Improve your productivity by learning to type faster
I recently saw someone young enough to know better hunt-and-peck typing on a MacBook Air. They couldn’t have been typing more than four words per minute. It made me sad because I get so much more work done in so much less time by typing faster.
When I was in middle school, boys couldn’t take typing (or home economics) classes, and girls weren’t welcome in shop classes. So, before I bought my first Mac, I decided to learn to touchtype using a hardbound typing instruction manual and an old electric typewriter my wife had in college. I learned to type 60 or 70 words per minute without looking at the keyboard and have maintained that speed for three decades.
I first recommended learning to type faster as a productivity booster in 1989 in Dr. Macintosh (my first book) and have recommended it regularly ever since. Why? Because if you type 60 wpm, you’ll finish your writing tasks 12 times faster than hunting-and-pecking at five wpm.
The best and easiest way I know to improve your keyboarding skills is a typing training app for your Mac such as Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor ($25.99 at www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com). Or visit the Mac App Store and download (or buy) one of the myriad typing instruction apps (search for typing).
Another option is a free typing instruction website such as TypingTest (www.typingtest.com), which also offers free typing speed tests so you can benchmark your progress.
I admit I can’t type 70 wpm on an Apple keyboard. To achieve such speed, I need my beloved Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. It’s been my keyboard of choice for more than a decade, and I test many keyboards. For me, nothing else comes close. Resources:
Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. $50.99 at Amazon.com. https://tinyurl.com/hap9cpec