11 Tips to Speed Up Your Typing to Increase Words Per Minute

 11 Tips to Speed Up Your Typing to Increase Words Per Minute

No matter what profession you select, you'll probably need to be able to type. Herzing University estimates that the typical person types 40 words per minute. However, this is considerably slower than the average typing speed of people who have been taught to utilise the touch-typing technique, which is 75 words per minute or more.

Faster typing has many advantages, including the ability to write memos and papers more quickly, save time in both your professional and personal life, make it simpler to take notes during meetings, and even develop marketable skills.

Increasing your rate of typing can be a valuable skill set to help you move ahead in many ways. Particular industries, such as transcribing and office work, might demand, or expect, a certain type velocity from their employees. 

The top 11 keyboarding techniques are what we'll be talking about today. 

1. Determine Your Typing Speed

2. Set goals for progress rather than perfection.

3. Master touch typing

4. Practise Correct Typing Home Row Placement

5.Develop good posture

6. Avoid staring at your keyboard

7. Regularly practise typing

8.Improve Your Setup

9. Stretch

10. Take Breaks Frequently

11) Use Notta Voice Input

11 suggestions to increase your typing speed

1. Determine Your Typing Speed

Take one of the many free typing tests available online for a few minutes to find out your wpm if you are unsure of your present-day typing speed. For free typing tests, we suggest Typing.com. 

Note this quantity and compare it to the 40 wpm standard for typing speed. You can set a goal for your typing speed from here. 

2. Set goals for progress rather than perfection.

Set a goal to help you improve your typing after you've determined your typing speed. 

It can be tempting to quickly increase your typing speed by two or three times. Prior to attempting to increase your typing speed, it is imperative to put accuracy first. 

The ability to type swiftly will come with practise, but if your work is full of errors, learning to write quickly won't actually save you time. If your accuracy is poor, you'll have to thoroughly edit your work, which won't ultimately save you time.

To avoid making mistakes, type slowly. The majority of people don't need to learn to type faster than 100 wpm. Most people should aim for a typing speed of 60 to 80 words per minute to help them finish their task more quickly. 

Establish the mentality that accuracy comes before speed, then try to simultaneously increase both your typing speed and accuracy for accurate, quick typing abilities.

3. Master touch typing

The only method to significantly raise your typing speed is to learn to touch type. 

When you type using touch typing, you don't glance at the keyboard and use all ten of your fingers, which reduces the amount of movement you make when typing. When you are touch typing, should must employ all of your fingers and keep them close to the starting row of your keyboard rather to only utilising your index fingers. 

Your wpm will rise and your hands' stress levels while typing will decrease if you keep your hand and finger movements to a minimum. We advise paying particular attention to your little and ring fingers because they are typically underutilised while typing, which can cause undue strain on your thumbs and index fingers as well as restricted reach. 

4. Practise Correct Typing Home Row Placement

For touch keyboarding, the middle of your keyboard is referred to as the "home row" since you should always begin typing from these keys and keep coming back to them as you go. Start by becoming familiar with the home row of your keyboard and the correct finger positioning for touch typing. Place the fingertips on the ASDF and JKL keys in the middle row across the keyboard, resting them in a curled position. 

The "F" and "J" keys on most keyboards will also have a raised hump or line where your index fingers should rest to make it easier for your fingers to return to these keys by touch rather than by seeing. To assist you learn accurate and speedy typing, consider buying a keyboard if yours doesn't already have it or installing a keyboard bump on these keys. 

Develop good posture

In addition to being healthy for your body and wrists, having good posture when typing will allow you to type more quickly. 

The following are the best advice for good typing posture: 

Straighten up in a comfortable chair, keeping your back up. As this can affect your posture, avoid crossing your legs or ankles. 

Your head should be slightly tipped downward when you look at your display

To prevent eyestrain, keep a distance of 17 to 27 inches between your eyes and the screen. 

While typing, keep your shoulders and entire body at ease. Sit at your workstation and take a slow, deep breath to see if your shoulders are at ease. Your shoulders will naturally drop into a relaxed position when you exhale, so you should aim to keep them there while typing. 

While typing, your wrists shouldn't come in contact with the laptop or tabletop keyboard. This restricts your typing flexibility and puts stress on your wrists.  If your wrists are resting on the keyboard, be careful not to put your entire body weight on them since this could injure or strain them. 

Your elbows must stay close to your sides as you type. To create the perfect typing environment, keep your forearms tucked under your side when you are typing. 

6. Avoid staring at your keyboard

One of the keys to mastering quick typing with fingertips is to keep your vision on the computer screen and avoid looking down at the keyboard. Even if you are just learning touch typing, it can be tempting to glance at your fingers while you type, but doing so will cause your typing to go much slower. 

You will also need to pause your typing while reading your notes before restarting it if you're attempting to learn to type more quickly so that you can compose using notes or an email you've pulled up. Your typing speed will be considerably hampered by this. 

If you find yourself glancing at the keyboard while typing, tape some paper over your hands and practise typing without looking at the keyboard. In order to practise without seeing the letters and numbers on your keyboard, you can either buy blank keys or a keyboard cover. 

Remind yourself that you should avoid glancing at the keyboard and prefer to depend on your touch-typing skills and abilities. While first it could be challenging to refrain from glancing, doing so will ultimately greatly increase your typing speed. 

7. Regularly practise typing

It could feel awkward at first if you're a new or sluggish typer. However, in order to increase your typing speed and accuracy, it's imperative that you set aside consistent time for practise. When you first start typing, your fingers might feel stiff and unnatural, but before you know it, you'll be able to type without thinking about it. 

We advise the following techniques to constantly practise typing: 

Regularly test your typing accuracy and speed by taking online typing tests. 

When typing, be deliberate and slow. Learning precision and precise touch typing is more crucial than learning to type swiftly but with errors in your work. 

Use games and apps for touch typing practise.

Numerous premium and free typing programmes and games will make learning to type more fun while monitoring your speed and accuracy. For free typing practise, we suggest Typing.com, Typingtest.com, and Typingpal.com. 

Take into account enrolling in a typing course. Nowadays, typing classes are less prevalent because so many kids learn to type at an early age. However, you might still be able to take typing classes at a community college or continuing education programme close to you. If you can't locate any in-person options, online programmes are also available to teach you how to increase your typing speed. 

For your typing practise, choose a specified objective and duration. Spend at least 10 minutes per day typing, and to monitor your improvement, record your typing speed at least once every week.

Set a reward for yourself when you accomplish your goal, such as a tasty treat from a nearby bakery or a fresh gaming platform. 

Become more proficient at typing "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." You can practise touch typing every letter of the alphabet, even less common ones like "z" or "v," using this brief English phrase, which contains every letter of the alphabet. 

Improve Your Setup

Your current workstation arrangement may be the cause of any difficulty you are having maintaining proper back support or any discomfort you experience while typing. When selecting or making changes to your configuration for ideal typing, take into account the following recommendations.

Make sure your back is supported comfortably to start. Choose a chair that comfortably supports your back, especially one with a curved backrest to accommodate the natural curve of your spine. If your lower back hurts, think about putting a tiny cushion to the chair's backrest or choose a seat that already has a cushion there. 

Refrain from folding your chair to relieve pressure on your back. Although it might feel good at first, this might put tension on your neck and shoulders. To avoid this strain and lessen the urge to lean back in your chair, try placing your chair closer to your desk. 

If you have trouble keeping your elbows comfortably close to your sides when typing, think about a chair with movable armrests. The ideal arrangement involves adjusting the armrests so that you may rest your arms and elbows on the chair arms while typing. 

Consider investing in an ergonomic footrest if you have trouble keeping your feet flat on the floor while typing to help you maintain proper posture. 

Steer clear of keyboards and keyboard trays with wrist rests. as it's acceptable to softly rest your wrists on the keyboard or table as you type, you should never lay your wrists heavily on the keyboard wrist tray. In order to prevent further strain and discomfort when typing, wrist trays should only be used during brief interruptions in your typing. 

Last but not least, ensure sure your keyboard is positioned correctly. Most individuals position their keyboard higher than is necessary. Your keyboard should ideally be at or slightly above lap level. 

You may type more quickly and with less stress on wrists and arms by maintaining a 90-degree angle with your elbows and arms in this position. If your existing setup prevents you from adjusting the keyboard to the ideal height, think about buying an adjustable keyboard and mouse tray that you can attach to your desk or table instead. If not, try adjusting your chair's height so that your keyboard is higher than your lap. 

9. Stretch 

if necessary If your wrist, neck, shoulders, back, or fingers are stiff, you'll type more slowly. 

If your fingers, wrist, or shoulders are tight when you're sitting at your computer, you won't be able to type faster than 50 words per minute. Stretching exercises should be a regular part of your daily routine to increase flexibility and decrease stiffness. 

To increase your hand's flexibility and lessen pain, try incorporating wrist rotations, "claw" hands, finger stretches, and extended fist stretches into your practise.  

Before adding any new stretches or workouts to your programme, always check with your doctor. 

10. Take Breaks Frequently

You can first feel some discomfort if you are new to typing or utilising all of your fingers. To prevent hand strain, be kind to yourself and take frequent rests. You won't require as many breaks as you used to because your muscles will grow stronger and more flexible with time.

During your practise session, if you feel yourself becoming impatient or distracted, stop and take a five-minute break. It's much preferable to make slow, accurate progress towards your typing objective than quick, irritating advancement. Returning to your typing practise while you're rested and mentally sharp is far more beneficial. 

After lengthy typing sessions, use finger exercises to keep your fingers strong and prevent soreness. 

11) Use Notta Voice Input, please

Notta Voice is an excellent choice if your wrists are getting sore, you need a vacation from typing, or you're seeking for a quick way to record notes. 

Notta is a speech-to-text programme that converts audio files, including real-time voice recordings, into digestible notes. A flexible and effective tool for sharing your notes with others, it can also be used to translate your notes into 104 different languages. 

You can use Notta Sound Input for talking into your laptop's microphone rather of writing down your ideas or creating a memo. Then Notta will take notes for you based on what you say. The text file can then be readily exported into a variety of formats, you can hear the audio replay, whereas you can export the text into Notion.

Notta Voice can help you save time and frustration because people can speak more quickly than they can type. Additionally, your recordings and transcripts are immediately synced throughout all of your devices, including your computer, phone, and tablet. 

To avoid rushing to take notes during video call meetings, you can also utilise Notta to transcribe conversations of the meetings. Read our article on using Notta for translating a video call like Zoom for more details. 

Transcribing can help you save time, energy, and give your hands a break as you work while also giving you useful notes for later use. 

Conclusion

Gaining better typing abilities can help you in a variety of ways, including giving you an edge over other job candidates, saving you time when composing memos or emails, and opening up more work opportunities like transcriptionist, closed captioning, and meeting note-taking. Remember to use additional time-saving tools to assist with some of these scenarios while you practise typing. 

By summarising audio recordings or live video calls, translation tools like Notta can save you time and eliminate the need for you to make notes during meetings. Instead of having to type out your ideas for that email or memo, you can utilise Notta Voice Input to have your own voice recorded as you talk. 

Even if you have quick fingers, using voice and transcription tools can help you save time and energy during your workday. 

40 words per minute of typing takes how long?

advantages to touch typing

Fluency and speed in writing

You'll be more efficient at everything you do on a computer if you can touch type, whether it's sending emails, looking for jobs, talking with pals, or writing your next book. This is due to the fact that you can jot down your ideas as they occur to you, exactly like when you write by hand.

Accuracy

You are less likely to make mistakes when you touch type because learning to type also helps you get better at spelling.

achievement in school

The advantages for students include the ability to generate ideas for projects, take quick electronic notes during class, do their assignments online, write essays, and even proofread more efficiently.

career development

Typing is a talent that is useful in many different sectors for persons looking for temporary employment or career advancement.

Assistance with learning challenges

For people who struggle to learn new things or have vision problems, typing can be a huge help in staying up with their peers and avoiding the disappointments of handwriting. Learn more about the advantages of typing for dyslexic people.

Improved reading and spelling abilities are a bonus for kids who learn touch-typing using a phonics-based method like Touch-type Read and Spell.

Start right away!

The best typing classes divide the learning process into digestible segments and reinforce practise with a multi-sensory strategy. Regardless of how long it takes you to finish each level, you'll get plenty of practise and steadily hone your skills with support and progress updates to keep you encouraged.

Have you ever encountered a person who can type on a keyboard without pausing to check the position of their fingers?

Perhaps a coworker sends emails as you dictate the text, or a fellow student takes notes while engaging in a group discussion. To keep your day on schedule, a friend may even make an electronic to-do list for you.

The way touch typing proceeds at such a smooth and even pace, enabling the typist to automate their movements and concentrate on the words on the screen, is astounding. It nearly seems as though their fingertips extend to the keyboard.

This name refers to people who type one key at a time, their hands floating over the keyboard while they haphazardly look for letters, typically utilising just the index and second fingers of each hand.

Find out why touch typing is superior to hunt-and-peck typing

Today, typing is a necessary ability for both work and academic settings. Even while hunting for individual letters takes far longer and is significantly less efficient than touch typing, more individuals hunt and peck than you might imagine. 

However, it's never too late to pick up touch typing. And if you're looking for a new job, starting a degree programme, or just want to sharpen your computer skills, it's a talent worth mastering.

This is due to the fact that learning to type doesn't take very long, there are many online typing courses available, and the rewards far outweigh the work needed on your part.

acquiring touch typing skills over time

Frank Edward McGurrin, a judicial stenographer who was known as the "world's fastest writer" in the late 1800s and also taught people how to finger type on the side, was the first person to use touch typing.

To make it easier for users to utilise a typewriter's keyboard, touch-typing was first created. You needed to be able to maintain focus on the original text in order to translate or copy from one sheet to the other. Additionally, typewriters lacked erase keys, so accuracy was crucial. 

Typists throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s concentrated on increasing their typing speed without compromising accuracy. The average word was thought to require five keystrokes, and speed was expressed in words per minute. All keystrokes, including letters, spaces, and punctuation, were counted. Average typing speed was between 50 and 80 words per minute, while rapid typing was between 80 and 95 words per minute.

Personal computers brought to the introduction of computer science classes where fundamental skills, like typing, were taught.

Letters followed by introducing one at a time, with children practising using certain fingers to reach each key and grouping them into words and frequent letter sequences in English. A popular beginning point was placing of the correct fingers upon the home row keys.

What is the time frame?

Whatever depends. A computer lab is no longer necessary for today's courses. Often, all you require to get going is a link to the web.

Time takes 40 wpm

Why it can require more time

It could also take longer because you are learning how to train your fingers' muscle memory. Less essential than really acquiring the talent is how long it takes. Get comfortable applying what you've learned and replacing sight as your primary sense with touch.

Remember that touch-typing can be slow at first, but the more you practise, the faster and more accurate you will become. You'll eventually notice that your fingers naturally remain on the keys on the home row. Occasionally learning common keyboard commands or breaking the hunt-and-peck behaviour takes the longest.

How to accelerate learning

Learn how to type a great deal of frequency vocabulary, such as words on the Dolch list along with which constitute 50% of most English texts, if you're looking for a technique to move things along more quickly. Automating letter combinations will enable you to work more quickly and devote more time to words with more intricate spellings.