How to Improve Your Typing Speed

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Most of us use computers every day for work, right? In fact, we use them for everything, from entertainment and shopping to work and content creation. It makes sense then, that one of the best ways to improve your productivity is by increasing your typing speed.

Have you tried dictation software, and just can’t get on with it? If you haven’t, check our post on how dictation software can make you more productive for more.

Well, you’re in luck.

What follows are actionable tips you can use to learn how to type faster. First, though, just in case you’re not convinced that fast typing is a useful skill, we’ll enumerate some of the benefits of learning to type faster.

Let’s jump in.

Benefits of Having a Fast Typing Speed

Here are the two main advantages of being able to type fast.

It Encourages Creativity

As your typing gets closer to your thinking speed, you become more creative, because there is not so big a gap between wanting to type something and actually doing it, so your thoughts can flow uninterrupted.

This is helpful if you’re writing email newsletters, video scripts, and blog posts. You might want to include all your notes and maintain an uninterrupted flow when creating drafts. A fast typing speed is vital for that.

It Makes You More Productive

Most of our work nowadays centres around computers, so increasing your typing speed so that it’s closer to your thinking speed can double your output. This can apply to more than just work-related tasks too. You’ll be faster at browsing the web, sorting through computer files, and responding to messages from friends.

Essentially, you stand to save time all over the place.

Ultimately typing faster is a massive time saver and makes you a more efficient computer user. It’s therefore a hugely worthwhile skill to master.

Now we know why it’s a good idea to learn to type faster, we’ll share some actionable tips to help you do so.

7 Actionable Tips to Improve Your Typing Speed

Use these tips to make the process of learning to type faster easier and, hopefully, more fun.

Practice Touch Typing, Learn Keyboard Shortcuts, and Use Rollovers

We’ve written before about some amazing keyboard shortcuts you can use in Excel. Learning some general keyboard shortcuts you can use in any application is sure to speed you up. Here are super useful ones to start with.

• CTRL+ BACKSPACE to delete a whole word if you use Windows. To take the same action on a Mac just type OPTION + BACKSPACE.
• To delete an entire line in an instant, use the SHIFT + HOME> BACKSPACE on Windows. On a Mac, the same shortcut is BACKSPACE + CMD.

When you next make a mistake in a piece try using one of these shortcuts. If you make it a habit to use them, you will no doubt speed up.

Here are some other cool shortcuts you can use in Windows.

• CTRL + C to copy.
• CTRL + A to highlight everything.
• CTRL + V to paste.
• CTRL + X to cut.
• CTRL + Z to undo.
• CTRL + S to save.

People who have a typing speed of over 60 words per minute use rollovers more commonly. A rollover is when you use a different finger to press successive letter keys. With practice, this will increase your speed.

You will also get faster if you learn to touch type, i.e., typing without looking at the keyboard. Doing this will strengthen the connection between your brain and fingers, helping you to develop muscle memory. Learning to touch type will also help your spot errors more easily.

The number one thing you can do to improve your typing speed is practice. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and it holds true if you want to become a faster typist.

Set Goals

As with most things, having a specific goal in mind can help you progress further and be more productive. To make the most of your typing sessions you must set achievable but challenging goals.

Session goals – Before you begin each session of typing you should have a primary goal and at least a couple of secondary goals. Your main goal may be to hit a key on the home row, 10 times in a row without having to look at the keyboard. One of your lesser goals may be to learn which keys you should hit with your left hand and which with your right.

By setting goals you will be able to gauge your process from week to week. Just remember to be creative with your goals so that they are challenging enough. That way, you will be satisfied and motivated to push on when you reach them.

Check out our post on goal setting, if you want to explore fantastic ways to create and use them to make more progress.

Mistakes and Accuracy vs Typing Speed

Most of us will find that we can become speedy typists in short order. However, we should be mindful of mistakes and understand the importance of developing good habits because accuracy and good, sustainable habits are key to good typing.

Mistakes – If you are just starting to learn how to type fast, you may become more prone to making mistakes. To avoid this trap, be sure to include exercises designed to improve your accuracy when you’re training. Remember, it is more important to conduct an exercise or apply a technique slowly but well and accurately than to complete a task quickly in a sloppy, error-ridden fashion. Speed will come with practice and routine.

Habits – You should build habits that help ensure your typing is error-free. You could practice rollovers to learn how, where, and when to press keys. You could make using a spell checker and proofreading aloud a habit that will improve your accuracy over time.

The Importance of Posture and Lighting

If you want to become a faster typist, you must consider good ergonomics and posture. Having a good posture is vital if you don’t want to suffer back pain and wish to avoid issues like RSI and computer vision syndrome.

Here are some basic tips you can follow to make it less likely you will develop health issues over time.

• Take breaks often.
• Exercise your fingers during your breaks.
• Keep your back straight and relax your shoulders.
• If you’re going to be typing for long hours, consider investing in a typing chair.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor.
• Work in a room that’s as light as possible, so you can see the keys without squinting.
• Keep your elbows at your sides when typing.
• Try not to rest your wrists on your desk.

You Need Good Equipment if You Want to Type Faster

You’ll need to get yourself a good keyboard if you want to improve your typing speed. There are several keyboards available each with its pros and cons.

A normal keyboard is the most common. When you’ve become accustomed to the position of the keys, you’ll have no problem typing on more advanced keyboards. The downside of normal keyboards is they are not very ergonomic.

Ergonomic keyboards come in many varieties. One of the most notable types is a divided keyboard. These keyboards are divided into two sections around a 45° angle. Your hands are in a much more natural position on such a keyboard, and they are good for learning to type faster on because the letters you are supposed to press with each hand are clearly separated.

You can buy ergonomic keyboards which aren’t divided. The keys are typically set at a different angle than on a normal keyboard so that you can change the position of your hands without making it harder to strike the keys.

There are also ergonomic keyboards that are not divided into two. They usually have the keys placed at a different angle than a regular board, allowing you to change the position of your hands slightly while still being able to hit all the keys easily.

Try your keyboard out before you buy it, to see if it suits you. Each keyboard requires a different amount of force to use.

Be Patient

You must beurself when practicing.

Take your time – Don’t rush the finger exercises or the process of learning to press keys with the correct hand and with the correct finger. By taking things slowly, you will be able to develop near-perfect muscle memory. This will drastically improve your typing speed and reduce the number of errors you make.

You may not be as fast as you would like, but by producing mostly error-free work, you save time by removing the need to go back and correct and delete mistakes and unneeded words. Accuracy is as important as speed if you aim to become a proficient typist.

Give Yourself Ample Time to Rest and Do Things to Help You Relax

To focus fully, you must relax and let go of any frustration you may feel over your perceived lack of progress or mistakes you make when practicing.

Here are some tips you can employ when practicing.

• Put some music on to relax you.
• Try not to become frustrated.
• Do finger exercises and stretches during breaks and after a typing session.

Next, we’ll share a few quick tips on how to type faster on a mobile phone or tablet.

Typing on a Mobile or Tablet

Learning to type faster on your mobile or tablet can be tricky due to the lack of a physical keyboard. However, there are several things you can do to speed up.

• Use your thumbs to type on smaller devices, but the index finger is more practical on larger devices and makes it less likely you will make mistakes.
• Use swipe-to-type technology – This recognises your finger moments, predicts what you mean to type, and forms words. Be aware that there are always added security risks when you decide to install third-party keyboard apps.
• Set up shortcuts for the phrases you most commonly use and make use of predictive text.

Wrapping Up

There you have it. We’ve explored how to improve your typing speed and the benefits of doing so. Hopefully, you can use the tips we’ve shared to take your own typing skills to the next level.

There is no reason typing shouldn’t be fun if everything is done correctly. So, have fun, and be patient and you’ll soon be impressing your friends and colleagues with your uncanny ability to type speedily and accurately. Plus, you’ll find you’re more productive than ever.

Thanks for reading.