Monday, July 12, 2004

New Monday

Another Monday Another Week!

Well it doesn't have to be that way. If you're out there and reading this and feeling a case of the Monday Blues, cheer up! This week will be over quite fast.... just like any other week. Times only knows how to do one thing: flying. It just flies. Yep! have a cup of coffee and sit back.

Of course, you need to be the master of alt-tabbing if you're vulnerable to spending a lot of time surfing at work. If you're reading blogs, surfing web pages, looking for things, checking portfolios, buying up the ebay inventory, etc... you need to know that there is a certain risk involved in getting caught not working. Forget programs with the Boss Key. The best Boss Key is alt-tab.

Here's how to alt-tab
Windows keeps track of all the application that you use and the order in which you use them. By "use" I mean bringing up an application and doing something then either minimizing that application or clicking on another one from the taskbar.

To use alt-tab, press down the ALT key with your left thumb and keep it pressed. Now press the TAB key once*. This will bring up a little window where Windows will display an icon for each application open on the desktop at the moment. If you keep pressing TAB key you will keep cycling thru the list of icons. When an icon is selected, at the bottom of the new screen windows will display the title of the application that the icon belongs to. When you see the application you want to switch to, just let go of the ALT key. Windows will switch to that application.

So,
1. Open a work related document, programming environment, etc....
2. Open a web browser for all the surfing.
3. At the bottom on the taskbar click on the work related program.
4. Now click on the web browser.
5. If you hear footsteps, keys clanging, pocket change rattling, or whatever else, just hit alt-tab. This will switch you back to your work application.

Now why did I explain this alt-tab trick in good detail considering most of the readers will know how to alt-tab better than Bill Gates himself? Well simple, I need to kill time too. :)


* Pressing once means to press and then to let go.