How to improve typing speed

Some simple tips to help improve your typing and make you more marketable.

Nowadays, the job market is highly competitive, and slowly shifting to highly technical. There is barely any business that is growing that does not at least have one computer on site. What does this mean to you?

If you are a technophobic, this can prove to be a problem. Basic computer skills are a must in today’s business environment, from web browsing to word processing.

One of the most basic of skills is that of typing. With the push towards paperless offices, more and more work is needed to be done on the computer. If you are unable to type at a minimum of 50 words a minute, more than likely you will be at a marked disadvantage to others of similar skill in your field. Be it secretary, customer service rep, or CEO, all require a large amount of typing.

Several previous experiences or hobbies that you might not think of to help your typing, without actually having to sit down at a computer and practice for hours: playing a musical instrument, preferably non brass. While this may not seem to make much sense, the manual dexterity needed to play complex songs easily translates over to the computer. You will find yourself finding keys easier and faster, improving both speed and accuracy. Another way is playing videogames, by yourself or with children. While it does not involve all of your fingers, it does improve hand eye coordination, which will assist with typing skills.

Often times there are also typing classes at local community colleges and adult education centers. These are normally courses that run several weeks to months, and will also go over other basic computer functions as well.

Perhaps nothing can beat practice on the keyboard itself. While working elsewhere, perhaps disconnect the keyboard and familiarize yourself with the way it feels when you reach for specific keys. Practice typing out specific words, go through the alphabet, or work on reaching for symbols.

At the computer itself, you have a few options. From work, perhaps, take a single paragraph, and practice typing that paragraph again and again, until you find your speed in increasing, without hurting your accuracy. There are also online resources and courses that deal with increasing your typing abilities. Simply search for typing tips, and you often get a large number of resources to help you out. Software packages are also very high on this list, with one of the most famous ones being Mavis Typing Tutor. I don’t know a person around here that hasn’t used this basic, but very helpful software to help their typing.

With the plethora of resources available to you, don’t feel obligated to spend money on a college or online course for your typing. First go through some of the free exercises, and resources available on the internet. In almost no time at all, you will find yourself typing faster, more accurately, which will help both your work productivity, and allow you to be much more marketable to your employer. Who knows, maybe enhancing your computer skills is all that stands between you and a promotion!