How does one break a mouse dependency in a practical way?
What advice would you give someone looking to use their keyboard more and their mouse less?
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Oldest comments (33)
I'd recommend you switch your code editor to VIM or Emacs, the learning curve is a little bit steep but in the long run If you want to be less dependent on your mouse when you code it's a good start.
The most drastic option I can think of is to just unplug your mouse and put it away. That might not be super realistic though since you'll probably come across a website or software that just wasn't designed for use without a mouse. I did this when I first got a drawing tablet. Helps you get used to visualizing the area of your screen as the little rectangle sitting on your desk.
The most likely step would be to either print off or download all the keyboard shortcuts for whatever software you're using. Even Reddit and Twitter have keyboard shortcuts for navigating through posts, upvoting/liking, etc.
Knowing keyboard shortcuts keeps your hands on the keyboard which means less time moving back and forth and more time just working.
Learn vim by setting your default terminal editor as vim and download a vim keymapping for your favorite IDE. You can even further the experience by downloading vimium for Firefox or Chrome. It will get you far in most systems.
If vim isn't your thing, learn the shortcuts of your favorite IDE and of your OS.
If like me you typed for the last 20 years with weird bad habits, now is a good time to learn touch typing. It makes typing easier and you'll learn your shortcuts faster.
It is a habit thing, first week feels clunky but surprisingly you muscle memory builds up rapidly.
The scroll is so smooth and satisfying I can't live without it.
Definitely agree with turning on Vim emulation in your preferred editor. It can feel immobilizing at first, but it pays off quickly.
I mean it's the best of both worlds: You get all the awesome features of a modern IDE while using a powerful text input tool
I'd say, 3 things:
TABkeyI'm a C guy using notepad++. I still use my mouse when "necessary". Sometimes it makes sense to just use the mouse. but trust me, using the keyboard is fast and enjoyable. Try to use your command prompt to do simple tasks like starting your code editor. That should get you started.
I'm not an expert here but have had similar plans. I know you can do everything with Vim shortcuts. VSCode, Chrome, and then maybe learning mac keyboard shortcuts. And then put your mouse on the left side of your keyboard.
invest in a good mechanical keyboard. you'll enjoy the sound and feel of your typing so much that you'll naturally use your keyboard more.
bonus: mechanical keyboards can be customizable
Switch to using the mouse on the other side.
I recently started having issues with some of my fingers on my right hand. Probably CTS related or so. Anyway, because of that I started using the mouse with my left hand. It turned out that it's got rather cumbersome to use most keyboard combinations with my right hand, so this kind of forced me to switch to using just the keyboard more often than before.
My best advice is don’t learn everything at once. Identify the areas you use the mouse the most and learn those keyboard shortcuts first. Maybe it’s something as simple as saving OR maybe it’s text selection. Once you learn those shortcuts, find another one. Over time you can slowly build up a knowledge base that will help take you away from the mouse.
I still use the mouse more than I’d probably like, but I’ve started this approach and am seeing great success!
Crtl + shift + pOpens up this command prompt type thing in VS Code. You can search files, run the program, debug, open files, convert spaces to tabs.
If it's something you can do in VS Code, you can do it within this tiny but awsome window!
Like Alfred, but specifically for VS Code!
If you have a Mac:
it's shift + command p. Taken from here code.visualstudio.com/shortcuts/ke...