How to type like a hacker: 5 steps to high efficiency
When I was a kid my father realised that my brother and I might need to know how to use a computer keyboard in the future. He was right, as I spend now all my working day in front of a computer (and some on my free time too). So, 15 years ago, he tried to teach us how to use effectively a keyboard. He showed us the key layout, how and where to put our fingers when resting, and how to reach the different keys.
That’s a good start, and you can find such layouts on a bunch of websites, they look like that:
It didn't work.
You cannot expect 12 yo kids to do such boring stuff — like learn to type fast on a computer by writing random words — with “few seconds they might save in 1 or 2 lifetimes” as only motivation. So he brought us a typing game: a zombie shooting game !
How cool is that ?! Very cool. But not cool enough to keep us interested. And I had to wait a few years (like 15 years).
But I finally managed to use correctly a computer keyboard (and I don’t look like your grandma when in type things). So I am going to tell you how I finally manage to use a keyboard properly, hoping it will be useful to you (but you can also try the game if you want to ;) ):
- First, know the layout. It is essential in order to be efficient to start with a good position and to keep it. Take the layout I gave you above and learn which finger you use for each letter. Tip: there are two little marks on the letters f and g of your keyboard, they mark the positions of your two index fingers. Be sure you can feel them before you start typing.
- Don’t look at your keyboard ! This is the number one rule (it comes in second, but it is the most important one). Try to not look at your keyboard after the first few words. You’ll find it difficult in the beginning, but it is the only way you can speed up your writing. Even if you fail on one or two letters, try to keep the eyes on the screen (you will quickly get used to reach the backspace key with your right little-finger). This will build and train your muscle memory. The muscle memory is the base of any efficient automated process we do, from driving, brushing our teeth, playing our favourite sport to typing on a computer. This cut the typing process that goes from :
-think about a word
-cut the word in letters and for each letter :
-think about the letter
-find the corresponding key on the keyboard
-choose the hand and the finger to use
-type the key
for novices, to
-think about a word
-type the word
for trained people.
- Retype the word if you used the wrong fingers, even if the spelling was right. It might sound a bit counter-productive, but this is a way to train your muscle memory (again) and punish you for bad habits before they settle. Retyping a few words is nothing compared to the time you’ll gain once you’ll get used to this typing technique.
- Don’t look at your keyboard ! (did I say it is the most important rule?)
- Start with a small project. Start with a short report (internship report for students for example, or a short novel or script). The project should give you enough motivation to prevent you from stopping the exercise and should be long enough so that you start feeling the progress you have made.
Finally: keep the habit. Keep following these rules, even if you find them hard to follow at the beginning. You will naturally come back to the “look at the keyboard for the next key” technique. It won’t work better! I sometimes look back at the keyword, but very time I correct myself and go back to the “screen looking technique”, the muscle memory does the work and it amazes me every time.
I hope this tips have been helpful. If you have any other tips to be more efficient, please let me know in the comment.
Clément V.
PS: this post is my first on this platform, it’s a kind of warming up exercise, but I have more coming on different subjects, I hope you’ll like them. English is not my native language, so please let me know if I do stupid mistakes ;).
PS2 : Don’t look at your keyboard !