If there’s one frustrating thing, it’s being a slow typist. We know what it’s like to be the person apologetic because the world of technology was leaving me behind. If you want to be very productive, you should aim for a typing speed of 65 to 70 words per minute. Truthfully it didn’t become a massive problem for us until we became legal assistants at a very busy law office. Suddenly we had pages and pages of letters, memos, dictations, pleadings, and more that needed to be typed accurately and quickly. As someone who did not start as the world’s fastest typist, we knew we had to get better (and fast.) Using the below methods, in just two months, we were able to increase the speed from 55 to 90 words per minute. Focus On Accuracy Over Speed When we were learning to type, we spent a lot of time trying to get the words out as quickly as possible. That turned out to be exactly the incorrect technique. We would type quickly and have dozens of typos, which took a lot longer to correct than taking my time would have. It's more crucial to become familiar with the keyboard and type accurately than it is to immediately reach 85 words per minute. This is mostly because getting comfortable and confident that you’re typing accurately will give you the mental boost you need to begin typing faster without thinking about it. Stop With The Hunt And Peck Hand position is an important part of typing. If you’re learning computers later in life, that hand position may not come naturally to you. That’s OK! A lot of people who aren’t confident in their typing skills tend to type using a method called the ‘hunt and peck.’ This trick is when a person scans the keyboard for the correct letter they’re looking to add before sharply tapping the keyboard with a single finger. This repeats until the typing is done or the person’s coworkers file a formal objection. There’s no guilt if this is where you’re starting. However, learning to type with your hands in the proper position will allow your fingers to reach multiple keys much more quickly and will help improve your typing speed exponentially. Your thumbs should be resting on the space bar as you type. The H, J, K, and L keys should be pressed with your right hand's four fingers, and the A, S, D, and F keys with your left hand's four fingers. Make a note of where the heels of your palms are and try not to move them more than half an inch when you’re extending your fingers to reach the keys on the keyboard. Next time you have to type something, if you don’t already, try moving your hands to stay like this and access all the keys you require by just stretching your fingers slightly. Although it will initially seem awkward, this typing position will soon become second nature. Practice This Phrase There’s a short phrase in the English language that contains every letter of the alphabet: “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” we recommend that you should learn to type this without looking. Because once you do you will know by having that sentence memorized where every letter of the alphabet is on the keyboard. It's a strange trick, but it works. Set Specific Goals Most people who say they want to improve their typing speed don’t make their goal any more specific than that. This is comparable to someone stating that they desire to improve their physical condition. A great goal to work for, but much easier to attain when you make it specific. What precisely are you looking to do with your typing? A few sample goals could be to pass a specific test at over 65 words per minute, type an entire inter-office memo without looking, or transcribe dictations of 5+ minutes with fewer than 5 errors. Whatever being a better and faster typist means to you, setting a clear goal and executing it by progressing through specific benchmarks will make it happen. It’s also really useful to outline specific rewards you’ll get when you achieve these goals such as a new gaming app or a fancy, indulgent latte from your local coffee shop. Use Online Tests And Resources The most obvious typing advice is to practice, practice, and more practice. However, because we prefer giving specific and immediately useful advice, we have a few great typing tests, games, and lessons that We used when we were trying to increase our typing speed. These are all sites that we’ve personally used and have benefited from greatly. How greatly? The last time we measured, our typing speed was over 90 words per minute. Using all the tips in this article and these tests made my typing what it is today, which is what we want for you. We highly recommend starting with the third link, the beginner typing lessons are spelled out clearly and concisely. Stretch Your Hands, Neck, And Shoulders One of the reasons you might be a slow typist is that you’re having wrist, neck, shoulder, or back pain. We’ve covered how to get rid of back pain while at a desk job, but it’s just as essential to look after your wrists.
Even if you were the fastest typewriter in the world, you wouldn't be able to type more than 50 words per minute if your wrists were sore. We are going to link you to some amazing wrist, neck, and shoulder stretches that you should do at least once an hour to prevent soreness and increase your optimal potential typing speed.
0 Comments
|
|