How to Use a Computer like a Pro

To a surprising large number of people across the globe, computers remain a mystery that is to be avoided at all costs. And contrary to what most people think, this applies to both the old and the young. If you are one of those people who jab at computer keyboards with a single finger, as if spearing a particularly elusive strip of spaghetti, then this article is for you. In this article, I am going to teach you how to use a computer like a pro.

Get rid of that Phobia

If you have a phobia for computers, then, you are not alone.  There are thousands of people out there who are terrified of their PCs. The experts have even given it names; Cyberphobia or Technophobia. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. Computers are, for all their complexity, stupid things that you can overcome without breaking a sweat (at least not much anyway).

In my view, what most people hold is not so much a fear of technology or computers. It is, rather, fear of the unknown that makes us all fumblers (I am surprised this word actually exists) when it comes to the use of computers. We are all terrified of everything new, which is one of the reasons why humanity continues to be stuck in a bubble. It is this fear that you need to overcome as you set out to learn how to use a computer like a geek.

You are not going to break that computer

One reason why some people tend to steer away from computers is the fact that they are afraid that if they do anything, they will break something or the other on the machines.  You have heard your husband, parent or wife tell you countless times that there are important documents and other files on their PC. This has left you terrified of doing something wrong and has contributed to your fear of computers.

The truth of the matter, however, is that you are not going to break anything on your wife’s computer by playing around with the Spider Solitaire game. And, unless you are actively trying to, you are probably not going to delete any of the important documents that are stored on the hard drive.

All Important Files Should be Backed Up

In fact, everything that’s important on a computer should be backed up.  Should you end up deleting important documents, you can tell the owner that its absolutely their fault for not using some of the free backup programs that can be found out there. And no, computer viruses and other malware do not come from your jabbing fingers. Experimenting with a computer is, therefore, not going to cause a malware infection.

Learn How to Type

This is something that absolutely every computer user should learn to do. Computer typing is a skill that can be acquired in less than two months. However, the increase in productivity that you will get as a result will be of benefit to you for the rest of your life. 

I wouldn’t have, as an example, been able to produce this blog as quickly as I did without learning how to type. Network Bees was launched with 100 articles, all of which I wrote in less than 2 weeks. That, I have to admit now, was something of a crazy productivity rate, but there you have it.

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

The majority of articles that I wrote then are 1000 words long. Some of them are even over 2000 words long. I wouldn’t have achieved this without knowing how to type. I picked up the skill during a month of idleness, while waiting for things to move along. I had, then, access to a computer that had Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, one of the best typing tutors that have ever been made.

With this program, I was, in a month or so, able to teach myself how to computer type like a pro. Today, I am able to produce over 70 Words Per Minute (WPM), which enables me, if I really push myself and skip lunch, to write up to 10000 words in a single day. However, a much more realistic typing target for me is 5000 words per day, which I can easily attain.

In any case, I am often asked how I do it by people who see me cruising along on my keyboard. I, of course, make it look all mysterious but I will tell you that there is nothing otherworldly about it. Just learn how to type, and you will become a computer pro. Becoming a computer typist is, without a doubt, the easiest way through which you can learn how to use a computer like a guru.

Learn Useful Keyboard Shortcuts

Another way through which you can become an expert computer user is by learning how to use useful keyboard shortcuts. Although you don’t hear about them that often, keyboard shortcuts are there to make life really easy, by providing you with easy ways of interacting with your computer.

Windows comes with an extensive list of keyboard shortcuts. You do not, however, have to learn them all, of course. Just master the ones that are most useful to you and you will notice the difference when it comes to your computing skills. Your colleagues will also notice the difference (life is all about bragging, right?). Here are a few keyboard shortcuts that I have mastered;

Keyboard Shortcut	Function
ctrl + A	Select All
ctrl + N	Opens New Window (e.g. in Word or Explorer)
ctrl + C	Copy
ctrl + S	Save
ctrl + V	Paste
ctrl + Z	Undo
ctrl + Y	Redo
ctrl + B	Bold
Windows Key + R	Run

There are many more useful shortcuts that will teach you how to use a computer like a professional. Knowing these shortcuts could come in handy should something ever go wrong with your mouse whilst you are in the middle of doing something important.

Repair Your Car/Life Using Google and YouTube (DIY)

Okay, you should not try this if your car is under warranty. But if you have an old clunker like me, then there is really no need, nowadays, for you to get an expensive repair bill. Not when you have YouTube and Google at your disposal. Whenever something goes wrong with my own car, I simply Google and YouTube the problems. While I am a bit daring than most; I once removed the fuel tank on a car and changed the fuel pump and housing, the whole point is that it has become so easy to find solutions on the web that you can save some money by making an internet search.

Another of my personal examples; I have installed both a front and rear view camera on my car and I did everything on my own, from purchasing the cameras for $6 each on eBay (or maybe it was AliExpress), to wiring them into my car.

It doesn’t have to be your car

Of course, you can repair everything in your life using Google, from your blender to your marriage.  It is now possible for almost everyone to do DIY jobs around the house, thanks to the millions of people who have already carried out similar projects on camera.

Let the internet be your friend

The point that I am trying to make here (in a rather roundabout way) is that you should make the internet your best friend and you will find it easy to work with computers. Experience is what teaches all of us, and, without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

If you wish to learn how to use a computer like a pro, then you should start playing around with your PC. The internet is one way through which you can get along on this task. As you carry out research on various topics, including on how to use computers (as you have, no doubt done here), you will find that everything will become clearer…