Why learn touch typing?

The touch typing method is a technique of typing «blindly,» meaning without looking at the typewriter or keyboard keys, using all (or most) fingers. It was previously known as the American blind ten-finger method and has existed for over 120 years

In today’s world, the ability to type quickly and accurately is comparable to the ability to read, write, and do arithmetic. After all, computers have been an integral part of almost everyone’s life for many years. Yes, it is possible to type using just two fingers, and if done frequently, the speed can be acceptable. But the efficiency of typing will still be lower in any case

When discussing the advantages of touch typing, people usually talk about high speed. Typing fast means saving time, which is often in short supply. The benefits of high-speed typing are quite obvious; however, not everyone considers them critically important. Some might reasonably say: «I don’t need to type fast because I don’t have to write large texts, and for messaging and other everyday needs, looking at the keys and pressing them with one finger is enough,» — and they would be right in their own way, as it’s convenient for them. But it’s not only about speed — there are two very important points that often go unnoticed

First, it’s our eyes. If you type while constantly shifting your gaze from the monitor to the keyboard and back, your eyes get tired very quickly. This is because the distance from the keyboard to the screen is usually different, causing constant refocusing. Poor lighting makes the situation worse — the large difference in brightness and contrast between objects strains the eyes even more

By using the ten-finger typing method, you don’t need to look at the keyboard at all, so you will get less tired, and your neck and eyes won’t hurt

Second, touch typing turns text input into a purely mechanical task — the correct letter is pressed without error by the finger that should press it. As a result, your attention focuses not on typing itself but solely on expressing your thoughts in the best possible way