Unlock Faster Typing Speeds with These Simple Steps for Improvement

Fast and accurate typing is a cherished skill, that comes in handy in all professions. In a world where computers are used for everything, and every job requires the basic knowledge of documentation, typing is a skill that you simply cannot do without. With the popularity of modern technology, we put our typing skills to good use, every day. Typing, after a lot of practice, becomes an involuntary skill. This means, that the more we practice, the more it grows on us ie. the more adept we are with our mind-to-hand coordination, the faster we type. 

That said, there are still many who are unable to grasp the skill and know-how of the computer keyboard and the placement of its keys on their reflexes. Many resort to “hunt-and-peck” typing which is simply pressing one individual key at a time or they look down at the keyboard to decide which key to press. 

So of course, the most frequently asked question remains: “How to improve my typing skills” and “How to type fast”. While a speed of 40WPM (Word per minute) can be achieved by daily practice on the keyboard, a higher speed needs the knowledge of techniques, keyboard shortcuts, and more. 

Whether you are an aspiring professional typist, or are new to the mechanical keyboard, and cannot type more than 20 words per minute, this blog is for you. 

Read on to uncover the basic typing techniques to improve your typing skills and embark on your career with full confidence. 

 4 steps to improve your typing skills 

Touch Typing and other exercises

In order to achieve a good typing speed ie. a target of more than 40 Words per Minute, you must take care of your sitting posture and hand placement.
 
After you are comfortable with the posture, take the first step towards bettering your typing skills-position the fingers of your left hand on the keys - A, S, D, and F, the fingers of your right hand on the keys- J, K, L, and ‘;’ and your thumb on the space bar. This is a typing exercise to help you acquaint yourself with the keyboard.

From here you can slowly move your fingers to the adjacent keys and then return to the starting position ie. the keys you started the exercise with. This exercise is called “Touch Typing”.

Alongside the above exercise, you can practice typing common words and phrases that you use frequently such as “And”, “Hello”, “How are you”, etc. This is to help you pay attention to reducing errors while increasing your speed. 

These exercises are useful in helping beginners familiarize themselves with the placement of the keys on the keyboard. As typists when you become more familiar with the keys, you can also try this exercise by setting other keys as your starting position, until you can find the location of different keys without actually looking at the keyboard.

Focus on your screen

It is quite common for beginners to look at their hands or the keyboard while typing in an attempt to avoid errors or typos. This may be difficult since you haven’t yet mastered the placement of keys on the keyboard, but instead, try to focus on the screen while typing. This is beneficial because looking at the screen while typing will help you catch typos as soon as they occur. Additionally, you will slowly start memorizing the placement of the keys to avoid typing errors and type faster.
 
We understand that there might be times when you will make mistakes in the document, but this is what practice is for! Be patient with yourself, and remember not to look at the keyboard or your hands while you’re typing. 

Position and Posture

Sitting in a proper position, and mending your posture is half the battle won when it comes to improving your typing skills and achieving your desired typing speed. Proper posture also ensures that you are comfortable and avoid injuring yourself due to sitting for long periods.
 
Ensure the following before typing, for a healthy typing experience:

1. Sit upright
2. Keep your computer or monitor 15 to 25 inches or 40-70 cm away from your eyes, and in a position where you don’t look straight at it. Position your computer a little downwards from your 90-degree vision. 
3. Placing your hands in the wrong way while typing can turn out to be very uncomfortable for you in the long run.

To avoid straining your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and arms during long typing sessions, keep your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle or an angle between 80 degrees to 160 degrees, will also work. 

Keep Practicing

Typing is a skill that is honed and perfected with the help of “muscle memory”. Muscle memory refers to the ability to incorporate a specific task into memory by consistent practice and repetition. 

Typing can be improved by focusing more on accuracy rather than speed and by practicing the different phrases, and words, again and again, every day. Adhere to a practice schedule, and make sure to type for at least 30 minutes daily, to see fast results in your typing speed. 

Many websites and applications provide typing practice tests and record your typing speed, to help you assess your skills for free. But remember to avoid rushing through the tests, but take your time to finish them at the initial stages of learning typing, to avoid making errors. 

With enough practice, your typing skills will better steadily, without you having to rush into fast typing. So be patient with the process, practice makes perfect!

Conclusion

Honing your typing skills is not only important for students but also for working professionals. Typing is an essential skill that must be mastered, to enjoy saving yourself hours of extra work, completing typing tasks faster, and earning with online typing jobs.