Tl;dr: ditch the mouse, it’s for n00bs. Use keyboard shortcuts for everything.

If you’re spending every day on a computer, and especially if you do knowledge work, and especially if your brain is still relatively plastic… you should be using the mouse as minimally as possible.

Brain-computer latency

Moving and clicking the mouse is slow and imprecise. Keyboard inputs are fast, perfectly precise, and chain-able.

Speed is awesome, and it adds up.

But the real value is in reducing the latency between your brain (“I want to do this thing on the computer”) and the computer input (“I did it”).

If you’re doing deep work on a computer, keeping this latency low helps you get into a flow state. When the line between having an idea and executing on it disappears, speed and quality both skyrocket.

(And if it isn’t intuitive how valuable this is: look up videos of Excel world champions – and then compare that to how you use Excel.)

Be a power user

Every program worth its salt – web browsers, spreadsheets, IDEs, video editing software, DAWs – has a crapload of keyboard shortcuts for power users. If you use a program frequently, you should learn them.

OK, fine – but how?

Here’s some really great advice my old boss, Dan Ha, gave me, paraphrased:

Every time you find yourself doing something more than once, look up the keyboard shortcut and use it. Then just stay disciplined, and make sure you keep using it.

It’ll make your work faster, better, and more fun: I guarantee it.

posted 12 sep 2025