typeyfilter

December 1, 2005 9:22 AM

I'm almost 30 and I can't type properly--that is, I can't touch-type. My problem: I am fairly good (~35 wpm) at the three-finger-and-thumb-vision-assisted-hunt-and-peck. Unfortunately, this goes to heck when I transcribe or read while typing and can no longer glance at the keyboard. Has anyone out there successfully broken bad keyboard habits? How?

Once, I worked at a newspaper, and one of my co-workers could type at, sheesh, like eighty or ninety wpm. The sound she made with her keyboard was incredible, like some kind of pattering machinery. I want to be that good. Even though she got all the long, crappy transcriptions while I sat around drinking coffee and fiddling in Photoshop.
When I try to do it right, I never get over the initial hump, and always return to my faster, less-correct method. I don't type recreationally; it's usually work/school, and slooooow (10 wpm) learning-to-type speed really hurts my ability to accomplish anything. What's the best way to break my habits and learn to type?

posted by pullayup to computers & internet (43 comments total)

I'm not sure if there is a good way to break the habit of bad typing, beyond needing to type faster. If you can get by typing poorly, and slowly, then you'll probably do so for a while. I never got really good at typing till I was using the computer a lot to program.

I think the first step is to force yourself to leave your fingers over the home keys, and to touch type instead of doing this three finger thing. Looking at the keyboard initially is fine. After a while, it all becomes second nature.
posted by chunking express at 9:35 AM on December 1, 2005

The only way (world according to cincidog) is to start at the beginning, and buying or downloading a good typing tutor program, and forcing yourself to use correct keystrokes without looking.
Go back to the beginning, and learn to do it correctly. I am sure you can learn faster than someone who has never typed before at all. Luck and stuff to you
posted by cincidog at 9:38 AM on December 1, 2005

I took typing (yes on a typewriter) in high school. I knew where the home keys were and where my hands were supposed to be but for years I struggled. It wasn't until I got a computer and the Internet (with a 2800 modem) that I learned to type. I got a natural keyboard and since I had yet to upgrade to the 14.4 modem I could not get onto the web and could only get to the chatrooms. Trying to keep up with people in chatrooms was where I learned to type fast and without looking at my hands.
posted by nimsey lou at 9:44 AM on December 1, 2005

Have you looked into getting a Dvorak keyboard? The current keyboard configuration was meant to make us type slower in the days of mechanical typewrites, to keep the keys from sticking. An efficiency expert came up with a new keyboard. Since you're trying to learn to type again from scratch, basically, maybe it's as good a time as any to learn a more efficient setup.
posted by jon_kill at 9:49 AM on December 1, 2005

I was a pretty fast (50wpm or so) 'hunt-and-peck' typist, but I managed to learn to touch-type using Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing; on the first day I dedicated a lunch hour to the first lesson or two. After that, I forced myself to only touch-type, despite the fact that for a few days my productivity decreased dramatically -- I was typing more like seven or eight wpm for the first couple of days, given all the mistakes I had to correct. But after a week or so I was up to a respectable speed, and within a couple of weeks I was typing faster than I ever had before. (These days I can do around 85wpm when I'm on a roll.) To me, though, the crucial thing is that once you start learning to touch-type, you *can't* go back to hunt-and-peck, despite the initial decrease in speed.
posted by littleme at 9:54 AM on December 1, 2005

You can do it. I did it a few months ago.

I did the 2 finger thing ever since I got my TRS-80 back in eighth grade. I could type pretty quickly but like you it all stopped when I had to look away from the keyboard. I was 35 when I decided enough was enough. It is amazingly satisfying to be able to look away from the keyboard when I type now. I don't know what my WPM is, but it's much faster than my 2-3 finger method I used to use. I'm fast enough that I've managed to impress people, people who didn't know I spent 20-something years typing differently.

For some reason I still look when I type passwords. I think I'm not fully confident yet. I also still hunt for some punctuation. I just haven't had the patience to practice those keys that I don't use often enough.

You're at a disadvantage because you have bad habits to break, but you're at an advantage because you know where the keys are located on the keyboard, even if you don't realize you know that.

The first thing to do is to learn your home keys and which fingers to use on each letter.

Then it's like all bad habits, decide you're going to break it and start RIGHT NOW. Don't pick a date and say "I will start typing correctly on this day." Start now. Then you need to force yourself to use the correct fingers from now on. Correct yourself when you habitually type like you've always typed. Apologize to your IM friends that you'll be typing very slowly for a week. Live with the lack of speed. If something HAS to be done quickly, allow yourself to do it the old way until that thing is done, and then go back to the correct way.

Type. Type constantly. Chat with people on-line, blog, write letters, create a post on Metafilter about your favorite band and then attempt to defend them from the haters.

I also used the demo version of Typing Master in my spare time at work. I ended up splurging for the full copy. It was good to get some real training so I didn't create new bad habits.

The speed will pick up in time. After a week I went from annoyingly slow to not-so-annoyingly slow, and by the next week I was even better. Somewhere along the way I discovered I was a lot faster than my old way.

It's worth it, trust me. I was amazingly proud that I was able to teach myself. Good luck!

Now if only I could force myself to write neatly...
posted by bondcliff at 9:55 AM on December 1, 2005

In addition to all the wonderful advice above, get the Typing of the Dead game, so a typing instruction lesson turns into a video game that you can actually play and have fun with.
posted by frogan at 9:57 AM on December 1, 2005

You probably already know where the keys are without looking (even if you think you don't). So you aren't starting from scratch. You just have to learn to hit the keys with the right fingers. Get Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. Practice. That's all there is to it. It won't be easy, but it won't be hard. Mostly it will just slow you down for a couple weeks. If you put in the practice time each day... seriously even just 10 or 15 minutes. You will be glad you took the time.

Think of typing twice as fast, with half the effort. That's something you'll treasure for the next 50 years.
posted by voidcontext at 9:59 AM on December 1, 2005

I was the same way back when, got a job as a data entry clerk, and now I touch type 50-60 WPM. I have a friend who was like that, started to play MUDs for ridiculously long hours, and jumped up to 80+ WPM. So, if either menial work or humongous timesinks are your cuppa tea, you can definitely do it. ;)

You have to consider it like learning a language; the various forms of official instruction will get you only so far, then you've just got to get out there and do a ton of typing.

Also, the 2 rules I had to constantly remind myself of were: 1) Go slow. If you're regularly making any typing errors at all, you're going too fast, and teaching yourself bad habits to boot. 2) Concentrate on hitting the right key with the right finger. Those pinkies will feel vestigial when you start, but you gotta learn to use them. Otherwise, you'll end up moving your whole hand, then wasting time finding your home keys again.
posted by boaz at 10:00 AM on December 1, 2005

I use the Dvorak layout but with a regular keyboard so looking at the keyboard is pointless. You could try switching layouts or removing the letters. That would get you learn to type without looking. Back in high school I kook a class on typing and it was actually pretty useful. Maybe see if you can find a class near you.
posted by 6550 at 10:12 AM on December 1, 2005

Reading my own comment I mean removing the letters from the keys themselves so they are blank. I'd try sanding or some kind of solvent, tested in an inconspicuous place.
posted by 6550 at 10:14 AM on December 1, 2005

Gotta Dreamcast? Because you will type 90WPM if you play Typing of The Dead.
posted by pazazygeek at 10:15 AM on December 1, 2005

i type 90+ wpm, but have never used a typing tutor program or taken a typing class. in fact, when i type i only use a few of my fingers and never put my fingers on the "correct" keys. people who watch me type are usually amazed and baffled. the point is, practice makes perfect, and the "right" way to do things isn't the only way. the only way you'll learn to type fast and without looking at the keyboard is if you practice doing so. the reason i type so quickly is because in early high school i had my own computer (first gen. imac) and was on AIM constantly carrying on 7+ conversations at once with all of my friends. my parents were pretty pissed off about it then, but now they're impressed with how fast i type.
posted by booknerd at 10:16 AM on December 1, 2005

It's worth learning to touch type - I bought a German layout keyboard by mistake, and two years later I still haven't got round to sending it back...

I started at university at the same time I and my friends got our first email accounts, and one day I just decided I wasn't going to look at the keyboard any more. Decrease in productivity initially, then got faster.
posted by altolinguistic at 10:18 AM on December 1, 2005

Erase the letters on the keys of the keyboard or get an unmarked Das Keyboard (there is an identical and far less expensive version somewhere out there) and force yourself to touch type?
posted by PurplePorpoise at 10:20 AM on December 1, 2005

I second the idea of getting a game to teach you typing. Back when I was in sixth grade, I learned typing from a game my dad got for our Apple ][+, and now I am one of those crazy rattling-away-at-the-keyboard types.
posted by yankeefog at 10:21 AM on December 1, 2005

FWIW, when I taught myself to type without looking it was very frustrating, because I made so many more mistakes. But after a week or two of forcing myself my speed went up dramatically. I still fall into looking at the keyboard when I get lazy, but I touch-typed this text and it was far more satisfying.
posted by Four Flavors at 10:30 AM on December 1, 2005

Yeah, either use a blank keyboard or learn Dvorak. Post a little cheat sheet with the positions of the keys on the top bezel of your monitor to break yourself of the habit of looking down at the keys.
posted by kindall at 10:34 AM on December 1, 2005

Ditto booknerd. I type 70+ wpm and rarely have to look at the keyboard, but never learned how to type properly, despite frequent attempts to teach me how in middle school. Granted, you'll never reach 120 wpm by hunting and pecking, but if you just keep at it long enough, you'll develop your own system and be able to go pretty fast.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:44 AM on December 1, 2005

I think the biggest thing is deciding that it's important enough to you to actually do it. It will take some time and initially be frustrating. However, in a short time (a week or two) you should be pretty comfortable, and in maybe a month or so you'll surpass your hunt-n-peck speeds.

I made the switch in high school, in a typing class, so it might have been easier for me (being 14 at the time) to unlearn my bad habits, as I'd only had them for 4 or 5 years then. But it is always possible, it just takes commitment on your part.
posted by knave at 10:45 AM on December 1, 2005

I thought Nimsey nailed it. I'm really fast, but I never learned the "proper" method of typing.

I actually learned to type really fast by chatting online through my BBS in '87 or so. Force yourself to type complete sentences, use proper punctuation. It pays off later.
posted by TeamBilly at 10:45 AM on December 1, 2005

Speaking of games, I had fun with Mario Teaches Typing.
posted by Morrigan at 10:45 AM on December 1, 2005

I second, third, fourth, whatever, the recommendation for Mavis Beacon - I now type 94 WPM w/o correction because of good ol' Mavis.
posted by MeetMegan at 10:46 AM on December 1, 2005

I think the 70wpm hunt/peckers are an anomaly, I wouldn't go by their experiences particularly. The typical speedy hunt/pecker is like you, 35wpm or less. After switching to touch typing, I reached 60wpm in a few months. Years later, I am over 100wpm.
posted by knave at 10:46 AM on December 1, 2005

Mario Teaches Typing... oh, the fond memories! That was the first typing "game" or instruction program I ever used and I got hooked. I took it as a challenge and "played" a little each day untill I beat it.

I'd also recommend a tutor application like the ones mentioned previously or something along these lines as it can break you out of that mental tedium and put you in a more enjoyable, relaxed state. It's a lot easier to learn something mechanical when you can have fun with it at the same time.
posted by prostyle at 10:54 AM on December 1, 2005

I'll second "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing" - I couldn't think of any useful personal development one year at work, and asked if I could learn to touch type. They gave me MBTT, and it rocked! (Also, the fact that I was allowed to dedicate a few hours each week during working hours was pretty cool, too...!)

Unfortunately, I didn't keep it going once I was a *competent* touch typer, and my ability has reduced noticeably since. Also, the fact that I'm sitting on a sofa using a wireless Mac keyboard probably doesn't help matters much either... :-)
posted by Chunder at 11:02 AM on December 1, 2005

I also used Mavis Beacon to get started - but like one or two others mentioned, what REALLY helped was being online and chatting. Chat rooms and AIM were what did it for me - being able to type fast sort of just snuck up on me. I still make mistakes, but I've also gotten really fast at hitting that backspace key. :-)
posted by bibbit at 11:45 AM on December 1, 2005

I too am trying to learn touch-typing and have one practical tip:

Reassign your capslock key to backspace. For me, much frustration used to come from the frequent detours to backspace breaking the flow of typing. Caps lock is much easier to reach without leaving the home row, and you probably didn't use it much the way it was meant anyways.
posted by springload at 11:58 AM on December 1, 2005

Like booknerd, I type about 90 WPM without paying any attention to homekeys. I know where all the keys are, so I'm touch-typing, but I don't care whether I'm hitting the D with my second or third finger. I've been working on computers since I was in elementary school, and really took off on the internet in about seventh or eighth grade, so it just came naturally to me; I never worked on my typing, but I still make impressive rattly noises.

I think the best thing you can do is find a typing game that you enjoy. If it's "The Typing of the Dead" that other people recommend, go for it. If you discover that you really love the 1992 "Mario Teaches Typing," go for it. Libraries often have a decent range of this kind of software that you can borrow for awhile before deciding on a purchase.

If you can also make a promise to yourself to make sure everything you type is as fast as possible without staring at the keyboard, that would be a big help. Like everyone's recommending -- IMing, LJing, MeFi-ing -- do everything the touch-type way for a while and I bet you'll be surprised at how fast you can pick it up.

Also, I would not want to start putting solvents on my keyboard. Nor would I want to buy a new unmarked keyboard. I would recommend a stiff piece of cardboard taped horizontally a few inches above your keyboard, so your hands have space to get between the cardboard and the keyboard. I didn't have to learn to touch-type this way, but it's how I got my brother to start.

Remember, your goal is to type quickly. You're not trying to type with your fingers on the right keys unless that helps you type faster. It may, but it's not necessary in any case -- so don't worry about where your fingers are going; worry about how fast you're typing.

I actually think that doing it my way improves speed. Maybe, according to the official system, I'm supposed to hit the D with my index finger (I have no idea). But doing it my way, I can get the D with my third finger while I'm reaching for the T with my index finger. I think this adaptability will give you a speed advantage.
posted by booksandlibretti at 12:20 PM on December 1, 2005

Touch-typing is the only way to go. Learning it is a lot like learning a musical instrument (but easier). Here's my advice:

1. Computer programs that teach typing work. You can also learn from a book, if you can still find one.

2. No memorization is involved. Learning to touch-type is not about learning where the keys are; it's learning what movement to make to type each letter.

3. Each lesson teaches you a little bit. Practice each lesson until your fingers know it better than your head does. Don't move on to the next until you've got the first lesson down.

4. Don't look at the keyboard. In fact, it's best if you don't even look at the screen, though this is only possible if you learn from a book, rather than a program.

5. Don't bother with Dvorak keyboards. You're better off if you can sit down and type on any computer, not just your own. Dvorak was a bit of a fraud; his keyboard layout might be better than the standard one, but not by much.
posted by tsackett at 12:47 PM on December 1, 2005

Two things worked for me:

1. Mavis Beacon
2. Online crossword puzzles such as those at upuzzles.com

Once Mavis taught me the basic finger movements (sometimes I had to think hard about u, i, and o), the crosswords made practice fun.
posted by DandyRandy at 1:07 PM on December 1, 2005

In high school, I failed a whole semester of a typing class. Two years later, I was in college and typing everything I turned in. I simply taught myself the summer after high school graduation.

I don't know why learning on my own was so much easier, but it was. And I didn't do anything special. I just put my fingers on the home keys and typed, reaching for keys from the home positions rather than lifting up my hands and targeting them like a heat seeking missle. When I didn't know where a key was, I looked. It didn't take very long before I began to remember where the keys were and I could skip the looking part. I had my own computer and printer (had to sell my car to get them; ouch), so I worked at whatever hours and as often as I chose.

These days, I can't live without a keyboard.
posted by Clay201 at 1:10 PM on December 1, 2005

Dvorak is very useful to avoid RSI, actually. Its speed benefits are overblown, but my wrist aches basically went away when I switched. If your career path involve typing a lot, it might be worth switching now because you may well find you need to switch later.

It's easy to switch any computer to Dvorak, since most OSs come with one or more Dvorak layouts, so typing Dvorak is not actually an obstacle to sitting down and typing on any computer in this the Century of the Fruitbat.

There is a new layout called ASETION which is designed to be a sort of ergonimicized QWERTY, so as to be easier to learn and more suitable for programming. However, you're not going to find it pre-installed on most OSs.

I used to use a Usenet sig that said, "I use a Mac and type Dvorak. Now all I need is a Betamax."
posted by kindall at 1:13 PM on December 1, 2005

Whatever you do, do absolutely establish home positions. If you do that, you will be able to type in the dark.

"Home row" is where it is for a reason: You can reach most of the keys you want to use without moving your fingers off home row, which means that you don't have to look down to reorient yourself.

On a standard keyboard (which will have small raised markers on the J and F keys), I can type in a totally darkened room without looking at the screen. And yes, I do occasionally do exactly that.

And personally, I dont' see a point in going Dvorak. As much as people complain about the awkwardness of traditional layouts, that's what you'll encounter everywhere you go.

Final suggestion: Move your mouse to the left side of your keyboard and use it with your left hand, not your right. You won't have to move your left hand as far to get to the mouse as you would have to move your right. You'll get off and on the home row much quicker, and mousing with the left hand is really not that hard. (I'm stone-clumsy as a lefty.)
posted by lodurr at 1:19 PM on December 1, 2005

Like some others here, I suggest trying to learn Dvorak. It takes about two weeks to get used to the new layout (and is frustrating as all hell during that time. DON'T give in and switch back.) I never learned to touch type, but I just started over with Dvorak, and now I can. The neat thing is (I'm talking to you too, lodurr), you remember Qwerty, so accessing someone else's computer is easier than you would think.

OS X has two Dvorak options available, one where shorcuts that include the Cmd key stay the same as Qwerty (so Copy, Paste, Open, etc stay where you know them) but I advise against that. I used it at first, and eventually moved away from it.
posted by Third at 1:31 PM on December 1, 2005

"Dvorak was a bit of a fraud..."

One writer disagrees; having tried to convert myself, it's impractical in most workplaces.
posted by sneebler at 1:51 PM on December 1, 2005

The neat thing is (I'm talking to you too, lodurr), you remember Qwerty, so accessing someone else's computer is easier than you would think.

After ten years on Dvorak, I will say I have to look at the keys if I type QWERTY, but it's not unpossible to type that way if I have to (though, once you're used to Dvorak, typing QWERTY feels clumsy, because it is). I have heard of some people who have continued to use QWERTY regularly enough to be bi-textual.
posted by kindall at 1:59 PM on December 1, 2005

I concur with recent posts about learning Dvorak, not so much because it's faster (I suspect it is only faster for superstar typists who are limited more by finger motion than something more purely cerebral), but because you can contral what keymap your computer is using and that will force you stay away from old (qwerty hunt-and-peck) habits.

I myself was in the same boat as you earlier this year, though it was perhaps even worse because my typing speed with your method was about 60wpm, as measured by my typing program (and that was with eyes repeatedly moving from screen to keyboard and back). I was able to fairly quickly get my dvorak touch typing speed up to about 30 wpm (in maybe a couple of weeks or so), but progress was much slower after that, and it took me 6 months or so to get up to 60wpm (where I was before I switched!). Still, the ability to type without looking at the keyboard is useful.

I should also mention that I started out typing dvorak only in lessons of 30 minutes or so a day, then switched back to qwerty hunt-and-peck to get my work done. After a week or two of this, I jumped in head first with touch typing, and felt the productivity pain for a couple of weeks until my speed got more bearable. I will also add that my qwerty hunt-and-peck speed is nowhere near 60 wpm now, but I can sustain something almost bearable on qwerty (25 wpm?).

Learning to touch type was my New Year's resolution for 2005, and I think it's the first time I've ever accomplished one! Good luck to you!
posted by colibius at 2:30 PM on December 1, 2005

If you like video games, Typing of the Dead is worth a look. It certainly helped me out when I was struggling with typing.
posted by matkline at 3:55 PM on December 1, 2005

I learned to type on a typewriter, of all things, in high school, and typed away for about 10 years before learning about the existence and benefits of the Dvorak layout. I retrained myself over about a month when I was "between jobs". If you are going to try to retrain yourself it will definitely help if you can do it while you are unemployed, on holiday or otherwise not using your current typing method, regardless of whether you relearn qwerty or, as some have suggested, try to learn dvorak.

I practised for about 40 minutes to an hour each day using some stuff I found in the interweb, by transcribing text and learning one or two letters a day. I was as fast and more accurate after a month with dvorak than I was after ten years or so of touch typing with querty. I've also noticed that I type faster when I am looking out the window rather than at the keyboard or monitor.

At work I use dvorak on the same qwerty keyboards that everyone else uses; the layout is loaded with my user profile as I log on. It is easy to switch between keyboard layouts in any case. At home i've pulled the keys out and rearranged them.
posted by Tixylix at 5:02 PM on December 1, 2005

this is all good advice but as someone who only types 50 wpm max (and that's touch typing except for the keys on top) ... i can tell you that it's not going to do you any good to type faster than you can think
posted by pyramid termite at 9:29 PM on December 1, 2005

Totally agree w the Typing of the Dead recommendation

The other thing is that until you stop looking you won't 'get it'. It seems that most of the typing games force you to get to the point where you can't hunt and peck fast enough, and must use muscle memory instead of eye hand coordination.
posted by [this is good] at 10:49 PM on December 1, 2005

More typing games:
Letters (Flash)
Typer Shark (Java)
posted by Sharcho at 7:58 PM on December 17, 2005 [1 favorite]