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Writer's pictureAjey Deshpande

I Finally Learned How to Type (Correctly)

Updated: Dec 10, 2021

Non-Musical Post

Do you know why the QWERTY keyboard (the one on your laptop and phone) is designed that way? I didn't.

Watch this:

The story behind QWERTY:

A lot of keyboard designs were present before this one was picked by large-scale manufacturers. A common thought behind all designs was how a person can type fast without the typewriter keys getting stuck. ‘Most common consecutive letter combinations were kept away from each other.’

A 150-year-old design is still being widely used today. It reminds me of how the alarm clock, call, camera, email apps on our phones have the same old symbols even if those things have undergone massive changes in design.


 

I decided to re-learn typing the right way.

Why?

I teach music online and keep records on an Excel sheet.

Usually, the record-keeping is done as the lesson goes on, so I don’t miss anything. If I am a better typist, I can save a lot of time during lessons.

I used to type in the 'hunt and peck' way. The maximum typing speed I could achieve was 37 words per minute (WPM), at 80% accuracy.

How?

There are a lot of resources on the internet. I decided to use www.keybr.com because it gave me a good analysis of my typing tests.

Doing Some Research:

I watched a lot of videos on YouTube on how to get better at typing.

A video by Nahre Sol (a pianist/YouTuber) inspired me.

These are the things a beginner typist should keep in mind:

1) Regular practice is a must.

2) Stick to the base hand position- index fingers on F and J.

3) Don’t look at the keys while typing.

4) Look ahead to the next few words while typing (also applies to sight-reading in music).


On 17th August I started doing typing tests daily. It did not take more than 10-15 minutes, but the new way of typing took me back to 20 Words Per Minute (WPM).

Progress:

Here's a graph showing my progress with 20 typing tests per day.

Date vs Typing Speed. I missed lessons on two days in October.

www.keybr.com uses a computer algorithm that creates tests for you according to your strengths and weaknesses. You never get the same test twice. It also gives you a detailed report after each test. It is said that the graph of typing speed is linear. One month into my typing exercises, I was at 42 WPM. So according to my estimate, I should have reached 70 wpm on 28th October 2021 (73 days of typing). But I guess I was a little slow because I spent a lot of time in the 40s, and can now type somewhere around 50+ WPM. On a good day, I can cross 60 WPM.


Typing stats since 17th August 2021

Here's some typing ASMR for you:

Check your typing speed here!

If you have any tips on how to get better at typing, do share them in the comments!

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1 Comment


Ana Jones
Ana Jones
Sep 28

Core ball is an addicting online game that you won't be able to put down! Zigzag your way to the high score! Coreball (also named “Core Ball”) is a classic little arcade game that can be played online.

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