Ask HN: How to move to typing properly?
I have been typing with 2 fingers my entire computer using life (7 years) due to never having any formal training. I have typed over 80,000,000 keys in this time and because of how much I type I no longer think of keys it's all muscle memory.
I would like to learn to type "properly" using all my fingers, I have a measured WPM of ~110 using 2 fingers so it should be possible for me to achieve much greater speeds if I were to type properly.
Looking at a large number of online courses they appear to be aimed at people new to using computers. As I have been typing for so long I'm concerned that I may end up in a position where I am only a mediocre "proper" typist and lose the ability to type fast with 2 fingers.
Has anyone changed from typing with 2 fingers to typing using all fingers and if so how did you do it? Are there any techniques for re-learning something in a different way? My google searches return no real help.
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Other than that, yes, the Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing programs of the world can help you learn to type. When I first got a computer, I just learned to type by using 1 finger, then 2 fingers, then 2-3 fingers on each hand. I did one of the typing programs and started learning how to type properly. I was nowhere near 110 WPM though improperly, more like 20-40 wpm. 110 with only 2 fingers is pretty beastly :)
Just took an online test (which made me copy a quote from the Origin of Species) and it gave me a 78 WPM number, so 110 is pretty amazing (and maybe a hurdle to switching).
Test: http://www.typeonline.co.uk/typingspeed.php
I write a lot so all it took me was a conscious decision to use all my ten fingers, even if it made me type a touch slower. I did this for a few weeks, and now I am able to type with all my ten fingers. I still don't use them all the way I'd like to... but I'm certainly better.
I haven't notice a very big change now that I'm using all the other fingers more; I have certainly added a few words per minute but nothing substantial.
Basically, you just have to go through and do the simple letter exercises without looking at the keys. At first you'll be painfully slow, but if you stick with it and go through everything, you'll get your speed back. I went from typing about 60 wpm using all of my fingers and staring at the keyboard to doing 80-100 typing properly in just a few months of 20 minute a day sessions.
I highly recommend making the effort. My personal level of productivity has skyrocketed.
In any case, 110WPM is very fast even for a proper typist. Personally at your stage I wouldn't even bother. It only makes a major difference if you are typing below 30WPM. At that stage you can definitely improve.
Besides, typing speed is not something that is that imperative unless your job is literally typing stuff up.
1) Use proper keys. 2) Learn to type without looking.
Good luck.
http://www.learntyping.org
http://www.typingstudy.com
It literally took me 2-3 days to start using all fingers properly if you follow the interactive tutorials.