10 guides in 8 sections

Guides

Newest first. Shortcuts come with Mac and Windows keys and the app version they were checked on; gear and apps come with a price and who can skip them.

  1. A small stack of blank white index cards held by a black binder clip beside the corner of a beige keyboard on a pale oak desk
    Automation

    Best text expanders for Mac and Windows, free and paid

    Start with the Mac’s built-in Text Replacements, then choose Espanso, AutoHotkey, Raycast, TextExpander or Keyboard Maestro by system, price and what you need.

  2. Desk Setup

    Ergonomic desk setup checklist: chair, keyboard, screen

    Set up a desk for long days in the order each step depends on: chair, keyboard, mouse, screen and light, with OSHA’s, Cornell’s and HSE’s figures named.

  3. Shortcuts

    Excel keyboard shortcuts for Mac and Windows, by task

    The Excel shortcuts worth learning, grouped by job, with Mac and Windows keys side by side, why the Mac keys differ, and how to reach any command from the keys.

  4. Typing

    How to learn touch typing as an adult: a daily routine

    A touch typing routine you can keep beside a working day: the home row, which finger takes each key, fifteen minutes a day on free sites, and accuracy first.

  5. Keyboards

    Keyboard sizes explained: which keys each layout drops

    Full size, 96%, TKL, 75%, 65% and 60% compared by the keys each drops or moves behind Fn, what that costs in Excel and editing, and which size suits which job.

  6. Keyboards

    Linear, tactile or clicky: keyboard switches explained

    What linear, tactile and clicky switches feel like, which suit a shared office or calls, how to read the spec sheet, and how to choose one without guessing.

  7. Mac & Windows

    Mac keyboard shortcuts for Windows users: the key map

    Which Mac keys do the jobs of Ctrl, Alt, the Windows key, Home, End, Delete and Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and how to swap the modifier keys so the Mac fits your hands.

  8. Productivity Apps

    Raycast vs Alfred vs Spotlight: which Mac launcher?

    Spotlight, Raycast and Alfred compared on price, the free tier, clipboard history, snippets and window management, and how to put your launcher on Cmd+Space.

  9. Shortcuts

    Text-editing shortcuts that work in almost every app

    The keys that move, select and delete text by the word, the line and the paragraph, Mac and Windows side by side, plus a ten-minute drill that makes them stick.

  10. Spreadsheets

    XLOOKUP vs VLOOKUP: which to use in Excel and Sheets

    When to use XLOOKUP and when VLOOKUP is still the right one, in Excel and Google Sheets, with a VLOOKUP rewritten step by step and the keys to build it.