you and you still need a few tips, then your texts might always need lots of proofreading and editing. Or they could need completely rewriting. Doing lots of proofreading and editing or having to rewrite wastes time. And it is more keystrokes.

If work is in-between needing completely rewriting and needing only a little proofreading and editing, it can be problematic. And after a few attempts at proofreading and editing, you may decide to abandon it or to rewrite it completely. However, you can proofread faster and find it more relaxing if you use all the proofreading and editing tools and all the tips that there are to help you. This is even if you don't have much to correct in any text or you have a lot.

The computer proofreading tools will find almost all grammar and spelling errors. This is if not all of them. As well, the computer will find many stylistic errors a human proof-reader might take longer to find. Using it saves you time. And it improves your manuscript without needing a lot of skill. Also, you might find it an effort and time-consuming to proofread by eye.

Often, your grammar checker does not find all errors only because the settings are wrong.

Or you have made errors clicking the wrong button such as to ignore and not to correct a mistake.

When people have been proofreading and editing for some time and perhaps for over an hour, then through tiredness and poor concentration they may correct 'mistakes' when there is nothing wrong with the sentence. Take breaks. And open a window or have a fan on.

Also, ask yourself, 'Do I have the filing done?' You should really keep up with your filing. Keeping up with the filing, you know what files you have and where to find them. Do some filing in odd moments. This will keep your filing more up to date. And your files will be more useful to you if it is.

If you proofread and edit as you go along, then you may save keystrokes overall. This is because you're, for example, familiar with the plot of a short story you're writing and so you don't later have to go back to edit for holes in it. Also, you may save keystrokes in not having later to delete text that is out of place with the rest of the book. It might be that the plot has taken a wrong turn or a passage you have written is not consistent with what you have said in the rest of the book. This could be such as something you said about one of your characters. As well as proofreading and editing as you go along, planning your book to start with will also help you do less proofreading and editing.

Proofreading is often a chore. That means that you don't want to leave it to right at the end so you need to do lots all at once. As well, you might be more likely to use speech recognition and not to use so many keystrokes if you correct it mostly at the time you write it. Also, you can see some mistakes more easily if it is soon after you wrote the book. Mistakes you can see soon after you wrote them might be poor sentence construction, typing errors or the incorrect use of person or tenses.

Possibly, as well, you make mistakes only if you are hurrying. So now, you have an excuse not to hurry. Or it was because speech recognition did not work perfectly and you were a poor typist that made more mistakes when trying to correct it. Again, you might want to correct soon afterwards if that means speech recognition is still working then. As well, shortly afterwards, you know more of what you intended to write. So for these and other common sense reasons, it is often best to work on any text as soon as possible.

Printing can use quite a few keystrokes. It does because you have to add in Headers, Footers and Page Breaks. Also, the Print dialog box involves using keystrokes. As well, getting down paper packets from shelves or out of drawers, taking the paper out, putting it in a printer and collecting it after uses the hands a lot. Then, if you put the loose leaves into plastic pockets afterwards, that will also use your hands.

Formatting

Should you format as you go along? It really does help to have good-looking text that is easy to read when writing or proofreading and editing. Mainly, formatting changes will stay as they are. This is when you continue to write your document. But they might not. An exception is using Heading Styles. Headers in Microsoft Word may format in the default Heading Styles. To avoid having to do the headings again, you can use the default ones. Or you can use Themes. As well, you can use Quick Styles. Themes are on the Page Layout tab of the ribbon. And Quick Styles are the little arrow under the Change Styles icon on the Home tab. With Quick Styles, you can also automatically add in a Page Break before the heading. That saves keystrokes not doing it manually.

Editing Tips

A good tip when editing a document that was originally in the first person is that you don't have to change every instance of the word 'I' to the words 'you', 'he' or 'she'. Instead, you can make it clear that it is a personal experience. Then, you just need to add a few sentences of explanation that say it is one. You can use expressions such as, 'if this is like you' or, 'somebody described how it happened' or, 'you might think like this person who was...'

As well, you can ask yourself, 'Do I need more advice and information than I have already?' Perhaps, I could get it online. Go online! Online, you can get some paper as well as EBooks. And these can be on any subject. Except today, the book might indeed be an EBook and not a paper book.

Are you coping well with your filing and admin tasks? To find this out, ask yourself, 'How quickly and how well did I do the tasks I had?' Either this is from your own viewpoint or it is from others' feedback. Also, ask yourself, 'Can I use my computer to help me do anything more easily or more quickly?'

Which Order To Edit

Do you proofread so that you have a completely grammatical and stylistically correct text first before deciding if you delete some of it? Having a completely corrected text might make it more readable and understandable even to you when you are the writer of it. Then it will be easier to edit. Or do you save time by making big changes and removing text the book doesn't need so that you don't spend too much time if proofreading these passages later?

Perhaps, you can do a combination of the two. For example, some duplicate parts of the text you would want to delete might not show up unless bad mistakes have been removed. Bad mistakes like these are such as incorrect paragraphing, poor grammar and style or overlong and badly written sentences. Alternatively, you might see already that some parts of the text do not need to be included in the book you're writing. So you can delete them. Or you can put them into an outtakes folder. Then, you do not have to waste time and keystrokes to proofread and edit them more. Possibly, if it is clear enough already, you can delete anything you don't need. Otherwise, just keep going until the edits you want to make are quick and easy to do and as well, they are ones you know that you definitely want to make in your text.

#  Chapter 5, Altogether

To Succeed

You must make a plan to succeed, you must keep to your plan and you must have a good plan to start with. Other things needed for success are that you can't stay up too long and go to bed late, you have to eat well, you need to wash and clean regularly and you should do some exercise and get some fresh air. Also, you need to know how to do things that are on your plan such as the skills to write a story or to do other creative work. Without this kind of knowledge that some people forget that they really do need, any plan is bound to fail. And sometimes to succeed, all anyone really does need is the skills in the creative arts that they want to do. Techniques for planning individual works of art, things like keeping scrapbooks of inspirational ideas and other things, you learn in lessons for the particular creative art. Then, all anyone has to do is to pick up his pen, his paintbrush or other instrument or switch on his computer and start work. If you are still having problems, you probably just need more lessons.

Alternatively, you are sleeping poorly, eating poorly or you are otherwise unfit and unhealthy and that explains why you can't concentrate. Or you're not taking breaks from your computer. Also, it could be that you are feeling stressed by something in your life. Or you are not coping for some other reason generally with things that you do and this is a reason for your problems.

Think How You Want To Use All of Your Time

Plan all of your time and not just your creative writing or other hobby time. When you have a spare moment, make notes on paper or with a portable sound recorder. This is as well a good way of taking breaks from your computer screen. Think what you need to know to help you make a plan, to help you keep to your plan and that will make anything you do easy and fast.

When you are keen to take something to the next level, then you can only do so if you are able to concentrate. And that means you have to take breaks. This is when if you have any ambitious project, you will actually need plenty of breaks. Also, you will need some time just to reflect on what you have done so far. Otherwise, you are likely to feel hurried or frustrated. It is impossible to succeed without taking breaks. And this is even if you are doing something else other than using a computer. When you don't take breaks, then you are likely to get poor social skills. As well, you're likely to get many other ills including physical ills and pains. And you could have emotional stress only because you are tired from poor sleep or you don't take enough breaks.

Take some time to think over for a few days any possible ways you could learn in the future to relax a bit better. Perhaps, you could think of quite a few ways to relax if you put your mind to it. You can do any of the ways you have thought of when you want to take a break from your computer or to take a break more generally. Also, it is refreshing to do different tasks and not just do the same hobby, puzzle or pastime too much. At least, don't spend all your spare time on doing just one task. As well, this is even if you only spend 1 hour a day that is doing something different.

Perhaps, you would just enjoy listening to the radio whilst lying on the bed. Or you might enjoy watching the rain run down the windowpane on a stormy day. Alternatively, you could enjoy looking at the view from your window and seeing it in all weathers, at all times of day and in all seasons. Also, you might enjoy an interesting recent documentary that you can watch online. Or you might like an old-fashioned paper newspaper that you can lay out on your dining room table and flick through for an hour or two and as well read all the colour supplements. Also, you could very much like making a favourite hot snack and then eating it with your favourite sauce. Or you might enjoy just lying in bed and listen to the silence or to the sound of the traffic outside the window of your home.

Keep a budget when you are trying to do a new hobby or interest or you are trying harder with an old one. Any change to what you do during the day, a hobby you do or in your lifestyle that you have can as well change what you spend your money on. Spending changes like these can possibly overall increase the level of your expenses. So you need to keep an eye on them. Or it could lead to financial difficulties if you don't. So you should really keep an eye on your expenses if you are going to make any changes to your life, you want to try to do a hobby you have better or you want to try to do some different hobbies.

Doing a Hobby on Your Computer

What is quick advice for people doing a hobby on their computer?

Learn how to do your hobby on paper first. Or see how to do it before you use a computer for it. This will help you with worry and stress. It does because you don't have to learn two things at once, how to use your computer and as well, how to do the hobby, that is too much learning it is stressful.

When doing a creative art, then consider that your first dozen efforts or two dozen are just for practice. And don't post anything online that you're not completely satisfied will be publishable. For example, you might think that if something is not a decent work of art that you do, then nobody will want to see it. You could not expect anyone to as it would be a waste of his or her time. As well, often people like any good art but always hate any bad art. So this solves many problems with fears over hostile reactions to your work.

Try out different software to see which ones you like best. It might not be the most complex or professional but instead, it might just be the easiest or quickest. Or it could really be the most complex and the best software if that has all the features you want to do a creative art better. Alternatively, if you use a computer program a lot, then the best software might have features to help you work more quickly. Though, these features still take the time to learn about themselves. Also, the casual User might not want all of the features available. Still, sometimes when you might just want to make only basic modifications, then cheaper software could be better. It might be easier to use. Or it could add much-needed variety to doing a hobby. Also, a simpler clearer interface or other design features could save you some time.

Good reasons to do a hobby are for a bit of fun, to pass the time, to keep up skills you already have, to keep physically or mentally active, to make friends or to have something you do and don't just read. Usually, bad reasons to do a hobby are to try to get fame, fortune or a place in history.

Writing your story or short non-fiction piece need not be all you do as your hobby. It can be fun to do research and it is a welcome mental challenge. Also, this research can be recycled so you have better social skills. By doing research, you might take an interest in something you would not have done otherwise. And you would not have done it unless you planned to write a book on it. So writing is motivational as well. This is when it means you might read more.

Also, think that the people who might read your book are completely normal people with normal lives. And think as well that they have other things to do if they weren't reading your book. Or they could read other writers' books just as much as they could yours. That might make you consider if you and your work are important or not. Then, you can concentrate on what you can do and not bother with what you can't do. What you can do often is just to write a decent and perfectly competent piece that has no mistakes in it. Also, it shows that you as a writer have learned all the tricks of the trade. And all of this means that readers might be interested in your work.

As well, imagine that you as a writer are just the same as your readers and no better. You have a completely normal life as they do. Perhaps, you and they have just normal social skills. And nor is it a problem for you or people like your readers to cope with a computer. Then, thinking this, you might become a competent writer. And it might not be a problem anymore if you just didn't worry or give yourself unreasonable expectations. Leave your old incompetent self behind! You can by just being normal.

Back your work up so that if you happen to lose a manuscript or your notes, then you can find your backup copy. You will not have wasted much time if you have a recent backup copy. Nor will you have lost forever any creative ideas. And all that should be a piece of mind worth having. So if you have backup copies, then you have less that might stress you.

As they say, 'You have a solution. And a solution is a solution'.

Or they say, 'Everything is backed up. So, there is no need to worry'.

Lastly

Don't try to use industrial or time-management ideas when using your own computer. These are ideas that you might by chance have heard about even when you don't work in industry. An example is such as doing something always in exactly the same sequence. Don't try this at home. You don't want to try it as if you do not do it already in your employment, then you will not be able to do it successfully at home. For example, you will get a serious injury such as repetitive strain injury or carpal tunnel. It is likely to cause ill health anything you try.

For the sake of your health at home on a computer, you need to use a variety of keystrokes. Nor should you try to produce industrial quantities of work. And this is despite having the same computer often as a work computer. It is not just to avoid strain from repetitive movements but is, as well, even if less importantly, to avoid boredom, worry and poor social skills. Still, ideas such as taking breaks that were originally from the world of work and industry really are important to using a computer at home.

The best strategy is probably to use your computer a little less, to take breaks and to look after your health in other ways. This means you can concentrate better on your computer and other day-to-day tasks you have. Also, you might not get longer-term health problems. And you can find out all the other computer, hobby and how-to-plan tips there are as well. This means that you are able to produce, easily and fast, for health reasons and for reasons of being able to work well more generally, a good standard of work.

Finally, if you do type and don't always use speech recognition, then type with your fingers on the home keys and with a light touch. Also, you don't really want to use speech recognition too much anyway. For example, don't use speech recognition a lot and then still talk to lots of friends and your family as well. Overall, this would probably be too much talking and dictating. So don't do both of them. This is when doing both is likely to be too much. Though, you do still have to speak some of the time to avoid voice atrophy. So you have to speak a bit, but if you wanted to, then you can choose to do more on your computer and not chat to friends as much. Some talking or doing some dictation is good for your health but too much is bad. Talking too much is bad for personal and oral hygiene. And it is an effort for your lungs.

And the last tip in this book is to emphasize once again that you should not use your computer too much. This might be the only real way that you will be able to stay healthy. Later in life, if you were to use your computer less now, then you will still be able to use a computer. And this could be for anything you want to do. This is as well when in the future computer technology might have improved. So you'd still want to use it.

Also, using your computer a little less now is the best advice despite so many tips you get in books about how to use computers. This includes tips like in the book you are reading now. These books are often only for when you are on your computer. And they don't always say to use it less. That may be just because of the title of the book. Or the author assumes you already know about some of the problems with computers.

Also, having low self-esteem or having few real friends means that somebody goes online so they can take part in cyber-communities when they don't have a good social life in their real life.

Get out more! You might be able to find new friends if you just had something else that you can talk about other than your computer. Or it could be that you just talk about one hobby all the time. Also, you can't really expect a good time with friends if you haven't read the latest novel or watched anything recent that's been on TV or at the cinema. So keep doing normal things as this might mean you improve. And this is however many other pressures there are to say you are 'online' or for you to have the 15 minutes of fame that everyone is supposed to get as well.

You could probably get good social skills without really having to try any harder than by just having a normal life. And spending too long on your computer might just be the one thing that means you don't actually have a normal life. This is when really everyone only wants to be normal.

Ultimately, if you do anything on a computer, it probably does all really need you to make keystrokes. And using a computer, you are usually sitting at a desk in front of a hot screen. A possible exception to this is watching a video or reading EBooks. You can watch video from an armchair as if it was on a normal TV. And this is just like it was years ago. But today, you might connect your TV to a computer.

So watch more video! It will save you keystrokes and, as well, it might be more interesting than anything else you can do on a computer. Or, at least, it would be more interesting than doing creative arts in all your spare time. Particularly, it is more interesting than doing just one creative art all the time.

And you can read EBooks on an E-Reader. This is a good use of a computer. As well, it is not a lot of keystrokes. Also, an E-Reader has less radiation than a desktop or a laptop. So, then you have a solution! Use your computer to read! Or you might want to do so generally more if you have less radiation. This is when having an E-Reader or another low radiation computer to read on.

Notwithstanding all this, you can plan any creative, hobby or spare time activity that you still want to do and for which you will need a computer. You can do this knowing that computers have a downside. And you really do want to avoid any downside computers have, don't you? You probably do. Still, hobbies can be better sometimes on a computer. As well, they can be better for health than how you did them previously. Also, they may be less effort on a computer or less time-consuming. In the past, paper and other previous technology also had a health downside.

This all means that you might in fact actually want a computer if you have a hobby. But then, if you do have a hobby you do on a computer, you will want to practice any tips for using the software well. Also, you will want to follow any health advice. And particularly, you might reduce how many keystrokes you use if you can help it. Or it may be that you need more than just a few tips. Instead, you might make a proper study of it. All tips can work together to help you have a better computer experience.

It is good to get off your computer at least sometimes and do something else. You can get off your computer sooner having achieved the same thing if you know just a few tips. A good start to make is to try to be more relaxed about using computers. And then you will often see how to use them better. Also, you might see how you could use them a bit less without worries about this such as unfinished work you want to get on with or unattained ambitions you have.

Unnecessary stress distracts you. And it means you might key more than you have to. This is to finish any task the same as if you had used fewer keystrokes. Unnecessary keying and sitting too long at a desk are distracting, and as well, mean you have less time just to relax and unwind. So using a computer can cause more stress in a vicious circle. Being a bit more relaxed or following rules on doing less keying can cut this vicious circle.

Try to see the bigger picture and think what you want to achieve. This could be from your computer or more generally. Other things, you might find, don't involve using a computer but are just as enjoyable. Really, you might like other things better than sitting at a desk in front of a hot screen all day typing on a keyboard. Nobody really likes using a computer for all of their spare time. But it is something they do as they find it hard to stop. And it is when anyone probably really does have other things to do and other things with which they could be getting on.

The present small volume has given some ideas about how to use fewer keystrokes. Particularly, it has if you are a computer addict worried about overusing your computer at home. Or it is for anyone who worries about using his or her hands too much on a computer.

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