Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash
It has never been more important to practice good typing.
The academic and professional words are becoming increasingly dependent on technology and are looking for individuals who possess strong typing skills.
If you have a method that works well for you, you can certainly stick with it. But if you have been thinking about improving your typing, you should learn the touch-typing method.
Touch typing is a method by which you type without looking at the keyboard. You center your hands in a specific position and distribute the typing work among all ten fingers. If you are currently typing using only a few fingers, you may be comfortable, but you are not reaching your full typing potential.
To learn touch typing, you need to learn the specific keys assigned to specific fingers. After that, you practice, practice, practice. It may be slow at first, but muscle memory will eventually take over and turn typing into a process as automatic as driving a car.
Using a standard QWERTY keyboard, touch typing involves a specific home (or starting) position for your hands. When you begin typing, and after each word is complete, your hands should be positioned as follows:
| Left Hand | Right hand | |||
| Pinky finger | Letter ‘a’ | Pinky finger | Key ‘;’ | |
| Ring finger | Letter ‘s’ | Ring finger | Letter ‘l’ | |
| Middle finger | Letter ‘d’ | Middle finger | Letter ‘k’ | |
| Pointer finger | Letter ‘f’ | Pointer finger | Letter ‘j’ | |
A helpful trick for learning home position is to find the small bumps on the ‘f’ and ‘j’ keys. These bumps help you find where to place your pointer fingers each time you reset your hand position. You should be able to move your fingers to the correct spot without even looking at the keyboard.
Touch typing also involves hitting specific keys with specific fingers. For example, you will always use the middle finger of your left hand for the ‘e’, ‘d’, and ‘c’ keys.
When you are first starting out, it is helpful to try and learn these associations. With time and practice, your muscle memory will take over and you won’t have to think about it anymore.
Ok, you have now seen the basics of touch typing. You are probably wondering what you need to do next. Fortunately, there are a huge number of resources available for learning to touch type.
You can find some great options through Udemy and Typesy.
If you have the resources, it is a great idea to find an ergonomic keyboard that feels comfortable for your hands and wrists. The key to typing faster and for longer periods of time is to be comfortable and focused. If you have a keyboard that causes you to strain or contort your fingers, you will not be able to reach maximum efficiency.
You may also want to invest in a keyboard cover while you are learning. It is very important when touch tying to keep your eyes off the keyboard. If you have been doing it incorrectly for years, it will be very hard to break this habit. The best way may be to make it impossible.
As with any new skill, there is no better trick than simple practice. Take a course, find the right equipment, and settle in for many practice sessions.
Once you’ve mastered touch typing, you’ll wish you hadn’t waited so long!
Check out Typesy Community and exchange ideas related to touch typing, keyboarding, learning, technology, and Typesy program itself. Login with your Typesy Account here:
https://community.typesy.com/
Check out Typesy Community and exchange ideas related to touch typing, keyboarding, learning, technology, and Typesy program itself. Login with your Typesy Account here: https://community.typesy.com/