I don't know how to type! Now my wrists hurt.

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GreenPumpkin

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I'm not sure where to post this so I decided to post it here.
Here's the problem: I don't know how to type properly. I type looking down at the keys and I use only three fingers.
How many of you know (or not) how to type?
Is this going to be a huge problem?
I feel like it's too late for me to learn, and now I'm kind of embarrassed about it.
I never had proper training...
Help!

I'm only on the first draft and my wrists get tired easily.
What are some tips to improve?
 

starrystorm

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I know there are some programs that teach you to type that you can put on your computer. I did those when I was maybe 11, and they were kind of childish, but it worked. Then I sort of gave up. It wasn't until I wanted to start writing a novel that I forced myself to learn. I started by looking at the keyboard since I knew the basics of where to put my hands(from the program), and slowly working my way up to where I had it memorized.

Remember: practice makes perfect and typing isn't a skill you have to master at a young age.


Hope this helps. :)
 

Snowstorm

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If you have Microsoft Word (or Word for Mac, which I have) there's a "dictation" function whereby you speak and the computer types it up. It's actually much quicker than typing. You should take several minutes to educate yourself how to speak the punctuation, like saying "period" at the end of the sentence so the software puts a period. Be aware the software can make a lot of mistakes, but one or two good editing sessions to fix any errors is easy.
 
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AW Admin

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I'm only on the first draft and my wrists get tired easily.
What are some tips to improve?

Take frequent breaks; at least every 90 minutes, get up and leave the computer. Move around, shake your hands and wrists, stretch gently.
Drink some water.

Go to your local public library and see if they have a typing tutorial; there's software like Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.

There are also some websites designed to teach typing; some are free. Google learn to type.
 

cornflake

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I'm going to say to not try to learn to type "properly." Touch typing, with your hands centered on the keys, can lead to repetitive stress injuries. I type with two fingers -- at like 70wpm (not by any design; I just never learned or was taught to touch type and typed from a young age and got faster). I move my hands around while I do and I think it's better in terms of ergonomics.
 

MaeZe

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If it's your wrists that hurt it probably isn't your fingers causing it.

Typing Ergonomics: 7 Tips to Avoid Injuries While Working

Ignore the ad for the ergonomic keyboard. I haven't found a lot of evidence that is necessary. However, if after making other corrections, changing keyboards is not an expensive intervention to try. Read the research before choosing an alternative keyboard.

Here's a better link: Cornell University Ergonomics Web

Wrist rests are also questionable but if someone is using one and it works for them, then that's fine.

Most problems can be resolved by proper ergonomics.

And what Lisa said is also important, especially getting up and moving around at regular intervals.
 
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MaeZe

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I'm going to say to not try to learn to type "properly." Touch typing, with your hands centered on the keys, can lead to repetitive stress injuries. I type with two fingers -- at like 70wpm (not by any design; I just never learned or was taught to touch type and typed from a young age and got faster). I move my hands around while I do and I think it's better in terms of ergonomics.
I think this is true.

I just type naturally and have found after time I don't need to look at the keys all the time. And I don't use the home keys technique I learned in high school. Try to use more than two fingers and the more you type, pretty soon you just get fast at it.

I should also point out, that home keys thing was used when typing required pushing hard on the mechanical keys, the same reason the letters are arranged the way they are: QWERTY.

Keyboards are completely different now.
 

talktidy

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I am glad I learned to touch type in school. I consider that -- and learning to drive -- as essential skills for life, even though I have rheumatoid arthritis and now have an awkward style with my right hand.

Concerns about repetitive strain injuries are valid, but IMHO that does depend upon how much typing one performs, how fast, and how hard one hits the keys.

There's nothing to learning to touch type and I certainly do not think it is too late for you to master it. It's a pretty boring exercise, which requires tons of keyboard drills. Mind numbing, not difficult. The drills should eventually allow you to type without thinking about what you're doing, so that ideas flow from brain to computer screen, without paying attention to what hands are doing.

The world has moved on since the early Jurassic, when I was in school and learning short hand and typing, but I wonder if there might be something like evening classes in your area for this. I make the suggestion because, for me, trying to learn on my own was a non-starter.
 

GreenPumpkin

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Thanks!
I started looking into touch typing a while back, but nothing came of it. I think I'll give it a try :)
If I start now, I might be able to pick it up before the end of the year.
I hope so anyway.
I also looked into the dictation tool on windows, but I don't like people hearing all that I have to say.
I wouldn't want someone listening in to all of my writing...

Thank you for all of your replies, In the end, re-learning something is going to be difficult, but I will try to get somewhere with it.
Anyway, touch typing, here I come!
 

Chris P

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I learned to touch type in high school, and it saves my bacon as far as writing speed goes. However, if the keyboarx is off by just a touch of an angle or is slightly smaller or larger than a standard.keyboarx, I'm helpless. Also, not only is my tablet's keyboard too small as well as being a touch screen, I can't place my fingers on the home row like I want. I can look at old stuff and tell which device I was using based on the typos.

ETA: lol. I'll leave the typos in to prove I was using the tablet!
 
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cornflake

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I learned to touch type in high school, and it saves my bacon as far as writing speed goes. However, if the keyboarx is off by just a touch of an angle or is slightly smaller or larger than a standard.keyboarx, I'm helpless. Also, not only is my tablet's keyboard too small as well as being a touch screen, I can't place my fingers on the home row like I want. I can look at old stuff and tell which device I was using based on the typos.

ETA: lol. I'll leave the typos in to prove I was using the tablet!

I'm not suggesting this is true of you in particular Chris, but in a general sense, I don't think there's any difference in speed once someone has mastered typing in general (like being able to type without looking at the keys, without hesitation, etc.). As I said, I type with two fingers, at about 70wpm. I know someone who types the same way, much faster -- a test once clocked him at 90 odd. I also type, as Anna Kendrick said in Up in the Air, "with purpose," which people sometimes comment on. If I mention something like 'yeah, and with just two fingers,' they tend to say, 'no you don't,' then watch me for a second and say, 'omg you do.'

If you play the piano, you move your hands around all the time, yet know where the keys are without looking. Same as the kb.

The OP is, of course, free to do whatever works, as it's all individual. Just saying it's perfectly possible to type quickly and accurately other ways. Just takes practice.
 

EMaree

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If it's actual pain in your wrists and not just general discomfort, and you live in a country with free healthcare or have a comfortable level of health insurance, pleasepleaseplease get your wrists checked out. Wrist injuries are awful things.

I also type, as Anna Kendrick said in Up in the Air, "with purpose," which people sometimes comment on.

Hah, I get this comment a lot as well! My variation of touch-typing is a bit non-standard as well (I use quick-taps of Caps Lock instead of Shift, and have zero inclination to change the habit of a lifetime) but if I keep my fingers moving fast enough then nobody notices. ;)
 

Bufty

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I'm a self-taught and both-forefingers only typist. Might occasionally use a thumb for the space bar but not really aware of it.

Can type at a fair speed and am not aware of any wrist strain. either through luck or perhaps because I have my posture and desk/keyboard size/positioning correct.

For what it's worth, the armrests on my desk chair are adjusted so my forearms rest lightly on the arm rests and my hands are at the same level as my keyboard/mouse etc..

Investment in a comfortable and adjustable chair is always worth it. Sellers of surplus office equipment can often have good deals if the cost of a new chair etc., is prohibitive.

ETA- Be sure to flip out the little far corner legs (if they are there) under the keyboard to angle it slightly.
 
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Chris P

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About ten years ago ergonomic keyboards were all the rage. Perhaps try one of those? They seemed to help those who needed them.
 

Dennis E. Taylor

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I'm not sure where to post this so I decided to post it here.
Here's the problem: I don't know how to type properly. I type looking down at the keys and I use only three fingers.
How many of you know (or not) how to type?
Is this going to be a huge problem?
I feel like it's too late for me to learn, and now I'm kind of embarrassed about it.
I never had proper training...
Help!

I'm only on the first draft and my wrists get tired easily.
What are some tips to improve?

I learned to type in my early 30s, after a lifetime of hunt-and-peck. By no means is it too late. Or even difficult. There are apps that you can get that will teach you to type. You start with your index fingers on the home keys (F and J) and the other fingers naturally on the keys to the left and right of them. The app gets you to type FJFFJFJJF, then FDKJDDFKDJF, then FKSLDKSLDKFJ, and so on, gradually adding a key as you go. The progression is as slow or as quick as you want. Eventually you start going up a row and down a row, and so on until you're using the entire keyboard.


ETA: I can't recommend any specific app. The one I used was DOS-based, which tells you something about my age.
 
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Barbara R.

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I'm not sure where to post this so I decided to post it here.
Here's the problem: I don't know how to type properly. I type looking down at the keys and I use only three fingers.
How many of you know (or not) how to type?
Is this going to be a huge problem?
I feel like it's too late for me to learn, and now I'm kind of embarrassed about it.
I never had proper training...
Help!

I'm only on the first draft and my wrists get tired easily.
What are some tips to improve?

When I broke a wrist skiing down Mt. Everest (okay, walking my dog in the park), I started using Dragon Naturally, dictation software. I kept using it long after my wrist healed. It's a lot faster than typing and once you've used it for a while, it's quite accurate.

Otherwise--try a touch typing course at your local adult-ed venue.
 
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