INSIGHTS•3 MIN READ
Do you know how to touch-type?
Neoglitch
Published on April 21, 2013
Published on Wealthy Affiliate — a platform for building real online businesses with modern training and AI.
If you are here at WA then I guess you will be doing a LOT of writing. Articles, blog posts, guest posts, Squidoo lenses, reviews... you name it.
This is why I think touch-typing, which is being able to type on your keyboard without having to look at the keys, is an invaluable skill for any modern writer to have.
For the longest time I used to be a hunt-’n-pecker, which means that I used to type with only two fingers. When I needed to write on my computer I would get my “peck” fingers ready, then I would start looking at the keyboard in order to “hunt” each key that I needed to introduce, and then... PECK PECK PECK!!
This was a waste of time, of course. A lot of papers and programming projects could’ve been written faster if I could just type faster... but one day, I decided I would learn to use the computer keyboard how it IS supposed to be used. I decided I would become able to touch-type.
Back in 2009, when I was still a hunt-’n-pecker, I could only type 9 Words Per Minute. Nowadays, I can type about 80 Words Per Minute.
If you already know how to touch-type, then skip this article. But, if you don't know how to touch-type, and you would like to learn how to, you can use a plethora of free resources on the web to help you practice. Personally, I used a website called typingweb.com, which is free to use, has a nice interface and a lot of neat features.
I don't think you need to buy any kind of typing software or subscription if you want to learn touch-typing. To me, it's just unnecessary given the sheer amount of free typing resources on the web.
Once you've chosen a typing resource you need to be consistent and practice daily. But don't sweat it: 10-15 minutes a day of doing exercises using the typing resource of your choice should be more than enough.
You should also try to touch-type even when you are not using your particular typing resource... for instance, when you are writing content for one of your websites.
Finally, you can also practice your mad touch-typing skillz via typing games online. One that comes to mind is the popular Facebook game Typing Maniac. I also like a racing-typing game called Nitro Type, and a Fruit Ninja knock-off called Keyboard Ninja. The web is loaded with free typing games; all you have to do is search "typing games" or something similar in Google, and voilà!
- - -
There. That's just a little something I wanted to share with you guys who cannot touch type (yet), and want to learn how to. I hope you liked this idea, and thanks for reading! :D
This is why I think touch-typing, which is being able to type on your keyboard without having to look at the keys, is an invaluable skill for any modern writer to have.
For the longest time I used to be a hunt-’n-pecker, which means that I used to type with only two fingers. When I needed to write on my computer I would get my “peck” fingers ready, then I would start looking at the keyboard in order to “hunt” each key that I needed to introduce, and then... PECK PECK PECK!!
This was a waste of time, of course. A lot of papers and programming projects could’ve been written faster if I could just type faster... but one day, I decided I would learn to use the computer keyboard how it IS supposed to be used. I decided I would become able to touch-type.
Back in 2009, when I was still a hunt-’n-pecker, I could only type 9 Words Per Minute. Nowadays, I can type about 80 Words Per Minute.
If you already know how to touch-type, then skip this article. But, if you don't know how to touch-type, and you would like to learn how to, you can use a plethora of free resources on the web to help you practice. Personally, I used a website called typingweb.com, which is free to use, has a nice interface and a lot of neat features.
I don't think you need to buy any kind of typing software or subscription if you want to learn touch-typing. To me, it's just unnecessary given the sheer amount of free typing resources on the web.
Once you've chosen a typing resource you need to be consistent and practice daily. But don't sweat it: 10-15 minutes a day of doing exercises using the typing resource of your choice should be more than enough.
You should also try to touch-type even when you are not using your particular typing resource... for instance, when you are writing content for one of your websites.
Finally, you can also practice your mad touch-typing skillz via typing games online. One that comes to mind is the popular Facebook game Typing Maniac. I also like a racing-typing game called Nitro Type, and a Fruit Ninja knock-off called Keyboard Ninja. The web is loaded with free typing games; all you have to do is search "typing games" or something similar in Google, and voilà!
- - -
There. That's just a little something I wanted to share with you guys who cannot touch type (yet), and want to learn how to. I hope you liked this idea, and thanks for reading! :D
Share this insight
This conversation is happening inside the community.
Join free to continue it.The Internet Changed. Now It Is Time to Build Differently.
If this article resonated, the next step is learning how to apply it. Inside Wealthy Affiliate, we break this down into practical steps you can use to build a real online business.
No credit card. Instant access.