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by vegannet
2142 days ago
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I have the same problem: I can type fast but not properly — 120 wpm with 2 fingers — and any attempt I’ve made to learn to type “properly” has decreased my error rate... and my speed so much that any error-rate reduction gains aren’t worth it. I feel like, after typing a specific way for decades, it’s practically impossible to ever change effectively. |
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I actually made the switch to proper touch typing by re-learning to type from scratch on a Dvorak layout, using blank keys (or Qwerty-marked keyboards, which is practically the same thing). I tried to switch and stay on Qwerty, but I'd just revert back to two fingers since it was so much faster, then my wrist pain would come back.
To give you a bit of motivation if you ever have to switch, I switched in November 2009 doing races on typeracer.com. Within a week I was at 45 wpm, by the end of November it was 70 wpm. I averaged 80 in January, and 90 in March.
So it took maybe a few weeks to get to 'usable' speeds, and a few months to get back to 'fast' (which felt right for daily use). This was doing bugger all practice too, each race is a minute or so and I did maybe 500 races this whole period? Literally 3-5 minutes a day, absolutely nothing. If you put actual effort into practicing you could probably regain your speed way quicker.
From there it slowed right down obviously. It took a few years to get back to 110, then half a decade to get to 120. That's probably to be expected, but realistically you're not going to notice the difference between 120 and 100 in daily use, so it's not a big deal.
Also, the interesting thing is, touch typing with Dvorak doesn't train you to touch type in Qwerty. Even after over a decade I still have the muscle memory to type with 2 fingers in Qwerty. Once every year or two I'll have to use somebody else's keyboard at work and I'll have to pull out the two finger technique, which must be hilarious for everyone watching. Just typing Qwerty for a few moments once a year or so I can still do around 60 wpm, which is insane when you think about it. I guess it's like riding a bike.