How To Increase Your Typing Speed

If there is One thing that frustrating, it's being a slow typist. I know what it is like to be the person embarrassed because the world of technology was leaving me behind.

It didn't become a big problem for me until I became a legal assistant in such a busy law office. Suddenly I had letters, memos, dictations, pleas, and more that needed to be typed accurately and quickly. As the fastest typist in the world who hasn't started, I know I have to get even better (and faster.) Using the following methods, I was able to pull my speed from 55 words per minute to 90 minutes per minute in just two months.

Pay attention to speed accuracy

While I was learning to type, I spent a lot of time trying to get the word out as quickly as possible. This turned out to be a very wrong approach. I would type fast and type in dozens, which took me a long time to correct rather than take. It is more important to relax with the keyboard and type accurately than to type 85 words per minute outside the gate. This is mostly because if you get comfortable and confident about what you are typing accurately, you will get the mental boost to start typing faster without thinking about it.

Stop with hunting and pecking

Hand position plays an important role in typing. If you are learning computer later in life, that hand position may not come to you naturally. That's fine! Many people who are not confident about their typing skills type using a method called 'hunt and peck' and this trick happens when they scan the keyboard for the correct letter they are looking for to add before tapping the keyboard with one finger. Repeats until typing is complete or until the person's co-worker files a formal complaint.

Don't be shy if you start from here. However, learning to type with your hands in the right position will allow your fingers to reach multiple keys more quickly and help speed up your typing.

Rest your thumbs on the space bar as you type. The four fingers of your right hand should touch the keys H, J, K, and L and the four fingers of your left hand should touch the keys A, S, D, and F. Make a note of where the heel of your palm is and try not to move it more than half an inch as you extend your fingers to reach the key on the keyboard.

Next time you have to type something, if you haven't already, try to force your hands to stay that way and stretch your fingers slightly to get into all the keys you need. This may seem unnatural at first, but eventually, this typing condition will feel natural.

Practice this phrase

There is a short phrase in the English language that contains every letter of the alphabet: "quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." I recommend that you learn to type without seeing it because once you remember the letters on the keyboard, you will remember that sentence. This is a strange trick, but effective.

Set specific goals

A lot of people say they want to speed up typing by not setting goals more specific than that. Someone says they want to get better. A great goal to work for, but very easy to achieve when you make it specific. What exactly are you looking for with your typing?

Pass a specific test of more than 65 words per minute, type the entire inter-office memo without looking at anything, or copy a dictation with less than 5+ minutes of errors. Any good and fast typist for you means setting a clear goal and achieving it by making progress through specific benchmarks. When you're trying to get a new gaming app or fancy, an indulgent latte from your local coffee shop, it's really helpful to outline the specific rewards you get.

Use online tests and resources

Practicing, practicing, practicing is the most obvious typing tip anyone can give you. However, since I prefer to give specific and quick useful advice, I have a great typing test tool that I used when I was trying to increase my typing speed:

This is a site that I have personally used and I have benefited a lot. How much? The last time I counted, my typing speed was over 90 words per minute. All the tips in this article and my typing using this test are what I want for you today.

Stretch your hands, neck, and shoulders

One of the reasons why you may be typing slowly is because you have problems with your wrists, neck, shoulders, or back. We’ve covered how to get rid of back pain while you’re at a desk job, but it’s just as important to take care of your wrist. Even if you’re otherwise the most skilled typist in the world, even if your wrists hurt, you can’t top 50 words per minute. I’m adding you some amazing wrist, neck, and shoulder sides so you should do it at least once an hour to avoid sore throat and increase the optimal possible typing speed.

Conclusion

Most, if not all, careers involve some computer-based tasks and require strong typing skills. For example, IT professionals, computer and software programs need to be proficient typists to write code. Accuracy is just as important as speed, as simple typing can be caused by a system-wide error.

Improving your typing skills will not only make your life easier but will also benefit your future career. It takes a lot of practice to see improvement, but don’t give up. You will be typing like Pro in time!

© Cayce Pollard. All rights reserved.

( Made with Carrd )