Many beginners might think that only senior developers can use the terminal for productivity. When I started learning programming, I was afraid to use the terminal for anything beyond basic tasks like npm commands.
However, over the years, I realized that I missed a huge opportunity to enhance my productivity. So, we are going to explore all the reasons why you should use the terminal more and some tools that can help you become more productive.
Also let’s be honest to all the mouse-only-users you are kind of dull.
The mouse is slow 🐌
Basically, the less you use the mouse, the faster you will be. Keeping your hands on the keyboard will save you a ton of time. And let’s be honest, if you are using the mouse for most of your activities, you are kind of noob.
Navigating folders
Who the hell uses the file explorer on their computer? I mean, even if you are a Windows user, the file explorer is basically shit, but even on Mac, using the terminal to navigate is much faster. For the people that are using file explorer on Linux, I hope God forgives you for your sins.
Create files and directories
The people who right-click to create a file are said to have mental issues, although I don’t completely agree with that, I am 82% there. Commands like touch , mkdir and ls are basically lifesavers when it comes to productivity.
Using cat to quickly peek through a file is also very helpful.
And I want to hear your opinion on that in the comments. What other commands are you using?
What if I am on Windows?
First of all, if you are a Windows user, your situation might be worse than those who use right-click to create a file. However, this is a discussion for another day.
By installing Git Bash, you will basically have almost all of the Unix system terminal commands and move away from the PowerShell disease.
windows = 🥲
Nano or Vim
Understanding the basics of nano or vim will prevent you from opening slower alternatives like vscode or jetbrains. When you want to quickly edit a small file, opening an IDE or Text Editor just to change a few lines of code can be a betrayal to the developer community.
Also, that means you are basically useless when it comes to servers.
ZSH
If you are not using oh-my-zsh, you are missing out on some amazing plugins. One feature most people wish the terminal had is autocompletion. With the zsh-autosuggestions plugin, your terminal will autocomplete most commands and remember previous ones.
So, for all the up-arrow 🔼 fighters out there, you will stop pressing the up-arrow key 500 times to find one old command because you are tired of googling.
Hardcore Stuff (🍆)
Switching to neovim with tmux makes you look like some kind of a porn-star coder. You will appear cool in meetings and when you share your screen to show your code.
Besides the funny side of things, if you are willing to switch to tmux with neovim, it can make you a 10X developer. I could extend and talk for hours on how beneficial it can be after you go through the learning curve, but that is an article of its own.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! Ditching the mouse and opting for the command-line is like upgrading from a bicycle to a rocket ship—it’s faster, cooler, and the view is spectacular!
By getting cozy with the terminal, you’re not just speeding up your workflow, you’re also joining the leagues of elite developers who can make magic happen with a few keystrokes.
Remember, every master was once a disaster.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this article helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at kourouklis@pm.me, and I will respond.
You can also keep up with my latest updates by checking out my X here: x.com/sotergreco
