The key to HYPER productivity
Tags: tooling, productivity, programming, webdev
Published: 2021-02-07 18:35:46

Have the spiders made a web 🕸 on your CAPS LOCK key? Has it not lost its shine, from the time you bought that keyboard? 

Let's find a way to put it to some good use.

## What is Hyper Key?

Hyper Key = Your own key for hyper-productivity.

Hyper key is the name given for the combination (in a mac keyboard layout context)

SHIFT + CONTROL + OPTION + COMMAND

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/lkrpsmxgj6e0ztglmuug.png)

🛑 STOP. Read on before you start using your 🦶 toe to keep the keys pressed.

## What's great about it?

I have always wished for an easy to remember keys combination for some of my workflows just like elsewhere on the internet `Ctrl`/`Cmd` + `C` is for copying. But, then I realize this combination is already taken.

For me, it may be an easy key for window resizing;
For you, it may be to start playing a Spotify playlist;
or, an easy key to control the brightness of your fifth monitor behind you. 

Whatever the use case may be, this key combination is YOURS, made for you. An easy to remember key combination that, does not conflict with any pre-mapping that the machine was shipped with. 

We decide how to make use of this. The power is in our hands. 

## Remap time

What if, we can remap our CAPS LOCK key to be the new HYPER key? 

Download and install [Karabiner Elements](https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org/) - A powerful and stable keyboard customizer for macOS.

1. Goto "Complex Modifications"
2. "Add Rule" to remap caps_lock to our hyper key combo

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/39wue36yguqqq1lb1qwd.png)

Easy?

## Customize your apps

For window resizing, I use an app called [Rectangle](https://rectangleapp.com/). Fire up your app and record the newly minted shortcut.

![Karabiner](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/boyjhlze27ciuoj5e3i3.png)

This is just one example, where we can use the num pad to resize open windows to regions on the screen. The 1-9 keys in num pad region naturally align to 9 regions on screen and can be easily remembered the way it is arranged on the keyboard.

Never again drag your window corners to perfectly align one-third of your screen just because we forgot the shortcut. 
Use them in your favorite application where you spend the time the most.

For controlling all monitor brightness, found an app [Brightness Slider](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brightness-slider/id456624497?mt=12) and configured hyper key to be used with it.

![Brightness Slider](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/cyjkeh3cg3385ccokwjs.png) 

💗 Love little productivity hack like these. They optimize our time to getting things done a tad bit faster.

### 🙏 Thank you for reading

![Hyper Keyboard](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/dr7239vwt3x8r5jf2qi0.png)

We saw what Hyper key is, which is just like a combination key `Control` or `Alt`. Also, saw how to remap the CAPS LOCK key to optimize some of our workflows. Here, we saw one example of window resizing, but the possibilities this opens up are endless for your daily repetitive tasks. May the force be with you.

What are you going to use Hyper key for?

--------------------------------------

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