Serious question, how do you cope when a design tool messes with your shortcut muscle memory?

I was deep in a project yesterday and kept hitting the wrong keys because the tool changed how its shortcuts work. It took me twice as long to finish simple tasks, and I almost missed a deadline. I feel like I'm starting over every time they tweak something. What's your go-to way to get back on track fast?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant56911h ago

Drill the new shortcuts in a dummy file for ten minutes before your real work. It rebuilds that muscle memory without the project pressure.

adams.jason9h ago

Used to believe you just had to struggle through new shortcuts during real work until they stuck... but opening a blank document to just press ctrl-shift-arrow and alt-tab over and over actually works. It’s like doing scales before playing a song. My fingers stopped fighting me after a few days of that pointless ten minute drill.