How I Use the Hyper Key to Supercharge my Laptop Workflow

Keyboard shortcuts can help you navigate your computer so much faster. You can get a lot done if you can keep your hands on the keyboard without moving over to the mouse.

The problem is: Most keyboard shortcuts are hard to remember.

Well, there is a way to press just two easy-to-remember keys which will pull up your most often-used apps.

Heavily influenced by Brett Terpstra’s usage of the Caps Lock Key, I have remapped my Caps Lock key to serve as another modifier key, just like command, control, or option. Brett and others refer to this as the “Hyper Key”.

Since this key isn’t usually used for keyboard shortcuts, I have free rein to customize keyboard shortcuts and use this key with any other combination I want. This allows for quick access to my most-used apps without having to move my hands from the keyboard.

Examples:

• Caps-Lock+E: brings up Drafts, where I can quickly enter any idea, note, or task that enters into my brain. I can later process these notes in one of my other apps, depending on the context.
• Caps-Lock+A: brings up Messages, so I can quickly respond to a text
• Caps-Lock+D: brings up my task manager, Things, so I can see what tasks I have for the day
• Caps-Lock+T: brings up Chrome for quick access to my browser
• Caps-Lock+I: brings up Fantastical, to see what I have on my calendar
  

I have many others, but by incorporating the “Hyper Key” into my workflow, it has dramatically increased the speed in how I navigate my most used apps, so I can get things done faster.

How to Set Up Your Hyper Key

Brett Terpstra goes into more detail in how to do this, but here is the quick (modified) version of how to do this yourself on a Mac:

• Disable Caps-Lock functionality from the Keyboard Settings (System-Preferences -> Keyboard -> Modifier Keys -> Set Caps Lock to “No Action”)
• Use Karabiner Elements — to remap Cmd+Ctrl+Opt+Shift to the Caps Lock Key
• Use Alfred workflows for mapping the above keyboard shortcuts (or others you so desire)
  

Have fun!