For anyone who uses computers on a daily basis, typing has become an essential skill. It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional, student, or a casual computer user, typing has become an important digital skill these days. Learning to type the right way requires a lot of patience and consistency, which many people don’t have, and they end up developing bad typing habits that slow them down and increase errors.
If you are someone who has developed bad typing habits, then you need to overcome these habits to build typing speed and accuracy, otherwise your productivity and efficiency will be hampered. Here we have discussed several ways by which you can break bad typing habits and establish a strong basis for efficient typing.
Identifying Bad Typing Habits
First thing that you need to do is identify bad typing habits that you have. We have mentioned some of the common bad typing habits below and chances are that you might have one or more of them.
Incorrect Finger Placement
This is one of the most common bad typing habits that many people have. Instead of placing fingers properly on the keyboard, people rely heavily on a few fingers instead of using all of them. This leads to inefficient keystrokes and slower typing speed.
Poor Posture
Bad posture can lead to wrist pain, fatigue, and inefficient typing.
Looking at the Keyboard While Typing
Glancing at the keyboard while typing is another common issue that most people have, but unfortunately, this habit can be overcome only by learning touch typing and being consistent.
Inconsistent Typing Rhythm
Frequent pauses and inconsistent rhythm are a relatively common issue that can disrupt the typing flow and slow down the typing progress.
Over-Reliance on Backspace
Over-relying on the backspace key and constantly correcting mistakes can disrupt your flow and slow you down.
How to Overcome Bad Typing Habits?
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Relearn Proper Finger Placement
You should start by correcting your finger placement by learning the correct finger placement. There are various interactive programs and websites online that can provide guided lessons and test your finger placement. To improve your finger placement, learn and practice proper finger placement by positioning your fingers on the home row:
- Left-hand fingers on A, S, D, and F.
- Right-hand fingers on J, K, L, and ;.
- Thumbs resting on the space bar.
Get accustomed to the home row layout first and then start slow with deliberate keystrokes before aiming to improve your typing speed.
Learn Touch Typing
To improve your typing speed and efficiency, you need to practice and learn touch typing. Touch typing refers to being able to type without looking at the keyboard by relying on your muscle memory. Touch typing can be built with constant practice and consistent practice, as when you practice for a long time, your muscle memory develops and you rely on muscle memory rather than visual cues for typing.
Improve Your Posture and Ergonomics
Improving your posture and ergonomics can prevent strain and fatigue that follows long typing sessions. To improve your posture and ergonomics, you can
- Sit upright with feet flat on the ground.
- Keep your wrists slightly elevated and relaxed.
- Position your monitor at eye level to prevent neck strain.
- Keep your back straight and shoulders relaxed
- Use light touch while pressing keys to avoid excess strain.
An ergonomic keyboard and wrist support can further enhance comfort and performance.
Use Typing Drills and Games
Taking help from typing drills, typing games, and Typing Speed Test can help a lot in improving your typing speed and accuracy, and making the practice sessions more fun and engaging.
Focus on Accuracy First
Trying to improve your typing speed as soon as you start learning typing can halt your progress. Always focus on accuracy first because speed usually follows accuracy when it comes to typing. Instead of trying to type faster, focus on making fewer mistakes in the start. Once your accuracy improves, speed will naturally start to improve.
Focusing on accuracy will also reduce your dependency on backspace and you will be able to write longer sentences and paragraphs without making mistakes.
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