Wanna learn how to type faster? You can do so in 10 minutes by reading this guide. However, do keep in mind that just knowing how to type isn’t enough to get faster. You’ll need hundreds of hours of practice to truly get good and become one with your keyboard.
Now, I’m not the fastest typist alive. But, with an average speed of 90-100 WPM, I think I’m at least qualified to give a few typing tips. So, let’s get right into it!
1: Learn How to Type Faster With Touch Typing
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen a professional or seasoned writer who needs to look at his keyboard. That’s because most of us are accustomed to at least one kind of touch typing.
The image that you see above is more or less the standard touch typing layout that your average typist uses. All you have to do is merely place your index fingers on the F and J button, the rest of your fingers side by side, and then type by only moving each finger up or down depending on the button that you need to press.
The only exceptions are your index and pinky fingers as they can move left or right to reach other keys. Everything else only goes up or down.
That being said, it’s not like you’re forced to rely on this layout. You can make your own modifications to fit your personal style and whatever feels best for you.
For example, I personally don’t like using my little fingers for pressing the 0 and 9. I prefer pretty much anything else that’s near them at that point. You can do anything similar.
If up till now you relied on your eyes to type, then it’s definitely going to take you a while to get used to blind typing. Not only because you need to memorize every key and have your fingers become one with your keyboard, but also because you need to develop a certain level of finger dexterity to move each individual finger freely. The smallest fingers can be particularly tough.
Still, once you get through this, I can guarantee you that your typing speed will start skyrocketing.
2: Learn How to Type Faster By Typing Slower
When you want to type fast, the logical approach of every newbie to typing is trying to type as fast as possible. And that sounds logical, right?
However, there is one huge issue with that approach. The average brain is rather weak and fragile. If you push it to 100% even for more than a few seconds you’ll start getting tired and losing focus. That leads to mistakes which have a tremendous impact on your typing speed.
Typing a bit slower than your maximum potential and being accurate will actually lead to you being faster than simply going as fast as you can. After all, hitting that backspace key is truly a speed killer.
Fan fact: Rally drivers are known for only operating at 90-95% of their full potential. That’s because a single mistake can kill them or at the very least end the race. So, they leave a little bit of room and go just a tad slower than they can just to minimize the risk of making a mistake and crashing. It’s more or less the same thing for typing. You’re fighting with accuracy and trying to avoid mistakes as much as you can.
3: Get a Good Keyboard
If you’re trying to learn how to type faster, lots of people will say that your keyboard has nothing to do with your ability. I assume that they’ve never managed to get past 60 WPM or they just have fingers that are made of iron or something.
A keyboard can make a huge difference in your typing speed. I personally can’t type over 60WPM on my Laptop’s membrane keyboard but I’ve managed to get up to 138WPM on my Desktop’s mechanical one.
Of course, I’m not saying that mechanical keyboards are better than membrane ones. It’s a matter of personal preference. And that brings us to the next point: finding something that fits your style and preference.
As mentioned above, you can primarily pick either a membrane or a mechanical keyboard. Both of them give of a very different feeling, have different features, endurance levels, price points, noise levels, etc.
Which type should you choose? Well, to put it in nutshell, membrane keyboards tend to feel a bit mushier and “heavy” on your fingers. However, they are also extremely silent and some people prefer that soft, mushy feeling.
Mechanical keyboards feel a little bit more like a typewriter and some of them offer the tactile feedback that so many people are after. However, they also tend to be very expensive, heavy, and loud. So, do your research and pick whatever fits you best.
If you’re into mechanical keyboards, make sure to check our best selections! I personally use the Corsair K70 Lux with red LEDs as my daily driver and it’s a wonder to work on. But, again, it’s a matter of personal preference.
4: Look Forward And Find Your Own Style
Once you truly learn how to type fast, you’ll soon notice that despite how fast you are, you can still read and think much faster than you can type. Unless you’ve got superhuman fingers or something; in which case, you clearly don’t belong in this guide or in this world for that matter.
So, take advantage of that fact to type faster. How? Simply think about what word is about to come after and proceed to place your fingers in the appropriate positions before you actually need to start typing that word.
This saves up a lot of time and speeds up your typing. If you want to learn how to type faster, then this skill is a must have. Especially after a certain point where you’re at least two times faster than your average typist.
It’s tough at first. But, if you practice enough it’ll become second nature to you and you won’t even have to think about it!
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