4 MINUTE READ

Basic Information Technology Skills

Most, if not all, successful small business owners in 2021 require some level of basic information technology skills. Whether it be as advanced as marketing your business online or as simple as signing an electronic contract, the below tips will help to expand any small business owners’ computer skills. Read until the end for tips on how to implement these skills into your day to day routine.

SKIP THE LINE:
Troubleshooting
Basic Keyboard Shortcuts for PC and Mac
Tips to Implement Into Your Daily Work Routine

Take it back to the basics with our quick run down of some of the most common IT hacks that everyone should know. Don’t underestimate the importance of brushing up on or learning new skills when it comes to technology. In today’s day and age, technology is constantly changing and these core skills are a great foundation to build upon.

Related Article: Remote Work Technology Support

Troubleshooting

Below are some of the top steps to take to troubleshoot a computer that is having problems or running slow.

1. Check for System Updates

   Full steps on how to do this on both a PC and Mac can be found here.

2. Restart Your Computer

3. Free Up Space on the Computer by Emptying Trash Folders and Deleting Old Files

4. Test Your Wifi and Ensure There is a Strong Connection

5. Run a Thorough Virus Scan

   Some of the top virus scanners as of 2021 can be found here.

Basic Keyboard Shortcuts for PC and Mac

Ever wonder what life would be like if you could get a few minutes (or hours) back each day? Keyboard Shortcuts are a great tool to make almost every computer task a little quicker, adding up to some BIG time savings. Think about it this way, 5 seconds saved each day for 365 days = 30 minutes… imagine how much time 5 minutes saved a day could bring back in a year. Below are a few of the top shortcuts to implement today for both PC and Mac.

1. CTRL + C (PC) or ⌘ + C (Mac)

   One of the most used shortcuts, COPY. Great for copying text without having to use the old right-click and find “copy” method.

2. CTRL + V (PC) or ⌘ + V (Mac)

   Going hand in hand with the first command, this allows for a swift PASTE of anything copied to the clipboard.

3. CTRL + Z (PC) or ⌘ + Z (Mac)

   Fix most computer mistakes with a simple UNDO. Accidentally delete a folder? Undo. Made changes to a Word document that you aren’t crazy about? Go back. A simple and effective shortcut that everyone should have in their back pocket.

4. CTRL + B/I/U (PC) or ⌘ + B/I/U (Mac)

   Want to make the text stand out? Create a stand-out look without ever touching the mouse.

   1. CTRL (or Command) + B = BOLD
   2. CTRL  (or Command) + I = Italics
   3. CTRL (or Command) + U = Underline

5. Alt + Tab (PC) or ⌘ + Tab (Mac)

   Easily toggle between applications while working with this command. Need to check an email while researching for the next big project? A quick toggle will do the trick and get you back on track in no time.

Web Browser Shortcuts

Now let’s speed things up while browsing the web with a few basic browser-specific keyboard shortcuts.

1. CTRL + T (PC) or ⌘ + T (Mac)
   Open a new tab in a flash with this quick command.
2. CTRL + H (PC) or ⌘ + Y (Mac)
   Open Recent Browser History.
3. CTRL + Enter (PC Only)
   A quick way to add “www.” and “.com” to a URL. For example, if you type “FordTech” and then CTRL + Enter in the browser it will automatically turn to “www.FordTech.com“.

Related Article: 3 Steps to Secure Your Systems Amid Worldwide Cyber Threats

Tips to Implement Into Your Daily Work Routine

Practice, practice, practice. It may be slow at first when learning and putting these new basic information technology tips to use, but with everyday use, they can slowly free up time to get back to the life that has been waiting on you. Spend 5-10 minutes a day practicing keyboard and web browser shortcuts to becoming an expert in no time at all. Continue to expand shortcuts knowledge by visiting the keyboard shortcut pages on Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (PC) or Apple Support (for Mac).

Want to learn more? Have questions about what you learned above? Let’s chat at info@fordtech.com