For example, I routinely keep lots of tabs open in my browser (Google Chrome, in case you're wondering). When I mouse up to click a particular tab, my cursor lands very close to the "x" in the adjacent tab.There's a downside to being adept with computers: Sometimes you work so fast, you get yourself into trouble.
If I'm in a rush or just not being very careful, I'll sometimes click that "x" by mistake, closing that adjacent tab instead of switching to the one I wanted to view. D'oh!
Likewise, Windows' maximize icon resides precariously close to the close-window button in the top-left corner of every window. If my mouse cursor slides just slightly to the right, now I've closed my application.
Accidental clicks like these can be a hassle at best and a work-destroying nightmare at worst. If, for example, I close a tab containing unsaved blog work, well, I've just lost all that unsaved blog work. (Note to self: Always save your work!)
The worst part is that I usually catch myself mid-click, just as my brain is realizing, "No, don't click there!" My finger has pressed the mouse button; once I release it, it's game-over for that tab, window, or whatever.
Thankfully, there's an easy way out: If you drag your cursor someplace else--basically, away from the onscreen button you didn't mean to click--and then release your click-finger, the initial click won't register. It's like a pre-emptive do-over.
I'm not sure if you ever run into these mid-click mistakes the way I do, but if so, now you know how to drag yourself out of them. Literally.
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