The Keyboard Shortcut that Rocks My World

I spend a lot of time on the internet, opening up new tabs. It’s an occupational hazard for writers and anyone who works at the Queensland Writers Centre, so I’m always happy to learn things that save me time and help me rock my job a little better. This post is about one that I learned a year or so back, which is proving to be a lifesaver on a day-to-day front.

Ready? Here we go.

Control-Shift-T 

Or Command-Shift-T for you Mac people, scourge of the earth that you are with your fancy-pants non-standard keyboards.

If you’ve never used it before, Control-Shift-T is the shortcut that tells your browser to re-open the last tab you just closed. For someone who frequently has twenty-plus tabs open, sorting through them as I construct the steady stream of links I run through the twitter feeds for @Petermball and @AMWonline, it gets used on a daily basis. It lets me backtrack like a backtracking ninja, saves on anguish when I accidentally close the wrong tab, and generally ranks up there with unicorns, beer, and coffee in terms of things that make my life better with their existence.

Whoever came up with the shortcut get mad props, and I honestly can’t remember how I got by without it. It’s a simple thing, but it totally changed the way I engaged with the internet. Control T (for a new tab) gets a little bit of a workout too, but it’s generally just a quick-and-easy time saver – it’s when you throw the Shift key into the mix that you’re actually saved from moments of your own stupidity.

So, yeah. Control-Shift-T. It’s a thing of beauty. Learn it. Use it. Love it.

That’s mine, so how ’bout you guys? What quick-and-easy keyboard shortcuts make your life easier? Have at it in the comments, peeps, and lets make all our lives a little easier.