Most efficient method in Excel? Mouse or Keyboard keys?

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Guest

Could you tell me which method is considered the most efficient in Excel?
Obviously a combination of all are used but which is preferred? Mouse,
Keyboard or Toolbar?
 
It depends on what (and how much) you need to accomplish.

This is my opinion:
The mouse is easier for exploring menu structures to find the commands I'm
interested in, but slow and inaccurate for speed work. Once I know where
they are....if I have to repeat the same command many times (or even a
few)...I'll generally use the keyboard shortcuts or navigate with the
keyboard using the underlined menu characters.

Does that help?
--------------------------

Regards,

Ron
Microsoft MVP (Excel)

(XL2003, Win XP)
 
Thank you. I agree it does depend on the tasks. The question arises from my
work as a project accountant. My supervisor, myself and many I work with are
very mouse-oriented. Our in-house expert is telling us that is sub-par in
the efficiency. We do work in many worksheets but each and every one is
different. Also it brings up the ergonomic question. It certainly isn't
meant to be controversial, only to verify our work methods. I appreciate
your response. :)
 
I'm very mouse-oriented, probably 80 mouse - 20 keyboard. If I need
something repeated again and again, I'll make a custom toolbar, put a couple
buttons on it, and drag it to where I need to use it. This makes me pretty
efficient even with the mouse. The inability to do this in Excel 2007 means
that my maximum theoretical efficiency in 2007 is substantially lower than
in Excel 2003.

- Jon
 
Ron wrote on Sat, 8 Sep 2007 21:02:16 -0400:

RC> This is my opinion:
RC> The mouse is easier for exploring menu structures to find
RC> the commands I'm interested in, but slow and inaccurate for
RC> speed work. Once I know where they are....if I have to
RC> repeat the same command many times (or even a few)...I'll
RC> generally use the keyboard shortcuts or navigate with the
RC> keyboard using the underlined menu characters.

Are you kidding or so immersed in the later 20th century that
you are prepared to learn arcane irrational key strokes?

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
it brings up the ergonomic question.

I'm all about ergonomics!

I use the mouse about 99% of the time simply because of the ergonomics of my
work area.

IMHO there are too many keyboard shortcuts to remember! OTOH, I guess you
don't need to remember *all* of them!
 
If I have to repeat the same sequence of activities many times, the keyboard
usually buries the mouse for speed. I regularly work with
fresh-out-of-college tyros who elbow nudge each other when I'm showing them
how to work the keyboard for Excel. Two minutes into my demo these guys are
taking notes and asking for more. Why? Because they have a lot of work to do
and want to get home at a reasonable hour.

If you want to shun the keyboarding techniques on principle, that's your
prerogative.

Have a nice day.

Ron
Microsoft MVP (Excel)

(XL2003, Win XP)
 
Ron wrote on Sat, 8 Sep 2007 23:06:29 -0400:

RC> If you want to shun the keyboarding techniques on
RC> principle, that's your prerogative.

??>>
RC>>> This is my opinion:
RC>>> The mouse is easier for exploring menu structures to find
RC>>> the commands I'm interested in, but slow and inaccurate
RC>>> for speed work. Once I know where they are....if I have
RC>>> to repeat the same command many times (or even a
RC>>> few)...I'll generally use the keyboard shortcuts or
RC>>> navigate with the keyboard using the underlined menu
RC>>> characters.
??>>
??>> Are you kidding or so immersed in the later 20th century
??>> that you are prepared to learn arcane irrational key
??>> strokes?
??>>


Sorry, I'll admit that I sound a bit bad tempered there but,
even if I do know a number of them, arbitrary key strokes are
things that sometimes irk me. I can admit CTRL-C for "copy",
CTRL-X perhaps for "extract" but why should "paste" be CTRL-V,
cancel be ALT-Z and ALT-X be "convert hex unicode to symbol"?
The original programmers for Excel and Word must really have
loved Word Star :-)

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
Any keyboard input, no matter how "arcane" or "irrational" runs circles
around the mouse for speed and efficiency, especially so if you use the
accelerator keystrokes for menu item access and the context key for a
right-click of the mouse. I can type probably 20 characters in the same time
that it takes to move my hand off the keyboard, move it to the mouse, drag
the mouse, find the button, click the button, and move my hand back to the
keyboard. If you don't have a Natural or similar ergonomic keyboard, get
one. It might take a few weeks to get used to it, but the payoff in comfort
and ease of use is more than worth it. Get rid of the worthless key such as
F1, CAPS LOCK, SCL LOCK, and NUMLOCK and it is even better.

I've been using Natural keyboards since they came out in about 1993 or 1994.
(I've gone through probably 15 or 20 keyboards on various machines over the
years.) I cannot and will not use a standard keyboard. When I go to a client
site, I either bring my own keyboard or buy one there. (The best keyboard I
ever used was an MS Natural MultiMedia with USB ports on the back. Alas, MS
has discontinued it and now offers only the Natural 4000 and Natural Elite,
neither of which measures up to earlier offerings.)
but why should "paste" be CTRL-V
Click to expand...

You can't blame MS for that one. CTRL V originated on the Macintosh before
Windows was anything more than curiosity. And since the "V" key is next to
"X" and "C", it does make some sense to group the Cut/Copy/Paste commands on
adjacent keys. MS wanted either (1) to make it easy for Mac users to use
Windows or, (2) stole the Mac UI, depending on your version of history, and
so copied many Mac keyboard assignments.

After a while, muscle memory takes over and your fingers just move to right
keys before you even think about exactly what keys you are using. This all
assumes, of course, that you are a full-touch typist, none of that
hunt-and-peck nonsense.


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Pearson Software Consulting
www.cpearson.com
(email on the web site)
 
I thought the V in ctrl-v was taken from moVe.

And for ctrl-x being used for Cut, I think the X is supposed to look like
scissors.
 
Dave wrote on Sun, 09 Sep 2007 09:06:38 -0500:

DP> And for ctrl-x being used for Cut, I think the X is
DP> supposed to look like scissors.

Forgive me but most of those look like after the fact
rationalizations or desperate attempts at mnemonic devices from
the time when they were necessary.

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
I remember seeing the ctrl-x described as scissors way before excel became
available. It was used in lots of programs before windows was invented.

Did the explanation come after the assignment? I don't know.
 
Could you tell me which method is considered the most efficient in Excel?
Obviously a combination of all are used but which is preferred? Mouse,
Keyboard or Toolbar?
Click to expand...

I use keyboard quite a bit. I find the mouse useful in these
situations:
* selecting a ribbon command that doesn't have an associated key
sequence, such as Get External Data (with Excel 2007)
* opening a menu item that I don't commonly use and therefore don't
remember its key sequence (with Excel 2003 and earlier)
* highlighting a specific range that can't be accomplished in End
Mode, or non-continuous ranges, or pivot-selecting
* editing in the middle of a long formula
* selecting options in dialog boxes (usually)

For all other applications, I find the keyboard much faster.
 
Who cares how you rationalize, memorize, mnemonicize the keyboard
shortcuts. That's what they are, get used to it and stop letting
things like that "irk" you. I'd bet it would irk you a lot more if
you had to relearn these commands because they changed all of a sudden
in every new software coming out.
 
T. wrote on Sun, 9 Sep 2007 13:30:08 -0400:

??>> This all assumes, of course, that you are a full-touch
??>> typist, none of that hunt-and-peck nonsense.

TV> Ah, that probably explains why I prefer the mouse!

TV> --
TV> Biff
TV> Microsoft Excel MVP

Please excuse me if I have given offence; it's just that I
think that learning keystrokes is bad advice for new users. I
think I use Excel adequately efficiently with a mouse tho' I
could not make my living entering data :-)

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not
 
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