I don't know how to type correctly. I chicken peck. Look at this:

(this gif is like 5 years old so don't judge my laptop 😂)

When I was young I learned to type pretty well just using two fingers, so I just ran with it.

I currently type between 60 and 70 WPM (words per minute), so that's above average, but I want to get to 100 WPM. To accomplish this I must learn to type properly as my hands and fingers currently move at their maximum speed.

Fast forward a few months into this re-learning process and I'm typing the "right way" now:

Current Progress Words Per Minute:

My chicken pecking typing speed was always between 60-70 WPM. Here's my current progress starting from scratch by re-learning to type the proper way:

• Feb 3: 20 WPM (pleased with that number)!
• Feb 4: 25 WPM
• Feb 5: 25 WPM
• Feb 6: 30 WPM
• Feb 7: 32 WPM
• Feb 8: 25 WPM
• Feb 9: 30 WPM
• Feb 10: 29 WPM
• Feb 11: 29 WPM
• Feb 12: 30 WPM
• Feb 13: 25 WPM
• Feb 14: 30 WPM
• Feb 15: 30 WPM
• Feb 16: 32 WPM (KeyBr score 54)
• Feb 17: 29 WPM
• Feb 18: 31 WPM
• Feb 19: 30 WPM
• Feb 20: 30 WPM
• Feb 21: 31 WPM
• Feb 22: 33 WPM
• Feb 23: 33 WPM
• Feb 24: 35 WPM
• Feb 25: 39 WPM
• Feb 26: - WPM
• Feb 27: - WPM
• Feb 28: - WPM
• Feb 29: - WPM
• Mar 1: - WPM
• Mar 2: - WPM
• Mar 3: 34 WPM
• Mar 4: 40 WPM (woot!)
• Mar 5: 35 WPM
• Mar 6: 34 WPM
• Mar 7: 33 WPM
• Mar 8: - WPM
• Mar 9: - 38 WPM
• Mar 10: - WPM
• Mar 11: - WPM
• Mar 12: 37 WPM
• Mar 13: 38 WPM
• Mar 14: 38 WPM
• Mar 15: 38 WPM
• Mar 16: 39 WPM (Full cold turkey switch day)
• Mar 17: 35 WPM
• Mar 18: 29 WPM
• Mar 19: 39 WPM
• Mar 20: 29 WPM
• Mar 21: 33 WPM
• Mar 22: - WPM
• Mar 23: 33 WPM
• Mar 24: - WPM
• Mar 25: 29 WPM
• Mar 26: 26 WPM
• Mar 27: 29 WPM
• Mar 28: - WPM
• Mar 29: 46 WPM
• (Over 40 finally nearly 2 months later)!
• Mar 30: 40 WPM
• Mar 31: - WPM
• Apr 1: 35 WPM
• Apr 2: - WPM
• Apr 3: - WPM
• Apr 4: 32 WPM
• Apr 27: 44 WPM

Is It Worth Re-Learning To Type Properly?

I already type above average, but if increase my speed from 60 WPM to 100 WPM, that'a 60% increase in speed.

In fact when I took a typing test, my "Chicken Peck" method got me a "Top 25%" award!

However to get beyond 100 WPM, and save my future fingers from a lot of unnecessary strain, I need to learn to type correctly.

I put out a request for a typing tutor on Facebook, and my good friend Noah wanted to be the tutor. He currently types at around 110 WPM so he's probably a good person to learn from.

This is the curriculum he made:

The Process (as made by Noah):

• 15 Minutes Per Day: RataType (teaches proper way to hit each key).

• 4 Minutes Per Day: KeyBr (shows which keys you hit wrong).

• 1 Minute Per Day: 10FastFingers (to test speed each day).

That's it!

I made an account on each of these websites, and each one tracks your daily progress.

RataType (15 min per day):

This has been an amazingly helpful site that shows me which finger to use for each letter.

It then makes you practice the ultra-basic moves over-and-over.

It's cool because it drills each key location into your head without having to look or even think about it.

KeyBr (4 min per day):

This site is interesting because it gives you keyboard drills, then breaks down the keys you have the most trouble with.

As you do more and more drills each day, it charts your progress and problem areas:

It's really neat to see this kind of detailed data so you know precisely where your writing is getting slowed down.

10FastFingers (1 min per day):

This is just a basic typing speed test you can do in exactly 1 minute.

Keyboard Cover For Touch Typing:

About 5 days into this process I realized I constantly was peeking at the keyboard to get my bearings. I learned a while ago when learning to play piano it's best to quit this habit early and force yourself to learn without looking.

So I bought this nifty keyboard cover for touch typing that blacks out all the keys, so my keyboard looks like this:

This has helped break my habit of looking at the keys while typing.

Sincerely,

Neville Medhora - Typing this super slow

P.S. If you want to watch this post in video format it's right here:

P.P.S. If you have any typing tips for me feel free to comment below!