Touch typing - Learn it!!

For those who are wondering what touch typing is, it is typing without looking at the keys on the keyboard. Yes, you just look at the screen while your fingers just automatically move to the keys that need to be pressed. I am not here to teach you how to touch type, but I will be telling you my learning experiences which I feel will be helpful to you.

I learnt and mastered it sitting at home without spending a single penny! All I needed was a computer with internet connection. 

This was after my 12th grade when I was having about a month and a half holidays. I was having a lot of free time and I was trying to find ways to kill time. I was saturated with the few computer games that I had on my computer and there was nothing much exciting on television on the weekdays. I also wanted to learn something useful and rewarding. So, after some research on the internet for the same, I got to know about "Touch typing", its benefits and the websites that provided free touch typing practice. It seemed so interesting to me. I started off with the online lessons right away!

These are few websites which really helped me out in the initial stages --

• www.sense-lang.org

• www.powertyping.com

• www.learn2type.com

There are different kinds of keyboard layouts like Qwerty, Dvorak and Azerty. I use qwerty keyboard which is the most used worldwide.

It doesn't take any more than a month to learn touch typing. After you learn, its all practice that makes you a master.  You need to be patient throughout the learning process and you shouldn't give up at any stage. Once you start touch typing, you will realize how advantageous it is to know it. 

"Typing speed" is generally measured in wpm(words per minute). Although, sometimes it is measured in cpm or spm (characters per minute or strokes per minute). Initially in the learning stage, I was typing at about 25-35 wpm with many mistakes. Speed and accuracy can be improved by more and more practicing. An average person can touch type at 50-70 wpm. Now, I type at greater than 110 wpm on an average with a very good accuracy. It took me two years to achieve that speed. And, Anybody can do this!! 

Here's my 10fastfingers profile - http://10fastfingers.com/user/36320/ for your reference. 

Some key notes- 

• Have a good keyboard. I use Dell SK-8115 which is very good for beginners. 
• Have patience, you can't become a master in a day or two.
• Practise Practise Practise!! (at least 1 hour a day)
• Always sit with good posture while typing to avoid neck pain or back pain.

If you are reading this, probably you should try out touch typing. It is definitely fun and very useful too!

I am open to queries. Also, you can tell your experiences here. I would be glad to hear about them.
You can share this article with your friends, colleagues and family members.

Cheers!