Whoops, Chair it is!

July 15, 2005 5:17 PM

I moved desks and have apparently lost the ability to type with any satisfaction.

All the sudden I am hitting keys out of order, typing slower because of that and generally making myself crazy. Now the problem persists to my computer at home. Help!

posted by BrodieShadeTree to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Sounds as if you're disoriented. You must have been at your other desk for quite a while, huh? Can you put your new desk where the other one was? Can you face it in the same direction, at least? If the lighting is coming at you from a different angle, you might be seeing shadows on the keyboard differently, which might be what's slowing you down and making you make mistakes. You're trying to relearn where the keys are (even though they haven't moved), and then you go home and have to relearn again.

Even more likely: Could your new desk be just a touch shallower or higher or lower than your other one? That would make a big difference too, since our hands are used to being held at a certain distance and height while we type. If that changed, the way you approach the keyboard could change too.

We have two main computers at work. I'm on mine 99% of the time, and when I go to the other one, I make so many typos that it's ridiculous...the keyboard is closer to me (by about 2 inches) and a touch higher than mine, and I can't adapt at all.

If you can't move your desk, take comfort in the fact that you will adjust, eventually!
posted by iconomy at 5:53 PM on July 15, 2005

Keyboard height is crucial. You can get a tray to install under your desk if it's too high.
posted by callmejay at 9:28 AM on July 16, 2005

I am thinking height is the big issue after reviewing these postings.
Thanks!
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 10:22 AM on July 16, 2005