Recently I installed Linux at work, and I have found very little reason to continue double-clicking on things. It really amazes me how much this habit had become part of my cyberspace life. You probably really think you need to double click on a folder, but you don’t. All the buttons on the web are just fine, you don’t have to double click on them. Do you want to have a simulated file system in a browser, and then double click to move between directories? No, because there’s no point.
There are two reasons you wouldn’t want to switch: 1. You don’t want to accidently hit the option. 2. you like selecting objects! Maybe you want to select it and then hit delete on the keyboard to easily delete it!
In both cases, you are doing something wrong.
1. You must be very careful. That’s all. Don’t lazily drag your mouse all over the place and oh - you hit the wrong thing! Well, if it’s a directory, there’s a back button. Else, learn to make your actions more meaningful. You have received a slap on the hand by the operating system, and you deserved it. Pay attention.
2. Hey, me too. But honestly, right-click delete does the same thing. You know what? You can even select it if you want to, for example, search all your music files for a sample band. Just highlight the file/folder and wait. It will select itself. You didn’t even have to click anything.
Looking back at the double-clicking… I really wonder how poor my hands would feel without it. I’m not even joking. I’ve saved so much clicking, and I’m sure this somehow translates to microseconds of saved time, and wear on your mouse.
It is utopian to at least try this. I know it’s hard to break your reliance on double clicking, but believe me: it’s worth it. You will feel so pro.