Rae Burgess wrote: > > This makes me wonder - how fast do you type? > Since I never took a formal course in typing (some call it keyboarding > now), I have found that I type so slow that it impacts my efficiency. > I suppose that if I practiced 10 minutes a day I would incrementally > improve my output. > I have visited a few sites, but found them less than captivating. Any > suggestions?
I haven't timed myself in years, but I used to type about 60 wpm on a manual typewriter and about 80-90 wpm on a typing test that was on my first computer about 15 years ago. I know that I'm much faster and more accurate now simply from years of practice. Learning how to type isn't captivating. It's excruciatingly boring. You program your brain which key to press when you think of a certain letter or which combination of keys to press when you think of certain words. This takes time and repetition if you want it to become second nature to you. When I took typing in school ages ago, we had to listen to a voice on tape and type what it said. For example: "F F F SPACE J J J SPACE D D D SPACE K K K SPACE F J F SPACE K D K SPACE" You did these exercises over and over again until you could type the right letters without thinking about them any more. Boring but effective. Practicing for 10 minutes a day might help, but you would probably get better results by doing it for longer stretches at a time to get your brain programmed quickly. Look at it this way, you may need four or five 10-minute sessions to equal one 30-minute session. Google for "learn how to type" and you'll find a lot of sites. Many of them are free. Many are geared for kids, but that doesn't matter and you might find them at least slightly entertaining. Start with one site, and if you don't care for that one, try another. Persistence is the key. Happy learning, Rae! Donna ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DITA West 2007--Use a discount code of "TECHCOMMPROS" to get a discount rate of $200 off the $900 registration price. http://www.travelthepath.com/conf/dita2007.shtml _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
