Back in the early to mid-90s, I took a typing class at a Junior College for fun. I was probably 12 or 13 years old, back when personal Macs and floppy disks were all the rage. One of the first things you learn is about the Home Row. Well, my right hand missed the memo for that lesson because to this day, it does whatever it wants on the keyboard. Mostly, I find that my index and middle finger do most of the typing, and the two lazy ones to the right of them do very little work. Meanwhile, the left-hand glides gracefully over its keys. My concern here is number of mistakes I make – the right hand seems to be married to the Backspace key, which doesn’t help it stay on the home row. I also can’t type 100 wpm like Laura does, which is one of my life goals (no, it’s not). But since I am right-handed I am disappointed in what it has not accomplished in the typing arena.
So, I’m bringing it back to basics, and unfortunately, I’m without a vintage Mac or floppy disk. I am doing some online learning at TypingMe.com. Lesson 2 (right hand practice on the home row) has really messed with my old brain. But I’m getting better (and faster!) and making fewer mistakes. If I’m really conscious, I can take these basic lessons and apply them to typing IRL!
I guess that means you can teach an old dog old tricks!