Having a Modena Computers workstation on your desk will already give you a much better time at the office than you would ever have otherwise, but if you really want to get the most out of it, you really should think about how you’re going to interact with it. The keyboard and mouse are a pair of peripherals that are often overlooked, but we just want to show you how much they could add to your workflow if you choose well.
Keyboard
I’ve been an avid user of mechanical keyboards since 2013, and I can’t express how much more productive I’ve become since then. Of course, smooth, crisp keypresses feel better than the mushiness we’re all accustomed to, but it’s more than that. What’s not clear is the subtle ways these peripherals improve your workflow over time.
Workflow
My hands now stay planted on the homerow of the keyboard most of the time. To add to this, I’ve learned touch typing, and I only use my mouse when I really need to. I’ve also become a lot more familiar with keyboard shortcuts. These may sound like minimal changes, but those seconds you save really add up.
Build Quality
The other benefit that comes with better peripherals is that they’re made to last. You may pay a lot more up front, but you won’t have to worry about replacing it for a long time.
This extends to the keys themselves. What I mean is that good keycaps have text that will never fade away.
Another common feature is a detachable cable. If you somehow manage to damage your keyboard’s cable, wouldn’t you be relieved that you don’t have to replace the entire keyboard?
Mouse
So I pointed out earlier that a nice keyboard helps me to minimize my mouse usage, but that doesn’t mean you should just settle for a substandard mouse. After spending some time optimising my workflow, I started to understand the relationship between these two devices, and how best to use them.
Workflow
How I see it now is that the keyboard is a device for input, and the mouse is a device for intake. I don’t just do active and intensive tasks, I also have to do some reading, and other kinds of research. I find it really helpful to relax a bit when I do this, and I just keep one hand on my mouse. This makes reading more comfortable, and it also helps me save my energy for those more intensive tasks.
As you can imagine, I use a lot of mouse shortcuts as well. Just having left, right, and middle clicks, along with a scroll wheel, isn’t enough. You want to have at least 2 thumb buttons to navigate back and forward on the web, or in other programs. If you’re not using middle click to open and close tabs, you really should. This combination of buttons already makes you a lot more effective.
Extra Features
My personal mouse has some other additions that aren’t very common, but they add so much. The first is horizontal scroll. This is a complete gamechanger in Excel, and I find myself using it a lot on the web as well.
Another one is a gesture button. This is a programmable button that you can program to do all sorts of things. Right now, I have it set so that I can hold it and swipe up for Home or down for End. When you’re done reading through a long post, it’s nice to be able to just jump to the top of the page. If I hold the button and swipe left and right, I can switch between virtual desktops. Using virtual desktops is another super useful trick, but I’ll talk more about that another day.
Keep in mind that an ordinary mouse isn’t your only option either – you could also consider something like the SpaceMouse or CadMouse, which are designed specifically for engineering and design workflows; or if you value comfort and ergonomics, you might want to look into a trackball.
Conclusion
Hopefully you have a better idea of how much more there is to these devices. There are so many options available, and we’d be happy to help you find exactly the right kind of device for you.
When you’re ready for your free consultation about a Modena Computers workstation, talk to us about peripherals as well. You could even buy a keyboard kit from a great local seller, and we could solder it up for you to go with your new computer.
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