The Eleven Fingers

Typing is one of activities that a lot of people do. Like in Indonesia, a rise in PC and laptop ownership has also increased the typing frequency. Unfortunately, despite the high frequency of typing, it seems that the typing skills of Indonesians is still low. It is evident from the fact that I still can see a lot of people use 'eleven fingers' when typing. Eleven fingers is a humorous term for typing using just the left and right forefingers, thus forming eleven-like shape. All  my classmates are the followers of Eleven Fingers. Even I noticed my friend who is a computer programmer still commits that sin. I used to be one of them until God shows me the right path. 

Actually, I first learned how to type using 10 fingers in 2012. And my reason why I learned the skill was not because I wanted to be able to type fast. But I wanted to take revenge on one of my classmates (the follower of Eleven Fingers) who kept humiliating me because I typed slowly. Therefore, I was so determined to learn the skill that in less than a week I could strike all the keys on the keyboard without looking. I keep improving the skill until now. I think that 10-finger typing makes me look more professional, besides making me type faster. So, I really recommend that you learn the skill and break your relationship with Eleven Fingers. 

To learn how to type using 10 fingers is not as hard as what you think. You don't have to memorize the location of each key on your keyboard. You only have to locate the F and J keys and place your left and right indexfingers gently on that keys. There is actually an easier way for you to locate those keys without looking. Try to touch the F and J keys again. Can you feel the bumps? The bumps are there to help you locate the keys. Now, place your left middle finger on the D key, the ring finger on the S key, and the little finger on the A key. Your right forefinger, middle finger, and little finger should be rested gently, respectively, on the K, L, and semicolon (;) keys. The keys on which your fingers rested now are called home row keys. The home row keys can be considered as the starting point from which all keystrokes are made. While for the thumbs, they should be rested on the space key.

After you know the idea on how 10-finger typing (more commonly known as touch typing) works,  now you are ready to learn more. The easiest way to master the skill is by using free online typing tutorial. One of my favorites is typingweb.com. It provides comprehensive lessons and is really easy to use. After you are good enough at touch typing, you can try other typing websites, like typeracer.com where you can compete with other typists from all over the world.

In the first few weeks your typing speed may become slower because you are still in the process of getting accustomed to not looking at the keyboard while typing. But after you get the hang of it, you can reach the speed of 40 WPM (word per minute), and increase the speed to the level that you never think you are capable of. My typing speed now is 50-80 WPM. That speed is nothing compared to other typists who can reach more than 150 WPM.