How to Learn Touch Typing Fast: A Step-by-Step Guide
Still hunting and pecking? Learn the fundamentals of touch typing, proper hand placement, and the best free tools to double your WPM in a month.
Breaking the Hunt-and-Peck Habit
In the digital age, your typing speed is directly correlated to your productivity. If you constantly have to look down at the keyboard, you are breaking your train of thought and severely limiting your output.
# The Home Row
The absolute foundation of touch typing is the Home Row. Place your left fingers on A, S, D, F and your right fingers on J, K, L, ;. Notice the little physical bumps on the F and J keys? These exist so you can find your way back to the home row without looking down.
# Training Your Muscle Memory
You don't need expensive software to learn. Free websites are perfectly adequate. The key is accuracy over speed.
Speed is simply a byproduct of accuracy. If you try to type 100 Words Per Minute (WPM) but make 15 mistakes, your backspacing will ruin your overall time. Aim for 98% accuracy, and the speed will naturally follow.
For an amazing breakdown of finger movement and speed optimization, this YouTube masterclass on typing mechanics is highly recommended.