How to Stop Deleting Stuff Like a Caveman

What do you do when you realize you’ve written three sentences of absolute gibberish?

What do most of us do? We lean on the Backspace key. We sit there, staring at the screen, watching the cursor slowly eat away at the alphabet like Pac-Man. The funny thing is that all that holding down the backspace key for five seconds is inefficient, and quite frankly, you’re better than that. It’s time to stop making a fool out of yourself and start tactically deleting your text. Listed below is how you do that:

Level 1: The Word Eater

If you’ve only ever deleted character by character, this will feel like upgrading from a bicycle to a jet engine. Instead of pecking away, you can wipe out entire words with a single tap.

• On Mac - Press Option + Delete
• On PC - Press Ctrl + Backspace

Level 2: The Total Wipeout

Sometimes, a single word isn’t enough. Sometimes, the entire sentence is a disaster and you need to clear the slate before your boss sees the "Drafting..." bubble in your chat window.

• On Mac - Press Command + Delete
• On PC - Press Ctrl + Shift + Up Arrow + Delete (Yes, I know that’s a game of Twister for your fingers, but it’s still faster than the alternative.)

Why This Matters - For Your Sanity

• Character backspace - Paleolithic; suggests you have nowhere to be. That has carpal tunnel and wasted minutes.
• Word/Line shortcuts - Tech-savvy professionals with high energy have more time to enjoy their coffee; improves typing speed.

It may take a day or two for your hands to learn these moves, but once that muscle memory kicks in, you’ll never go back. You aren't just deleting faster—you’re boosting your productivity.

For more great tips and tricks, return to our blog again soon.