Mar
8th

Why Typing With All Fingers is Better than Hunt and Peck

Categories: All About Touch Typing, Technology, Typing Practice, Typing Tips and Tricks |

Photo by John Schnobrich on Unsplash


Typing with all fingers is going to help you be a faster and more accurate typist than if you typed by hunt and peck using only one or two fingers. You will be able to type without looking at the keyboard and focusing on your task at hand, which is going to make you more efficient. Here are the ways in which typing effectively with all fingers is better than using just one or two fingers: 

Efficiency

If you have to constantly look at your hands while you are typing, you cannot also be looking at a document, a book, or talking to someone that is dictating their needs to you. If you are able to use all your fingers to type, then you can act as a scribe for someone that is talking, or look at a book or different computer monitor to merge and bring different documents together. If you are not looking at your hands while you are typing, you will be more efficient. 

Speed

It is usually just a simple matter of mathematics. Typing with 10 fingers is going to be quicker than typing with 1 finger. When using the traditional Words Per Minute metric, people typing with all 10 fingers versus just one or two are exponentially faster than if you just hunt and peck and use one or two fingers. You will be able to type more Words Per Minute using 10 fingers than by hunting and pecking.

Accuracy

While it might seem like taking more time and typing with one or two fingers would make you more accurate, the opposite is actually true. More typing mistakes are made by people typing with few fingers. When you learn how to type using the QWERTY keyboard, you make fewer mistakes because you have trained yourself to use muscle memory and type at ease. This is more effective than staring at the keyboard while you try to type using one or two fingers. 

Injuries

Depending on how much typing you do, you could be facing more serious injuries by typing with only one or two fingers. The same amount of typing spread out of two wrists and 10 fingers are going to cause fewer injuries than if you do it all with just two fingers. Repetitive injuries are bound to occur, and you could end up being unable to type while your fingers heal. You also are less likely to incur a neck injury from angling your head down to stare at the keyboard while you type. 

Do not Underestimate Looking Elsewhere

When you think of hunting and pecking typing, you might not also think of staring at the keyboard. But, most people that type with one or two fingers are staring at the keyboard while they are typing. Unless you are a writer thinking of fiction off the top of your head, most times you are typing, you need to be looking elsewhere. You might be looking at a person talking to you, a second computer monitor with a spreadsheet you are summarizing or making a PowerPoint presentation for your boss. In any case, it is best to free up your eyes from looking at the keyboard. 

Summary

If you do not learn the right typing skills at a young age in life, it can seem like a daunting task to jump in and learn how to type correctly. However, it is well worthwhile to take the time to learn. Your typing accuracy, efficiency, and speed will all increase by learning to type with all your fingers than if you continue to hunt and peck.


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