Path Technology

Are your better off using a typewriter? Well, of course not, but inefficiencies in using your word processor may make you wonder. Here's some ways to increase your efficiency.

One way to improve your word processing skills and save time is to learn some simple key commands for some of the more commonly used functions. Another tip is to configure your word processor to behave more to your liking. Let's explore both these ideas in Microsoft Word.

1. Useful keyboard shortcuts:
   • Ctrl-S Save current document
   • Ctrl-O Open a new document
   • Ctrl-Z Undo the last operation
   • Ctrl-Y Undo the last undo
   • Ctrl-A Select the entire document
   • Ctrl-X Cut
   • Ctrl-C Copy
   • Ctrl-V Paste
   • Ctrl-I Turn italics on or off
   • Ctrl-B Turn bold on or off
   • Ctrl-U Turn underlining on or off
   • Ctrl-P Open the print dialog box
2. Helpful configuration ideas (under Tools -> Options, then select the Edit tab):
   • In the "Editing Options" box, uncheck 'smart paragraph selection'
   • In the "Editing Options" box, uncheck 'automatically select entire word'

Please remember that the configuration changes are really personal preferences, and many of us do not like the default settings. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide what you like and dislike, and these are places to start.