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by nevi-me 384 days ago
How about when you have to communicate with people? I had a terrible handwriting as a child at school, and I liked how the girls' handwriting was often very neat, so one year I decided to reteach myself how to write.

My handwriting became neater, but much slower. I never recovered the speed, so this bit me in university. I used to joke that I never finish exams, so I make sure that everything I write is correct. I'd always do better than people who finished the whole exam.

I was introduced to computers late in life, at 16 in the early 2000s. When I got to university, typing was a struggle. One day I saw someone typing fast. I decided to learn.

I think for me, the biggest benefit is mostly when writing long messages, more than typing. Having most conversations async at work means fewer pauses between reading and replying.

It also sometimes looks silly watching someone play hide and seek with their keyboard, because I've met people who punch in a few jets, then go hunting for others as if they've moved position.