We never think about the number of clicks we do on the computer every day, we just do them. Going from the keyboard to the mouse to make a click does cause carpal tunnel problems. You can reduce this and increase productivity, just by learning new ways to use your search engine functions.
Here are 18 ways you can reduce the number of clicks and increase your efficiency at the same time:
1. When searching for a particular book, type in the book's title in the search field. You will want to do this even if you know you are interested in purchasing it from a particular vendor. This way you can check the competitive pricing.
2. Allow the search field to do your math. When you need to complete a calculation, simply enter it into the search field. Ex: 5*9(sqrt 10) ^3=. Or even simple addition. Ex: 5863+91/3= Always end with the equal sign.
3. Convert measurements. One of my favorite ways to use the search engine field is for converting measurements. The most common conversions are miles to feet and metrics and pixels to inches or the reverse. Here’s how to enter what you want converted: “10.5 cm in inches. “
4. You can also find public data fast this way. For instance, if you want to find the population numbers for your city, type in “population City State." Use the two-letter code for your state.
5. If you need a synonym for a word, type a “~” in front of the word.
6. If you need a word definition, type in the word "define" (without quotes) and add the word or phrase. Example: "Define abundance."
7. Check spelling using the search engine field. Type in the word the way you think it’s spelled. Instantly you have the most common spelling information. This also works from an iPhone.
8. To find a nearby restaurant, enter the type of food followed by the zip code. For instance, Chinese 22201. If you’re in a new area, type in the street name, city, state, and the zip code will appear. Then type in the type of food you want and the zip code.
9. You can find movie theaters the same way -- type in movies + zip code.
10. What if you are driving around and looking at homes for sales. You find a street or area you really like. Enter "homes sales, name of street, city, and state, or leave out the city and state and just add the zip code. (If you don’t have the zip code, see #8 above).
11. Is your mother's plane going to be on time? Type in the airlines, flight number, and the airport name. Enter the airline, flight number, airport name (without commas). Example: American airlines 3110 DCA.
12. Use the search engine field to convert currencies. Let’s say you’re completing your expense report at work. You need to know what 130 rubbles equal in US dollars. To achieve this, enter 130 rubles in USD. You can also enter in 130 GBP in USD.
13. Another way I like to use the search field is the "fill in the blank" feature. This works especially well when you can ask a question. All you do is add an asterisk (*) at the end of the sentence or question you want finished. Example: Isaac Newton discovered *. This is fantastic for school projects.
When I was standing at a statute in France and I wanted to know more about the statute, I entered the name followed by an *.
Last week, I used this feature for a sculpture in a local park. In a few minutes I knew all about the artist.
14. When you need to track a shipping number, don’t spend extra time going to the UPS, FedEx, or USPS web site. Just type the number into the search engine field.
15. Need to find a patent? Type in "patent" + the number.
16. Do you have a zip code but don’t know what city and state it belongs to? Type in the zip code.
17. When you want to search for web pages with similar content, type "related:" (notice there's a colon after the word) followed by the website address. Example: related: abundancecenter.com. This is also a great way to begin your competition research.
18. Would you like to know the time in another city, type in "time" and the city or country? For example: “time Australia.” The results will also display various cities if the time is different in each city in that country.
Wasn’t that great? Now you know 18 ways to find information and save yourself wrist fatigue, damage, and time.
