In general, typing is usually fun and enjoyable, especially if you’re the kind of person who has a knack for writing. If you think of a particular concept or you just want to express your thoughts, the of words being scribbled out onto your screen could be a therapeutic feeling. Denise Chambers’ online typing lessons for beginners could serve as a huge help to anyone looking to improve their own skills.
Undoubtedly, touch typing is among the single most useful abilities that a pupil can master before finishing his or her education. In college, most of the time your professors won’t accept written assignments due to the fact that printed pages are much simpler to go through and revise. Even the most basic and simple of cashier or desk jobs require some degree of pre-existing typing skills to enable you to effectively and quickly list down customer or order information.
- Evaluate and assess your current skillset
The first stepping stone towards becoming an excellent typist is determining where you’re at right now in terms of skill. The simplest method of doing this is by completing an online typing exercise. These tests are made to analyze your skills and weaknesses.
Novice typists usually average at around 35 words per minute, and skilled typists have been recorded at typing over 100 wpm. The current world record for the fastest typing on a QWERTY keyboard is at 216 words per minute.
- Make sure your work area isn’t cluttered and you have ample space and comfort
It’s generally believed by most typists that quick and accurate typing develops upon mastering the hand-eye coordinating for the keyboard. However, in actuality you’ll need to start with securing a workspace that’s tidy, controlled, and most importantly- comfortable. On a side note, for optimal typing, you’ll need to have an actual desk set-up rather than have your laptop resting on your lap when you type.
Working for long periods of time means you’ll need optimal comfort as well.
- Get into the routine of practice
After you’ve properly assessed where you stand in your current words-per-minute typing rate, it’s about time you get some good practice. Pretty much all sites that offers typing tests include lessons curated based off of your first test. These lessons involve technicalities such as proper hand placement, posture, and which particular fingers should correspond to each key. By doing these exercises, you’ll master the touch-typing ability for daily-use in no time. When determining which quiz to take, remember to have subscribed/made an account on that site, so that you can records your results and take note of your progress without having to start over upon every revisit of the site.
- Ensure that you sit with proper posture
To be an effective typist, you’ll need to be sitting down with you back straight (as much as possible try to avoid slouching), and with your feet situate slightly apart from each other while flat on the ground. Your wrists need to be articulated in a way that all your digits can access the keyboard with ease. You could even slightly tilt your head a bit as to help you get a clearer glace at the computer screen and what you’re typing.
Adjust your office chair so you’ll be able to easily play with the seat and get a proper posture.
It’s quite important to maintain this position as you type. Ensure that your posture is good, and by doing this, you could avoid achy wrists and potential arthritis- and even prevent carpal tunnel. These aches could hinder you and make you lose momentum and focus.
Make sure your back and shoulders aren’t hunching over, and while comfort and ergonomics should be your main concern as you type, also be sure to sit upright.
- Familiarize your keyboard
In this battle, your keyboard is your weapon, so you will need to familiarize yourself with it of course. Luckily for most people, a majority of the keyboards that you see nowadays will make use of the same layout; QWERTY. You’ll also realize that most keyboards have indents or indicators on or around them.
- Try not to rush it
Obviously, the goal of touch-typing is to complete as many words per minute as physically possible, but rushing through the typing lessons definitely won’t help you improve. At the beginning stages of mastering proper touch-typing skills, take your time. Aside from helping you fully realize the mistakes you make, it also helps you retain lessons more effectively as the lessons sink in deeper when they aren’t rushed.
It’s important to keep in mind that accuracy is usually more important than typing speed. This is why they always prove you with an adjusted word per minute speed once you finish taking a typing exam. Even if you’re able to reach the 100-word-per-minute mark, having every other word you type be an error is otherwise pointless
Most jobs that require hires to fulfill a particular set amount of words per minute usually conjure an total accuracy rating as well. For example, when signing up for a job as an administrative assistance, they might require those who can type 65 words per minute with 95% accuracy. Constant practice undoubtedly makes perfect.
There’s definitely no quick-fix for mastering touch-typing overnight, since a whole lot of it has to do with muscle memory. Your fingers get the hang of where each key on the keyboard is situated and are able to navigate them without having to look down while you do it. Once you can press each key without glancing at your fingers, your typing speed will significantly improve, and the more practice you put in, the more skilled you’ll eventually become.
- Don’t be hard on yourself; In fact, you should reward yourself
It’s quite simple- most of us know that rewarding ourselves as we reach higher typing-speed touchpoint inspires us to aim for even higher attainments of success. There is no reason that you shouldn’t think the same way about making progress in typing abilities. Set small, achievable goals and slowly make your way up the ladder as you set bigger ones when you progress in skill. And when you reach a touchpoint, treat yourself to something nice- whatever it may be. Just a little something to give you that extra bit of motivation to strive for the next goal.
Often times, schools overlook the importance and significance of touch-typing, and as a result, a whole lot of students out there end up entering the professional world at a slight disadvantage (depending on the particular profession that they choose) due to the lack of proper touch-typing lessons in class. By taking into account these 7 simple reminders, you could slowly but surely build up your touch-typing skills to reach whatever word-per-minute goal you desire.
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