The touch typing method
Touch typing comes down to three habits. Your eyes stay on the screen. Each finger presses only its own keys. After every reach, the finger returns to its home position. Speed is not one of the habits. It is what you get once the three habits are automatic.
This drill gives you 30 words that use only A S D F G H J K L. Every letter sits under a resting finger, so you never have to leave home position. That makes it the right place to stop looking down.
Find home by feel
Look at your keyboard once, before you start. The F and J keys each have a small bump. Rest your left index finger on F and your right index finger on J. Your other fingers fall naturally onto A S D on the left and K L ; on the right. Your thumbs hover over the Space bar.
Now look up at the screen and keep your eyes there. If you lose your place during a run, do not look down. Feel for the bumps instead, reset your fingers and carry on.
Slow first, then fast
Touch typing feels slower than looking at first, and that is expected. Work through three stages.
- Slow. Type at a pace where you never need to glance down. If you are unsure of a key, pause and think about which finger owns it.
- Steady. Hold the same pace for every key, with almost no red. The rhythm should feel even.
- Faster. Raise your speed a little each run. When mistakes appear, drop back one step.
When you want to look down
Every urge to glance at the keyboard marks a key your fingers do not know yet. Slow down for that key instead of looking. A 2018 study by Aalto University and the University of Cambridge found that many fast typists did not use all ten fingers, but they used the same finger for the same key every time and kept their eyes on the screen.
When the home row drill feels easy without looking, take the same habits to the main typing test, which uses the whole keyboard. Keyboard typing practice explains which finger covers which keys as you move beyond the home row.