By Frank Ruelas
From Compliance Today, a publication for HCCA members.
All right, you’ve drafted a document on your computer and now you need to make some edits. Whether the editing is extensive or minor, here are a few computer tips that can make the editing process more efficient, which in turn can save you valuable time. If your To Do list is anything like mine, you probably spend more than a fair share of time creating documents. This is one reason why I like these editing tips.
As a Microsoft Word user, I use the following methods of selecting and deleting text, almost without thinking, because I’ve used them so frequently over the past couple of years. I still get a kick out of when people are looking over my shoulder as I am editing documents and ask, “How did you do that?” because they immediately see how these tips can come in handy.
[bctt tweet=”Handy, time-saving tips for editing your #compliance documents from @Frank__Ruelas”]
One word
A quick way to delete a single word is to double click the mouse after positioning the insert bar (often called an “I” bar because it looks like an uppercase “I”) anywhere within a word. This will highlight the word which can then be deleted by hitting the delete or backspace keys.
One sentence
Deleting a sentence is just as quick and easy. Press and hold the control key (Ctrl) and then click the mouse once after positioning the insert bar anywhere within a sentence. This selects the entire sentence, which can then be deleted by using the delete or backspace keys.
One paragraph
The tip for deleting an entire paragraph may be the easiest to use. Position the insert bar anywhere within a paragraph and click the mouse three times (triple click). This will select the paragraph, which you can then delete as needed.
Backspace key user withdrawal
For those folks who like to use the backspace key and may be hesitant to try these tips, Here’s a special tip just for you: By pressing and holding down the Ctrl key and then hitting the backspace key, you can delete an entire word with one press of the backspace key instead of deleting one letter at a time. Just this simple adjustment in deleting text using both the Ctrl and backspace keys can save time.
Frank Ruelas (frank@hipaacollege.com) is a Facility Compliance Professional at Dignity Health in Phoenix.