Every mouse drag was a mini workout. Swapping to voice commands and three-finger shortcuts gave me the energy headroom to actually build things again.

What Shifted

  • Mouse miles → keystrokes: I mapped the actions I do 20+ times a day (select, copy, paste, undo) and drilled the shortcuts until they were reflex. Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + ←/→ replaces frantic dragging, Ctrl/⌘ + Z bails me out without hunting menus.
  • Voice as backup: When my hands feel shaky, Voice Control becomes the pointer. “Open a new tab,” “Scroll down,” “Click the save button.” It’s slower than a mouse on a sharp day—but infinitely faster than giving up on foggy ones.
  • Energy dividend: The combo means I’m spending willpower on decisions, not on getting the cursor in the right place. That matters when the tank is at 30% before breakfast.

What I’m Trying Next

  • Add one voice macro per week (“Archive email,” “Split window left/right”) so I can stay hands-off longer.
  • Create a one-page “Shortcut Warmup” drill to run before deep work sessions.
  • Share the routine with new members in the MS Discord and collect accessibility tweaks they need on Windows vs macOS.

Links & Shoutouts