First off, let me say that I do not own any secret typing system that will magically increase your typing speed. What I’m about to share with you are simple tips and tricks on how you can double or triple your real-world typing speeds for free!
I’m sure you have heard the saying “Practice makes perfect.” If your goal is to become a better writer, then you definitely need to increase your typing speed. The faster that you can get your ideas out of your head and onto paper or document, the sooner that the writing process can come to an end. The less time spent typing means more time for editing, researching, and writing.
How to Double or Triple Your Typing Speed
Tip #1: Adjust your posture
Poor posture can cause a lot of physical problems. If you suffer from any kind of back pain, then poor posture is likely to blame. You may have heard that sitting up straight will improve your breathing and circulation. This is a good thing, but your posture goes beyond being able to breathe and walk upright. Your posture can also have an effect on how fast you type.
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In order to maintain the best typing posture possible, be sure to sit up straight with both feet firmly planted on the floor. If you don’t have a floor mat or desk chair that can accommodate this, you can buy yourself a $20 ergonomic desk chair off of Amazon.
You should also adjust your monitor so that it is at eye level. This will help prevent neck strain and back pain. If you’re using an external keyboard and mouse, then you should position these as close to the monitor as possible. You don’t want to have to lean or stretch in order to access these devices.
Tip #2: Set up your workstation properly
Once you’ve adjusted your posture for optimal typing comfort, there are still other things that can be done in order to set up your workstation properly. For example, if you are working with a laptop, then be sure that there is nothing below or in front of the laptop. The less clutter that you have, the more comfortable you will be when typing.
Different workstation setups may require different adjustments to your desk or table. If possible, it’s best to set up your computer so that there is nothing between your hands and your keyboard(s). You want to avoid any unnecessary strain caused by reaching over things in order to type.
Tip #3: Use the right tools for effective typing
Make sure that everything below your wrists (fingers) is designed properly for maximum typing comfort. For example, I like using mechanical keyboards like the Das Keyboard because they provide a very unique tactile feedback while typing. Also keep in mind that if you are planning on spending all day at the computer desk, then it’s a good idea to purchase the best ergonomic mouse or keyboard that you can afford.
Tip #4: Learn trigger words and sentences
A lot of times, we type at a relatively fast pace without really thinking about what we are typing. In order to stop this from happening, you should always have lists of useful statements and phrases available at random access memory for use during conversation. This way, you will know exactly what to say without slowing down your conversation with that person. I’m sure everyone has used one of these phrases before in their life…
“How do I” “Do you know” “I don’t know.” “What is going on here?” “I need help with something.”
The point is that you can use these trigger words or sentences in order to maintain a very high typing speed. Just be sure that your sentences are short enough for easy memorization and quick use.
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Tip #5: Use voice software
If you’re currently using the keyboard to type, then it’s best to change over to voice recognition software. This way, you will have all of the necessary tools at hand for convenient conversational conversation while typing at incredible speeds. Speech recognition is quickly becoming more popular thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence. Soon, there won’t be anything stopping people from speaking freely while typing rapidly on their keyboards!
Tip #6: Induce yourself into a focused state of mind
One of the most difficult things about working with computers is cognitively being able to focus on the task at hand. It is very easy for a person’s mind to wander off and start thinking about all sorts of other things, which causes them to hesitate while typing. When you introduce voice control into the mix, this often leads to people stuttering over their words or what they’re trying to say!
This problem can be eliminated by directing your brain waves to a specific frequency. This is done with neurofeedback systems like the Muse.
This device will monitor your brainwaves and send electrical impulses back into your brain in order to keep you focused on the task at hand.
By staying focused on typing as opposed to worrying about what you are going to say, you will truly be able to maximize your typing potential. Of course, these technologies are still very new and their safety is currently in question. However, I believe that in the future they will become more common and produce great results for people who want to improve their speed and accuracy while speaking with others!
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If you already suffer from a neurological disorder or brain injury that affects your speech then automated speech recognition may not be the proper choice. Instead, it would probably be best to use simple voice-to-text apps like Dragon Dictation for Android or iOS. In fact, these programs have been around for years but they have been limited by the hardware required to process the spoken words. With cloud computing on mobile devices, however, these barriers are quickly disappearing.
Tip #7: Practice, Practice, Practice!
It doesn’t matter what method you use to type faster or with greater accuracy. The only way that you will become proficient is through constant training and familiarization over time. Without breaking a sweat, anyone can learn the basics of how to type more effectively by breaking down sentences into their most common words instead of learning each individual keystroke for each letter.
After all, it would be ridiculous to try and memorize where each key on your keyboard is located when you could accomplish the same thing automatically with voice software without sacrificing typing speed!
Keep in mind that typing “properly” seems strange at first because many people have learned to touch-type improperly on a QWERTY keyboard. In fact, it’s quite common for people to have their hands on the wrong spots on their keyboards! This is why I recommend using voice software in order to type faster and with greater accuracy. With time and practice, you will develop a more intuitive understanding of how to use your computer while increasing your typing potential!
Tip #8: A Proper Keyboard Makes All the Difference
The above image was taken on a Logitech keyboard specifically designed for gaming. It has nice, flat keycaps as opposed to those with sculpted legends that are designed to look good at the expense of typing speed.
In addition, its size is optimized for touch-typing and comfort, it has a wrist rest which makes typing more comfortable, and all of the keys have been spaced out so you don’t accidentally hit two letters at once (a source of lost time). Obviously, this guide is tailored toward people who want nothing but top performance in terms of speed. This is great if your job involves writing emails or doing any sort of typing-related tasks because you are the priority here. If this isn’t the case, then by all means get something comfortable.
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I know lots of gamers love their misshapen keyboards with giant ass Enter keys, so it would be unfair to say that they’re bad for typing since that’s not entirely true.
Tip #9: Shortcut Keys Are Your Friends
This is probably one of the biggest time-savers you can have in your repertoire as a PC user. For myself personally, every program I use has either shortcut keys built into it or another way to speed up my workflow (i.e.: keeping web browsers open in their own windows instead of minimizing them). Finding programs with good shortcut keys makes working with them a lot easier and quicker by avoiding the mouse. For an example of shortcut keys, right-click on something (a blank spot should do) and hit “properties”.
After that, you’ll be looking at a window with some useful information about whatever item you right-clicked. If you hit Alt+Enter then it will take that property and switch to another tab in your browser, which saves time switching between tabs and typing out temporary URLs. Pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete will bring up the task manager/screen lock so if you ever lose track of what’s running you can kill those programs quick as hell.
Tip #10: Ctrl is the Way to Be
If you’re like me and you’ve been using a keyboard for longer than 3 months (or even less if you’re an expert) then hitting Ctrl+A every time is more of a reflex than anything. After some time, I realized that it’s actually one of the fastest ways to copy and paste anything on your screen. If you make Ctrl+C your best friend as well, then half your work is done before you break a sweat. While we’re on this subject for those who don’t know: Ctrl+F will help you find whatever line/paragraph/sentence/word has “search term” in it. Quite a handy tool if you’re like me and you type the same damn things over and over.
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Final Thoughts
Hope you all enjoyed this, I wrote it because typing is one of the most important skills in our industry and it’s hard to find good advice on how to do it well. If there are any other tips/tricks you think should be added feel free to leave them below. Also if anyone wants me to go more in-depth on a specific topic I’ll add it to the list and add more stuff.
