The ability to type is now easily one of the essential skills that need to be part of your resume in the pro-computer era. Apart from typing fast, it helps if you know how to type without making any typos or errors. With the widespread use of computers in nearly every field, typing quickly and accurately has become necessary. Before you improve your typing speed, know how fast you can type by taking a test at TypingTest.co and knowing your Word Per Minute (WPM) score.
Besides the typing speed, accuracy is essential because a couple of typos can lead to a multitude of errors and confusion. To avoid such blunders, many tend to look down at the keyboard for the correct key and then continue typing. This method ensures you don't make mistakes but heavily reduces your typing speed. Instead, you can use touch-typing, which requires looking at the screen and using your fingers' muscle memory to hit the correct keys.
Touch-typing helps you avoid looking for fingers, making you type faster. It also enhances your focus, so you can complete the task at hand efficiently and save some time.
Here are some ways to improve your typing speed and accuracy:
Find a Comfortable Posture
The first thing you'll need to work on is finding a comfortable posture that allows you to type for as long as possible. Besides posture, your chair must let you rest your feet flat on the floor to help with your posture. Your table height must let your elbows fold at 90 degrees at your sides and ensure your forearms are parallel to the desk. On your desk, the screen needs to be at an arm's distance, and your fingers must be placed on the home keys - left fingers on A, S, D, and F keys while the right hand goes on J, K, L, and ; keys. You can start typing by pressing the closest key with all your fingers.
Set Typing Goals
You can only know that you're improving your typing speed by keeping a score or a record. It would make sense when you set a typing speed target or goal after learning your word per minute (WPM). While increasing your speed of hitting keystrokes might be great, you must also aim for accuracy.
Improve Touch-Typing
Working on the touch-typing method is beneficial for improving your speed. When you look at the screen while you hit the correct keys, this method is efficient in helping improve the typing speed. For beginners, your WPM might dip as you try to maintain accuracy. Regular practice of touch-typing on a keyboard allows you to work your way to all the symbols and modifier keys (Shift, Control, etc.).
Go Slow To Work On Accuracy
Along with your WPM score, your accuracy is of utmost importance. Rushing to bump your scores won't help and will only drive you to make more mistakes. Otherwise, it'd be like riding fast without any control. However, don't worry about making mistakes. You can find a pattern in particular words, letters, or symbols, giving a hard time to your fingers.
You can brush up on touch-typing while maintaining a comfortable posture and focus on accuracy. That will slow you down initially but benefit you in the long run.
Plan Your Breaks
Taking breaks is healthy, and short breaks will help you get better at typing with accuracy. Besides your hands, your eyes will experience strain and fatigue. So, ensure you take breaks from typing. Look away from the screen and stretch your wrists, neck, and shoulders to give them a break. That'll help prevent any possibilities of repetitive strain injuries.
Practice A Lot
The key to improving is to practice a lot. You can use your existing documents or take online typing tests; you can only improve if you practice regularly. You'll need to practice sitting, working on posture, and touch-typing efficiently. That'll happen when your fingers no longer struggle to type out different keys and move them around without peeking at the keyboard.
Note: The article is written by the Brand Desk.