Why is typing so hard

Learning with a real keyboard gives you an advantage. This way you memorize the keys layout and you can easily type any text both on the computer and on the phone in the future. But if you train on the phone, then you will have to relearn how to type once you switch to your computer. It breaks the pattern. Try to type each exercise with the same rhythm, keep an eye on the average typing speed. That way your muscle memory develops faster. And now you can verify this — take a typing speed test right now and get a certificate.

Haste makes waste. When you are in a hurry, you automatically switch to typing using a familiar method, for example, with two fingers, and completely forget about everything else. Our goal is to master the ten-finger typing, which means we must take our time to train.

I hope now you can quickly master touch typing and won't repeat other people's mistakes : I will not delay you anymore. Your browser does not support the video tag. Mistake 1 Looking at the keyboard. Mistake 2 Incorrect finger position. Mistake 3 Caps Lock on. Mistake 4 Poor posture. Some experts say that if kids find it frustrating to touch-type, you can let them type in whatever way works for them. Let kids use a tablet for shorter assignments. They can type using their thumbs and fingers, a process similar to texting.

If kids find it distracting to have spelling and grammar mistakes highlighted, turn off auto-correct. Turn it back on when the project is finished. Then they can make corrections all at once. Use a typing tutor program to boost proficiency. Kids may benefit from a program designed for a general audience to get some practice and improve on speed.

There are many free programs online. Most include access to fun games to improve letter awareness and overall speed.

Try an alternative keyboard. These have special overlays that customize how a standard keyboard looks and functions. They might group keys by color, or add graphics to aid comprehension, for instance. Kids can also try dictation speech-to-text technology and other assistive technology for writing. You can try apps to help with specific challenges, like apps to help with note-taking. There are also free online tools to help with writing.

It may take longer for your child to master typing than it takes other kids. But kids who do get proficient at typing often find writing assignments easier and less frustrating. Share Learning challenges that can impact typing. Overall, when deciding whether to sit, stand, or walk while you work, try to find which of these options makes you feel better physically, while also allowing you to maintain a high level of performance. Furthermore, keep in mind that you can shift between the different states if it helps you feel more comfortable.

Most importantly, regardless of how you choose to work, you should make sure to set up your workspace properly, and to maintain a good posture while you work. Doing this while standing or walking is not much different from doing it while sitting, with the only notable difference being the way your legs are placed.

Getting yourself a good ergonomic keyboard is an easy way to increase your typing speed and keep your hands healthy , without requiring much effort on your part. Read the relevant technical specifications of the keyboard before you buy it, and check out reviews by previous users.

Note that some people recommend using a mechanical keyboard. Overall, if you want to improve your typing speed and keep your hands healthy while you work, you should consider getting an ergonomic keyboard. Most are not too expensive, and can last you for years. Furthermore, if you suffer from hand pain due to constant computer use, consider also getting an ergonomic mouse , which could help deal with this issue further.

Your keyboard layout is the way that the keys on your keyboard are arranged. Some people recommend changing this layout, in order to increase your typing speed and reduce the risk of developing typing-related health problems in your hands.

In the next section, we will see what are the most common keyboard layouts, understand when is it worth it to change your keyboard layout, and learn what minor modifications you can make to your keyboard layout, aside from changing it completely. Of these, QWERTY is by far the most common layout, since it was the first layout which was introduced to the market , and is now the default layout on the vast majority of keyboards. The Dvorak and Colemak keyboard layouts were developed later, in an effort to create a more efficient keyboard layout than the QWERTY layout, since the QWERTY layout was developed with the goal of overcoming mechanical issues in typewriters, and was consequently inferior from an ergonomic perspective.

As such, these new layouts were designed with the goal of increasing typing speed and reducing hand strain, by accomplishing the following:. For example, consider the image below, which shows how in the Dvorak layout, the vowels are all typed using the left hand, while most consonants are typed using the right hand, in order to lead to a relatively rhythmic alternation between the hands while typing.

Furthermore, the most common letters are placed on the middle home row, where the fingers naturally rest, which means that they have to travel a relatively short distance in order to press them. Above, we saw that keyboard layouts such as Dvorak and Colemak are superior to the QWERTY layout on various ergonomic metrics, such as distance traveled by the fingers while typing. However, the main question when it comes to deciding whether you should change your keyboard layout is whether this improvement translates to an increased typing speed and to a reduced hand strain in practice.

In terms of speed , research on the topic is inconclusive when it comes to determining whether using an alternative keyboard layout enables people to type faster. Therefore, when deciding whether or not to switch to a new keyboard layout, you should generally not assume that doing so will increase your typing speed, in comparison with learning how to type properly on a QWERTY keyboard. In terms of comfort , however, switching to an alternative keyboard layout can certainly be beneficial, since such layouts are indeed more ergonomic than the default QWERTY layout.

Beyond speed and comfort, another important factor to take into account when deciding whether to change your keyboard layout is usability , meaning that you should consider how likely you are to be using keyboards that have a different layout in your day to day life.

This can be an issue if you grow so accustomed to the new layout that you end up struggling to type on QWERTY keyboards. This issue can sometimes be solved if you learn how to touch type using the alternative layout e.

However, doing this can still be annoying, and pose problems from time to time. Furthermore, keep in mind that changing your keyboard layout also makes it more difficult for other people to work on your computer.

This can either be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on your perspective. While changing your whole keyboard layout is relatively difficult, there are some minor modifications that you can make to your layout, which could result in significant benefits without requiring a lot of effort on your part.

For example, you can replace the CapsLock key, which is rarely used, with something more useful, such as the left Ctrl key, which is used more frequently, and which is placed in a more awkward position. Touch typing involves typing without looking at the keyboard, by relying on muscle memory and hand placement in order to find the necessary keys. Traditionally, touch typing involves placing the eight fingers thumbs excluded on the horizontal row in the middle part of the keyboard the home row , with each finger responsible for pressing only a few keys, as shown below.

Touch typing is usually compared to self-taught typing systems, in which typists use a different combination of fingers to type than in traditional touch typing.

People who use these styles of typing usually rely on their index fingers, on their middle fingers, or on some combination of the two in order to type. Self-taught typing strategies are generally referred to as hunt and peck typing , since many people who use them have to look at the keyboard in order to find keys while typing.

However, many self-taught typists are capable of typing without looking at the keyboard, by relying on their muscle memory alone, in a manner similar to those who learned how to type using the traditional touch-typing system. In terms of speed, touch typing is not necessarily faster than other styles of typing, and people who use self-taught typing strategies can reach speeds that are equal to those of touch typists , as we can see in the image below:.

In terms of hand strain , touch typing has some advantages, since it reduces hand movement, and since it involves a relatively equal use of your fingers as opposed to relying primarily on your index and middle fingers , both of which are factors that can help reduce the strain that your hands and fingers experience.

At the same time, however, touch typing also has some minor disadvantages in terms of hand strain, since it causes you to type some common keys in an uncomfortable manner, and since it sometimes causes you to contort your hand in order to enter certain key combinations.

Overall, learning to type without looking at the keyboard can be highly beneficial to your typing speed and workflow. If you struggle to do this naturally, you could potentially benefit from learning the traditional style of touch typing.

However, if you are already a relatively fast typist, and if you can already type without looking at the keyboard, then you will likely not benefit much from learning how to touch type using the traditional touch-typing system.

As such, when it comes to increasing your typing speed, your main focus should be on learning how to type without looking at the keyboard, which can either involve the traditional touch-typing system or not, based on your personal preferences and capabilities.

In order to learn how to touch type using the traditional system, you can look for free courses and software online, which could help you train your touch-typing skills.