Introduction
Learning touch typing has been one of the most valuable skills I’ve ever picked up. The benefits go far beyond simply “typing faster.” It changes how you think, write, and work. Instead of listing every possible advantage, I’ll focus on the ones that affected me personally the most.
Flow State
The biggest benefit of learning touch typing is reaching the point where typing feels effortless. Around 2020, after a few months of practice, I stopped looking at the keyboard. My hands simply translated thought into text. I could type with my eyes closed, zone out while writing a long email, or glance into the distance as words appeared on the screen with no mistakes.
That state where thoughts flow directly onto the screen is extremely satisfying. Before, I dreaded long emails, coding sessions, or blog posts because they felt slow and draining. Once typing became automatic, those same tasks felt natural and even enjoyable. Writing stopped being a chore and turned into something I looked forward to.
I still use this daily. Often I start with a raw "brain dump" file where I type every thought that comes to mind about a topic. Because I type quickly, I can capture ideas as fast as they appear and refine them later. This keeps me in the creative flow instead of stopping to correct or reconnect ideas.
If you write for school, work, or just online, touch typing will give you the same advantage. It removes the friction between your ideas and the page, helping you stay focused on what you want to say instead of how to get the words out.
Productivity with AI
Touch typing has become even more valuable with the rise of AI tools. Whether it’s ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, the quality of your output often depends on the detail you put into your prompts. The more you type, the better the answer.
Dictation tools exist, but they’re still imprecise and often impractical in classrooms, libraries, or offices. Typing remains the fastest and most reliable way to communicate with these systems.
Here’s the difference: if you type 120 words per minute and someone else types 40, you can provide three times the detail in the same amount of time. More detail means richer prompts and better results. I often draft long prompts in markdown or YAML files before pasting them in - something that would feel exhausting at slower speeds but now only takes minutes.
AI rewards detail. Touch typing gives you the speed to provide it.
Confidence
Typing skill doesn’t just affect efficiency - it changes how you carry yourself in professional and social settings.
Have you ever had to share your screen in a meeting and stumbled over the keyboard while typing notes or code? I used to dread those moments. They made me nervous and hesitant to collaborate. Once I became a confident touch typist, that stress disappeared.
Being able to type smoothly in front of others is empowering. You can take notes, draft messages, or code live without fumbling. That confidence extends to presentations, pair programming, and any situation where others can see your screen.
Reduced Strain
The physical benefits of touch typing are often overlooked but significant.
Before I learned, I constantly glanced down at the keyboard, especially for symbols. Each glance forced my eyes and neck to shift, changing focus and posture over and over. Over long days, it left me with headaches, neck pain, and eye strain.
A colleague once pointed it out: “You look up and down a lot when you type - doesn’t that hurt your neck?” It did. I just hadn’t realized typing was the cause.
After practicing touch typing, those problems faded. No more constant head tilts, no more eyes readjusting every few seconds. The pain disappeared.
If you struggle with:
- headaches
- neck or shoulder pain
- eye strain
touch typing could help. It’s not a cure-all - ergonomics and equipment matter too - but for me, it made a huge difference. An ergonomic keyboard (I use the Kinesis Advantage 2) amplified those benefits even further.
Faster Output
Typing faster means producing more in less time. At 100–120wpm, I can draft three times as much text as someone at 40wpm. Whether it’s long emails, essays, or prompts to AI tools, the raw throughput adds up quickly.
Yes, it saves time. But more importantly, it makes you more competitive. Online, speed translates into producing more content, faster iterations, and more opportunities to share your ideas.
The Wow Factor
This is more of a bonus, but it’s real: people notice.
Before, I was embarrassed by my typing speed. I thought fast typing was reserved for people with special talent or dexterity. But once I crossed 100wpm, I realized it’s just practice - and anyone can get there.
Now, during screen shares or live work sessions, I often get comments about my speed. It’s a small thing, but it feels good and reinforces the confidence that comes with the skill.
Career Benefits
As a knowledge worker, you spend hours at a keyboard every day. Fast typing directly impacts your career opportunities.
During my job hunt, I wrote every cover letter and application response from scratch - often 100–500 words each. At 100wpm, that took only minutes, so I could apply to more roles without feeling drained. I also reached out to recruiters with personalized messages because I had the energy to do so.
If I still typed at 30wpm, I would’ve avoided many of those applications out of sheer laziness. Instead, I landed internships and jobs because typing quickly gave me both the capacity and motivation to put in the effort.
Typing well doesn’t just make you faster - it expands your opportunities.
Next Steps
The fact that you've read this article and read it all the way here means you're considering learning touch typing. You're probably evaluating whether it's worth it and I want to assure you that it definitely is!
If you're curious, you can start with our free features by typing various text snippets or even trying a few drills in our practice mode. If you're a programmer, you might consider our code typing practice.
And if you want to learn touch typing and improve as quickly as possible, try out personalized AI typing practice (with modes like SmartPractice and TargetPractice) where we analyze your weak points as you type and generate text that targets these areas.
If you have any questions, you can also reach out to me personally - I'm always happy to talk about typing, keyboards, etc.
Thanks for reading and happy typing!