Touch typing

[Embarrassingstories]

I’m trying to teach myself to touch type in my mid 40s after typing using poor technique for my whole working life. I started off using the typing drills, but now I’ve moved on to typing day to day stuff to incorporate punctuation and capital letters. I think I have the hang of it then make silly mistakes. I know straight away when I’ve hit the wrong key. I get so frustrated with myself. I am trying to use touch typing at work, but I am conscious that it takes longer than my old style of typing. I do a bit then revert back to my old habits because I worry I’m taking too long. Has anyone learnt touch typing successfully in their 40s and use it daily in their working lives?

I learnt to touch type at school on fancy electric typewriters. All the girls had to take it as a class, the boys had to do civil engineering. I wanted to do civil engineering but was not allowed. Joys of catholic schools in the 1980s/early 1990s.

I can still do it now, it's very helpful in most jobs. The only thing I struggle with is the shift key on the right hand side, my little finger refuses to believe it can reach that far at times.

My left little finger is my problem - I worked in a medical library at one point, and entering records for new books/journals - medical, physical, virological, parasitological, haematological...there were so many times I had to type words ending in -al, and nearly always had to correct it from -la, which I think is just because I'm right-handed and my weak little left finger didn't get there as quickly.

Haha I’m the same with a tablet and on a phone I’m so awkward, using my right forefinger and left thumb to text. I can’t do this ultra quick both thumbs business the youngsters do.

Same here with the phone especially. Instead of all fingers and thumbs I'm all one blimmin finger! Sort of gives my age away when I look at all the thumb texters flying along.

Do you still feel that crushing sense of disappointment when you are issued with a laptop or keyboard that lacks a number pad? I hate using the line of numbers when I've been working at near lightspeed on a keypad since I had my first Saturday job working on a supermarket checkout.

Fortunately, I'm in a role where the IT department strategically ignore my bringing in my own stuff because theirs is just so annoying.

I rarely use a laptop keyboard at work, to the point I had to check whether I had a number pad or not on it. (I don't.)

My own laptop definitely has a keypad.

It surely doesn't need to be taught in schools now. I am in my 30s and naturally picked up touch typing thanks to MSN Messenger 😄

The kids these days must be even better at it.

If touch typing is just typing fast and accurately without looking at your fingers. I'm sure there's some official techniques that used to be taught, but who cares if you get the same results. I need to type a lot in my job and can type about as fast as I can think what to write.

Is MSN Messenger still a thing? Probably not, but I'd recommend that! 😁

They aren't.

One of the main things I see is them (and the younger adults) laboriously going peck, peck...stab...pause...CAPS LOCK...stab...pause...CAPS LOCK...peck...peck. If I show one a keyboard shortcut, you can see their confusion at first there being a way to do things without using the dropdowns and secondly that it involves holding one key down whilst pressing another.

Well that's embarrassing for them. I'll make sure to get my kids proper laptops when they get old enough to start using computers.

My daughter is working through a touch typing course at the moment because she has dyslexia so uses laptops in school some of the time.

Yeah I suppose there's not much natural equivalent of MSN messenger these days. I still imagined that teenagers would be typing Reddit comments or whatever and completing all their school essays in Word etc.

@NeverDropYourMooncup I actually had to get a new laptop from work this week because my old one doesn't support a program I needed I was actually asked if I wanted one with or without a number pad. I opted for one with.

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately, I only have access to a laptop. Can you buy a standard keyboard to use with a laptop? I guess it would have to be a wireless one. Can anyone recommend one? I’ve been trying to practice a bit each day. Not done much last week as we were away for a few days. However, the break seems to have done me good as I think my accuracy and speed has increased a bit.

Can you buy a standard keyboard to use with a laptop? I guess it would have to be a wireless one

If you are spending any substantial time at a laptop, you should use an external keyboard. It can be wired or wireless. Have a look on Freecycle, Olio or Facebook marketplace, you'll probably find one free/cheap.

Once you have your keyboard, raise your laptop (on books or a monitor stand) so that the top of your screen is level with your eyes.

DSE guidance:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/good-posture.htm

I learnt to type about 50 years ago. At a business college.
We had a cloth screen tied around the keys and couldn’t peep.
I’m still okay with it. Not as fast as back then.

I also learned with Mavis Beacon about 25 years ago. I was working in course design at the time and thought our Mavis was really well done. There were a good variety of engaging activities and the programme could tell if you had one or more weak fingers and adjusted for that. It was a bit of a slog as I'd spent many years doing 'hunt and peck' and wanted to learn fast. It look about three months of hard work to get it properly, but I've never looked back and value the skill.

In the version I used, you'd suddenly get a woman's voice pipe up and give instructions on how to sit properly and whatnot. My favourite was 'Look out world, here comes a great typist!'. It was kind of silly but I really liked hearing that.

Aww that’s really cute @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast. Perhaps I can ask my husband to occasionally shout that I’m a great typist in the background! He did seem impressed that I can now type without looking at the keys at all. I struggle with y, t and u sometimes.I haven’t attempted the number row at all. Not sure when to try adding that in.

I just did some tests on Monkeytype. My best speed at 100% accuracy is 36 wpm. I think this is okay after a month. If I try to repeat tests, fatigue sets in and I make silly mistakes then I get frustrated. I need to learn to stop before I get to that stage.

Definitely get him to do that, @Embarrassingstories !

There were two tips I found useful. One was that when you make a mistake, don't just correct that bit but go back and type the word again until you get it right. The other was to not worry about speed but concentrate on accuracy.

Keep at it, OP, touch typing is so useful. I'd also say that 100% accuracy at 36wpm is pretty good going.

I'm using edclub typing online, and it's good but not as much fun as old mavis. I've also now got a book on my kindle and it has pictures matching which finger is used for which letter. A week in and I am fairly sound with the middle and top row, and using the image, I'm starting to try to do all my typing properly and not just search and stab. I might print off the image and pin it up. Could have saved myself £3.99!

I'll be delighted if i ever get to 40 words a minute!

I learned about 40 years ago with a computer game. They have to still be around.

Ooh I just did the monkeytype test. My flabber is gasted.... at 68 years young and not having typed for donkey's years I have 56 wpm and 100% accuracy.

(Well I obviously type on a keyboard but only for things like here....)

Woo hoo. Who knew - I am delighted!

36 wpm is great after only a month, stick with it. I only get to type in my supermarket job at my annual reviews, but freaking my manager out with my touch-typing skills is the highlight of my year. He can't deal with me looking at him whilst typing 😅

I will also be delighted to get to 40 wpm. I’m going to set myself a target to achieve 40 wpm within the next 30 days. No idea if this is realistic or not! I’m going to aim for at least 20 mins practice per day.

Thanks @PennywisePoundFoolish. Hopefully I can get up to 40+ wpm within the next 30 days. I hope one day I can impress someone at work with my skills! How many wpm can you do?

Love this. Hopefully one day I can type this fast.