The Illustrator shortcuts that speed up real work — tools, view, arranging objects and paths. Mac and Windows.
Illustrator's tool shortcuts are single letters, and committing the common ones to memory — V selection, A direct selection, P pen, T type, Z zoom — instantly changes how fast you work, because switching tools is something you do hundreds of times in a session. Helpfully, many of these match Photoshop, so if you know one Adobe app you're already part way to the other.
The view shortcuts come next: ⌘0 / Ctrl+0 fits the artboard, ⌘Y / Ctrl+Y toggles the wireframe Outline mode (invaluable for selecting tricky objects), and the zoom keys keep you oriented. For organising artwork, group (⌘G), lock (⌘2) and the bring-to-front / send-to-back stacking shortcuts are the everyday workhorses. Pair these with the Photoshop and Figma shortcuts for the full design toolkit.