Success is a lousy teacher.
Introduction
Whether you're buried in schoolwork or diving into self-learning, mastering productivity on the computer is key to managing all the content coming your way. From slides and textbooks to endless web pages, the struggle to keep up is real, and speed is essential. But you don't have to fumble around the keyboard like your parents might. Fear not, I'm going to share my top study strategies and practical tips to help you power through your tasks and make the most of your time at the keyboard.
Browser Essentials
Mastering just a few hotkeys can make a world of difference in your productivity. Even if you take nothing else from this article, incorporating these shortcuts into your routine will instantly boost your efficiency.
Navigation
| Ctrl + T | Open a new browser tab |
| Ctrl + F | Search for specific terms within documents or web pages |
| Highlight + Ctrl + F | Automatically populate the search bar with selected text for faster searches |
| Tab | Navigate forwards through page elements |
| Shift + Tab | Navigate backward through page elements |
| Alt + Tab | Switch quickly between open applications |
Editing
| Ctrl + A | Select all text in a document or webpage |
| Ctrl + C/V | Copy and paste text to save time when transferring information |
| Ctrl + Z/Y | Undo or redo actions to correct mistakes quickly |
| Ctrl + S | Save your work frequently to avoid losing progress |
Advanced
| F5 | Reload the current web page |
| F7 | Caret browsing: Adds a blinking cursor to help you keep your place on the screen |
| F11 | Toggle full-screen mode |
| Print Screen | Capture screenshots for quick reference |
Mouse Shortcuts
| Ctrl + Click Link | Open a link in a new background tab |
| Highlight + Right Click | From context menu Google search highlighted text |
| Ctrl + Scroll Wheel | Zoom in and out of pages for better readability |
| Space Bar | Scroll down a webpage without using the mouse |
For a comprehensive list of Chrome shortcuts, including those specific to Mac, you can visit the Chrome keyboard shortcuts page.
Transcribing
Recording your lectures is a great way to revisit the material and improve your note-taking. A quick hack to streamline this process is to upload the audio to a transcription service, so you can easily copy and paste information. If your professor uploads lectures to YouTube, you can grab the transcript in the video description section. You can use the generated text to create your study summaries or flashcards, a real time saver.
Reading and Listening
If you're a slow reader like I am, the Read Aloud Chrome Extension is a much more enjoyable way to churn through content. Just select the text you want to hear, and you can skip the eye strain altogether. You can customize the voice to "Google English," which sounds more natural and less robotic, and even increase the playback speed to breeze through those walls of text. Plus, listening to the text frees you up to multitask, making your study sessions more efficient.
Dictation
Are you a fast typer? No matter how quick your words per minute are, I guarantee it's not as fast as you can speak! Professionals like doctors rely on advanced dictation tools for their documentation, and you can bring that same level of efficiency to your study sessions. One of my favorite tools is the Voice In Chrome Extension. Just tap the hotkey (Alt + L) and start speaking to see your thoughts instantly appear on the screen. I find it especially useful for quickly getting a rough draft down, so I can spend more time focusing on editing and refining my work.
ChatGPT
Combining all the tools mentioned above with a powerful large language model like ChatGPT is huge. You can ask it complex questions and receive tailored responses that go far beyond what a Google search might offer.
ChatGPT can analyze and answer questions about images, summarize lengthy articles in seconds, and assist you with just about anything you can think of. It can generate images, translate languages effortlessly, write computer code, and even have real-time human-like conversations. It truly feels like something from the future.
OpenAI is also planning to release a search engine soon called SearchGPT which could rival Google and its dominance over the internet. How exciting is that!
As incredible as this tool is, it's still in its early stages, so it's essential to fact-check and verify the information it provides. But it's a fantastic resource to add to your study arsenal.
Humanizing
Once you've used AI tools enough, it becomes clear that they have a distinct tone. It’s fine to use AI for outlining ideas, but simply copying and pasting what they generate is risky. While it can be challenging to distinguish AI-generated content from human writing, tools like GPTZero do a good job of identifying it. You can upload your content, and it’ll predict with reasonable accuracy whether it’s AI or human-made. For now, it’s often obvious when AI content has been copied directly, and your teachers are likely using similar tools too. So, it's worth putting in some effort to ensure your work reflects your own thoughts and voice.
Conclusion
From mastering hotkeys to leveraging AI, these practical tools can drastically improve your study efficiency. But the real power lies in combining these tools with your unique voice and approach to learning. At NoteKnight, we've taken this no-nonsense approach to heart. Ready to put your new strategies to work? Check out NoteKnight today and see how our AI-powered flashcards and user-friendly tools can help you ace your exams and achieve real results.
