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Ideas to Increase Editing Productivity? - Angie

Posted: May 11, 2013

Since most of us are stuck editing for miniscule wages, lets share ideas on things you do, or have tried, to increase productivity. I haven't done editing for a long time so am experimenting with new things. Does anyone use their expansion software to perform commands like to quickly do reformatting? How about discontinuing duties you used to perform like searching for the first name of a doctor to CC? Timesavers when proofing, like ignoring the ROS and PE? How many can sucessfully proof as they go when it comes to VR? Thanks for any suggestions!

get rid of your foot pedal - learn keyboard commands - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Most VR systems have keyboard shortcuts for everything. Not using mouse and foot pedal help increase productivity. Our boss worked with us in small groups to do it and my line count went WAY up !!

NEVER ignore ROS and PE -- these are riddled with errors in recognition because the software "expects" them to say certain things and will throw that in there even when they said something completely different. You have to read and verify every single word of reports when editing -- to do any less is a risk to patient safety.

Sorry to be so - pessimistic...

[ In Reply To ..]
but I have given up on the idea that I will ever get my production way up doing editing. First of all I find this so boring that it takes absolutely nothing to distract me from the machine-like concentration I would need to get high lines. Second, when I do get on a "roll" of one or two good reports and think I'm going to have a good period of work, here comes the garbage; incomprehensible, stuff to look up, total disaster from speech rec and then I am back to square 1.

And I don't use the mouse very often and do try keyboard shortcuts including play and pause, but sometimes the dictation is just too fast to do this easily.

I really, really need to be looking for some other kind of work or just get used to being poor!

I understand (sm) - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
I'm also looking but at my age, and location, I'm not optimistic about finding another job.

Look at what happened when they finally developed the expansion software we desperately needed to create expansions that could be formatted. I used 4,000 expansions and increased productivity by 35%.

I haven't had much time to play with IT 7 Pro, but I'm hoping I can get it to format text with just a few clicks rather the lengthy process we have to go through now as the editing program used doesn't have any shortcuts for formatting.

I understand and share your pessimism, but just trying to make the best of it while we are stuck doing this for a living. I certainly hope that will not be long, but for some of us, I think we are stuck with it unless we move to a new location.

I'm faster with the mouse and keyboard - despite what all of the so-called experts say

[ In Reply To ..]
I work on Escription and manage 350 to 400 lph on a pretty consistent basis. I use some keyboard commands but I use my mouse a lot, too. I've tried only the keyboard stuff and holy carpal tunnel it's annoying. Give me a mouse any day.

In my humble opinions, the keyboard commands are just as bad as the mouse for moving your fingers off of the home row - and that slows me down just as much as anything else.

At least keyboard commands dont move your hand as far off - home row as using the mouse does. nm

[ In Reply To ..]
x

Clarification regarding proofing... - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
I absolutely read the entire report, what I was referring to was not re-proofing the ROS and PE after you have already been through it once while editing.

The software I am using has no keyboard shortcuts for things used very commonly. It is a very old version, but that is what the client has chosen.

Thanks for your input.

Yours are about as good as they come, in my opinion. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
1. I use Word macros as well as a key shortcut program called ZenKey to reformat, perform commands that should have been added into EditScript in the first place (e.g. one to delete period, add comma, uncap next word), etc.

2. Never thought of that. Think I do have to cut down the time I spend searching for cc's in general.

3. Funny you should mention that; I've just started doing exactly the same, mostly skipping those on my quick reread. I don't know why it's taken me this long to notice that I hardly ever have to change anything in those on reread.

4. This I can't do, unfortunately, nor could I do it when straight transcribing. I don't do a full relisten, but I have to do a quick reread and have almost always missed at least 1 or 2 things, if not more, and maybe half of those I have to jump to for a relisten. I wonder if those who "proof as they go" ever double-check sometimes just to see how effective that -really- is. I have my doubts, especially looking at the quality of past reports by others on my accounts.

Thanks for the tips! (sm) - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
I'd used Word macros on another account and just hadn't thought about them this time. I appreciate the reminder. What year Word are you using? I had to downgrade to 2002 from 2007.

I think as it become harder to find editors that will stick with an account for the money they offer, they developers might finally consider what we need in a platform design. Right now they are designed for those who buy them not those who used them.

I completely agree with a re-read, but I only listen again to blanks, definitely not the whole thing. The long blanks drive me completely nuts and are such a waste of time. I usually find no errors or one or two, usually in he vs she or something that doesn't jump out at you.

Word 2003. Will probably never upgrade, happy with it as is. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]

Thanks for your tips too. I'm really going to start re-evaluating all the time I spend on cc's and doc names in the report even. I'm allowed 2 blanks, and I might as well make more use of them than I have been. If these suckers can't be bothered to give us more info, woe unto them. I sit here every time thinking, "You either think I'm a machine or I'm sitting somewhere in the basement of the hospital, so you don't have to bother giving me any more information because the 'girls' always take care of it." Grrr.

And too true about the developers obviously not considering the end-users enough in terms of design. I've made probably at least 10 more useful commands (in addition to finding a couple of awesome macros, one for renumbering especially) that would easily boost anyone's productivity over and beyond the simple "magic period" they think is sufficient.

And too true about the developers obviously not considering or consulting the end-users enough in terms of design (unfortunately, I doubt they ever will). I've made probably at least 10 more useful commands (in addition to finding a couple of awesome macros, one for renumbering especially) that would easily boost anyone's productivity (or at least ease/enjoyment of use) over and beyond the simple "magic period" and "colon" they think are sufficient.

http://forum.mtstars.com/446483.html

GREAT Macro! Thank you! (sm) - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
The numbering has been such a time waster.

I think we all need to reevaluate how much of our editing involves free labor to correct dictation errors. There is really no excuse for the current state of laziness or lack of common sense in dictating "CC Dr. Jones in Detroit."

What is a "magic period" anyway?

It's the command you'll probably find in most VR platforms... - sm

[ In Reply To ..]

for adding a period and space and capping the next word. ("Alt + ." in EditScript.) Similarly with the colon.

Here's a platform that has that, as well as a few more editing commands than are available in EditScript (strangely, the person who copied & pasted has Ctrl for them, whereas the PDF shows Alt; I've actually mapped most of mine to Ctrl because I use it for my own inventions so they won't conflict with native EditScript commands, and it's also just easier for me to hang over Ctrl while navigating).

http://forum.mtstars.com/171316.html

http://rghupdates.com/software/pmt/Word%20Client%20Manual.pdf

If your platform is Word-based (sounds like it is), I think you'd have good results making your own Word macros to automate a lot of these things. In terms of formatting, I just made one that jumps to and deletes the next paragraph (enter ^p in Word's Ctrl +H replace function for "Find what" and "Replace with" with nothing), then adds 2 spaces, so it will reformat any stacked entries that should have been paragraphed. I made one that repeats that action 4 or 5 times and then one that does it just once. It's been a big help on a new account I have where apparently the specs started out one way and are now another, and the platform hasn't been adjusted (and probably never will, sigh) to recognize the current specs for paragraphing vs. stacking.

Good info! Thanks! - How about auto backspace in Word Client? - Angie

[ In Reply To ..]
For VR drafts with ExText/Word Client I have to use keyboard commands for audio rather than the foot pedal. I have not been able to reset the auto backspace. The control slider for this lets you set it down to 1 second (I'd like 1/2 that) but with some dictators it continues to auto backspace 5-6 seconds which is the most annoying thing when you only need to re-listen to one word. It's obviously a real time waster. Do you know of any fix for this?

Sorry, I don't really know anything about ExText. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I see you already did what I was going to suggest and posted again about it. Good luck. :)

But are you absolutely sure about not being able to use a foot pedal? I wonder if you did if you would have more/different control over the amount of skipback?

I agree, tried 2010 and went back to 2003 - AnaPhylaxis

[ In Reply To ..]
Guess this "old dog" is unable to learn new tricks, lol! I'm so severely OCD and just don't adapt well to change. Although 2010 looked really impressive, I preferred 2003.

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