Flashbacks to high school when all my friends used to engage in typing test battles; touch typing, speed, the whole shebang. Then there was me, trying to look at the keyboard, using two fingers from each hand, and managing a grand total of 40 WPM. HUMPH.

Recently, I’ve begun to understand the importance of being able to type fast and its perks. Not only does it help with completing computer tasks faster, but as technology natives, it’s almost a necessity. More importantly, I believe in having mastery over all parts of my body! I feel there’s some hidden neurological benefits in being able to control your fingers eloquently; it helps in learning other skills faster. From my observations, people who type fast usually pick up instruments a lot quicker compared to myself; trying to learn guitar was extremely difficult!

Here’s a quick rundown of how I improved my typing speed without really following any formal tutorials:

Tip 1: Passive learning using MonkeyType

Practice until mastery. I pretty much just spammed 25-second MonkeyType tests; it’s so easy and doesn’t take much time. Every time you’re about to start a new task, just hop on and smash out a test. Not only does Huberman always say we learn best if we stop thinking for like 10-15 seconds, but it’s also kinda fun trying to beat a previous score like it’s a video game. (I’ve done 400 test already! )

Tip 2: Start from basics, using at least four fingers!

Yeah, this is a tough one, but if you’re currently only using two fingers, you have to move to using four fingers; your learning curve will be exponential. In the beginning, it will be difficult, but as you get used to it, the rate of learning will be insane!

Tip 3: Don’t look at the keyboard

As computer natives, even though we think we don’t know where the keys are, we subconsciously already know where all the letters are on the keyboard; we just need to practice a little!

It’s as simple as that!