How to Type Faster

So you finally decided that you want to type faster huh? Whatever your reason is, being able to type rapidly has its advantages. For one, it can boost your productivity as you get things done quicker, two: it can give you a better posture while working, and three: of course, you earn a new skill that can be very useful in this digital era.

The irony is, typing faster or the practice of touch typing should be learned slowly but surely. Do not rush when you just started learning, because you’ll eventually speed up when your fingers hit the right keys out of practice. Definitely, it’s a skill that anyone can improve on.

Now keep on reading as we share our top effective tips that you can practice on a regular basis.

Right posture for typing

Before we start typing, it’s important to practice good posture to avoid strain and prevent finger aches. So sit straight, keep your feet flat on the ground, and make sure your shoulders are relaxed.

Next is to keep your elbows bent at the right angle, face the screen with your head slightly tilted forward, keep at least 45 – 70 cm of distance between your eyes and the screen, and keep your elbows at your sides so we don’t put much weight on the wrists.

Use all 10 fingers

The next step can be tricky, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find it more convenient in the long run.

Notice how the “F” and “J” keys typically have small bumps on them? They indicate that it’s where you should place your index fingers without having to look down. It’s a guide for your typing starting position or also known as home row. To do this, curve your fingers a little and put them on the ASDF and JKL; letter keys. Meanwhile, your thumbs are assigned to the space bar.

Source: ratatype.com

For practice, take a look at the color-coded keyboard to guide you where your fingers are assigned. The middle and ring fingers are used for only a few keys on the keyboard, while your index fingers are for those over the middle section. The little pinky fingers, on the other hand, are mostly for navigational, punctuation, and function keys

Eyes off the keyboard

Now that we identified your ideal hand placement, it’s time to practice touch typing by not looking at the keyboard. This is to strengthen the connection between your finger muscles and the brain. You don’t have to rush yet, simply practice not looking at the keyboard and familiarizing or memorizing (if you can) the home row marking.

You can try dedicated apps for practice such as keybr, TypeRacer, or 10fastfingers to enhance your speed. Do this for at least 10 to 20 minutes a day, focus on typing the right letters, and you’ll surely see some improvements.

Use basic keyboard shortcuts

Next is to maximize keyboard shortcuts to process commands faster. You don’t have to know every shortcut, the common ones like copy, paste, cut, undo, and save should be helpful already.

Repeat and don’t be too hard on yourself

As you continuously practice, it can be challenging and frustrating, especially if you experience the same mistakes numerous times. But don’t pressure yourself too hard nor press on the keys roughly either.

Try to put on some relaxing music while you’re typing and understand that accuracy is more important than speed. Trust us.

And that’s it! We wish you luck and patience on your journey in typing faster.

 

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Source: Yugatech