Typing quickly saves a ton of time
And a step-by-step process demonstrating how you can dramatically improve your own typing speed.
In April 2022, I typed at 45 WPM (words per minute) for ~1 hour/day. I spent most of my time typing completing writing assignments and texting my friends.
Now it's December 2022. I type at 90 WPM. I doubled my typing speed, which saves me ~30 min/day, or ~7.6 days/year. With an extra 1 week/year, I could
- watch all eight Harry Potter movies nine times (source)
- walk from Times Square to the White House and back (source)
- go on a nice cruise or backpacking trip or other week-long vacation
Imagine reclaiming 1 week/year of your life back. Wouldn't that be awesome?
How to Type Faster
You're likely thinking that there must be a catch. Isn't increasing, let alone doubling, one's typing speed really difficult? Surprisingly, it's not very hard. The hardest part is consistently doing diligent practice over the course of a month or two. Here's a step-by-step process of how I improved my typing speed:
- Take three tests (english 1k / 60 seconds) on monkeytype.com. Calculate and note the average WPM of those three tests.
- Spend 10 minutes/day on keybr.com practicing for 30 days. Make sure you use the home row. The hardest part is staying consistent over the course of a month. I find it easiest to start this challenge at the beginning of a month.
- Take another three tests (english 1k / 60 seconds) on monkeytype.com. Calculate and note the average WPM of those three tests.
- Consider your change in WPM from steps 1-3. If you want to improve your WPM further, return to step 2.
Is It Worth It?
Yes. Let's say you spend only 15 minutes/day typing and that it takes you 30 hours of concentrated practice[1] to double your typing speed. Then you save 7.5 min/day = 45.6 hours/year every year for the rest of your life. Absurd ROI.
This is an overestimate: that's 6 straight months of practicing for 10 minutes/day. It only took me ~15-20 hours to double my typing speed. ↩︎