One of the most important skills to know in the age of the internet is typing faster. By typing faster, you can get your essays done easier, your work done in a timely fashion, and you can show off. A lot. People definitely notice you if you speed type. However, getting to a point where you can type quickly is a bit difficult. It’s not an easy skill to build. So, here are a few effective ways to learn how to type faster:
1. Cover Your Keyboard
One of the best ways to help your brain remember where the keys are without you needing to look down is to cover that keyboard! If you continue allowing yourself to look down at your keyboard, you’ll never get a chance to get used to the keys.
The most vital part about typing faster is the concept of muscle memory. If your fingers can think before your brain, that’s when you know that you can type faster.
When I was younger, in my computer classes at school, we weren’t allowed to look at our keyboard. They gave us an orange cover to put over the keys and we had to learn where the keys were. The more I did that, the more proficient I became in typing.
Currently, I type at well over 110+ WPM. For context, the average typing speed is 40 WPM.
2. Use Typing Programs
There are a lot of typing programs that are totally free on the internet to help you type faster. I personally think that you should make it fun, so I recommend Nitro Type.
Nitro Type basically lets you play as a race car that goes faster the faster and more accurately you type. It puts a level of competition in the mix as well, since you want to win. The more you practice, the faster you become, and the better it will be for your typing.
You can also just go onto any search engine and type up “Typing Practice” and you’ll get a ton of results. However, for a more fun experience, I will always recommend Nitro Type.
3. Find Excuses to Type Often
If you have to take notes, write an essay, etc… try to do them on a computer where you need to type. The more you can find reasons to type, the more real-world experience you’ll get with typing.
Sure, you can do a lot of tests, but you should put your skills to work IRL. This also helps you get used to the concept of typing and forces you to remember what to do.
4. Use Good Posture
One of the tricks to faster typing is lesser-known, but it relates to how you sit. When you type, you need to exercise good posture techniques. This is basically when you sit up with your back straight with your feet firmly planted on the floor.
Slouching will only hinder your ability to type faster and it will decrease your accuracy. When you position your hands on the keyboard, keep the four main fingers of your hand on the keys starting with F and J. Your left index finger should be on F and the right index finger on J.
Chances are, if you look down at your keyboard, you’ll see a small notch on F and J. That’s to indicate for you where your index finger goes. You should not have a need to move your entire arm around the keyboard when you type. Your hand should be the only thing that moves, but you should always have a resting position at the middle of the board.
5. Get a Good Keyboard
One of the things about typing is that it’s really, really difficult when your keyboard is bad. The harder it is to type on a keyboard, the less speed you’ll be getting. That’s why it’s important to invest in a good keyboard.
I’m not saying you need to be insane about this and buy a keyboard worth $300, but you can find relatively good keyboards for a decent price easily.
Now, if you want to go all out, mechanical keyboards are the way to go. Even more specifically, mechanical keyboards that use optical switches are the best. Optical switches actuate (get registered by the computer) within split-seconds. That’s a lot faster than even a regular mechanical keyboard.
However, optical mechanical keyboards can run expensive, so if you’re not a very fast typist just yet, don’t worry about that.
I recommend starting with a keyboard like the Logitech K380. It’s not mechanical, but it’s fast and it has a very good build to it. I’m actually writing this article with that keyboard right now.
If you want something mechanical, go for something from SteelSeries or Corsair, as those two are currently my favorite in that department. Razer is also great and has some perfect productivity mechanical keyboards in case you don’t want that super gamer-y stuff.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
