Author Topic: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?  (Read 4763 times)

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Offline knightjp

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How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« on: Tue, 12 September 2017, 05:13:41 »
If you see the attachment, you will see the nature of my problem. I have been typing on QWERTY for more than 3 years now after switching back from Colemak and no matter how much practice I get, I still keep typing the same way.
Even touch-typing incredibly slowly is so painful to watch as I keep making the same dyslexic style of mistakes.

Offline nmur

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 12 September 2017, 06:04:25 »
slow down, way down

doesn't matter if it's 5wpm

only increase your speed if your accuracy is constantly hitting 99.5% (without backspaces)


Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 12 September 2017, 06:53:24 »
OP what keyboard are you using?

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Offline LordHellmchen

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 12 September 2017, 07:40:00 »
which typing test / game page is that

Offline Coreda

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 12 September 2017, 08:25:10 »
Cherry Reds user identified ^-^

Offline chyros

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 12 September 2017, 14:41:26 »
Just slow the **** DOWN. Every time I do a typing demo and I constantly **** up, I just slow it down and it's fine.
Check my keyboard video reviews:


Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #6 on: Wed, 13 September 2017, 01:48:17 »
which typing test / game page is that

It is this one.. https://www.keyhero.com/free-typing-test/
It shows every single mistake I have made while typing the quote or text.


Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #7 on: Wed, 13 September 2017, 01:55:53 »
which typing test / game page is that

It is this one.. https://www.keyhero.com/free-typing-test/
It shows every single mistake I have made while typing the quote or text.


OP what keyboard are you using?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I am currently using the DELL KB216p at work and at home I have the Apple A1243. I feel more comfortable on the Apple than on the DELL.
I know that they're not mechanical, but I would like my speeds to be good regardless of the kind of keyboard I am stuck using at work.
« Last Edit: Mon, 18 September 2017, 00:18:21 by knightjp »

Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #8 on: Wed, 13 September 2017, 07:55:34 »
I slowed right down to doing one keyboard stroke slowly after another. Even still it took about 30 tries to even get a 100% accuracy on a random piece of text.
I literally have to think hard to get the right fingers to move in the right sequence... so hard that I have a migraine.

According to the site, the areas of green are where I slowed down the most. You can almost imagine what brain power was being used.   :-[  :'(

I know I am being complete hard on myself, but at the same time, I'm annoyed that I have not made any kind of progress in 3 years.
« Last Edit: Wed, 13 September 2017, 07:57:27 by knightjp »

Offline nmur

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #9 on: Wed, 13 September 2017, 23:03:10 »
I slowed right down to doing one keyboard stroke slowly after another. Even still it took about 30 tries to even get a 100% accuracy on a random piece of text.
I literally have to think hard to get the right fingers to move in the right sequence... so hard that I have a migraine.

According to the site, the areas of green are where I slowed down the most. You can almost imagine what brain power was being used.   :-[  :'(

I know I am being complete hard on myself, but at the same time, I'm annoyed that I have not made any kind of progress in 3 years.

it took me 2 years to go from 30wpm to 100wpm+, doing typing tests most days

patience is key

Offline Duckyreddy

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 13 September 2017, 23:42:12 »
Slow down a little and make sure you're in the most comfortable positions for typing even the flip-up feet makes a big difference for me!  :thumb:

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Offline intelli78

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 13 September 2017, 23:50:22 »
Speed up
Please consider carefully before you decide to comment, for Jesus.

Offline dead_pixel_design

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 00:14:57 »
You learn better if you slow down to the speed where you stop making mistakes, through practice you will get faster, but starting where you don't make mistakes and working up from there is key. If you continue to type at a speed where you are making mistakes you are just teaching your muscle memory how to make mistakes.

Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #13 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 00:40:47 »
Speed up

 :confused: Funny considering others are saying something different.

Thanks for the information guys. I really need to find a way to get back control over my fingers. Sometimes it feels like they have a mind of their own. Perhaps its the inbuilt muscle memory from Colemak and Dvorak.
I will say this. When I was learning to touch type on Dvorak, I never made as many mistakes as I do now. I was at about 40 WPM within a month. I guess it was the hand alternating.

It is so strange... I know where E is on the keyboard. So why is my finger pressing O?
« Last Edit: Thu, 14 September 2017, 02:17:44 by knightjp »

Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #14 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 05:21:29 »
Swapping the keycaps off and on to a keyboard until you know where they go from memory helped me.

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Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #15 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 05:49:11 »
Swapping the keycaps off and on to a keyboard until you know where they go from memory helped me.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Why swap keys when I am using QWERTY?

Offline dead_pixel_design

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #16 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 06:02:06 »
Why use QWERTY if you are more fluent with other layouts?

Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #17 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 06:03:30 »
Swapping the keycaps off and on to a keyboard until you know where they go from memory helped me.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Why swap keys when I am using QWERTY?
I'm saying the process of completely removing all of the keycaps and filling in a blank board helps with remembering where keys are when you type.

Obviously this is more of a thing with mechanical boards since the caps are easily removed and replaced.

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Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #18 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 07:42:19 »
I know where the keys are. It imprinted in my brain after 3 years of usage. My issue is getting the right finger to move and press the key. For instance, I know where 'E' is... just getting the middle finger on my left hand to press it.. that's the problem. My right hand presses a key instead.

I find myself talking to my fingers like Dr. Octopus in the second Spiderman movie:

Offline dgneo

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #19 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 07:49:06 »
If you see the attachment, you will see the nature of my problem. I have been typing on QWERTY for more than 3 years now after switching back from Colemak and no matter how much practice I get, I still keep typing the same way.
Even touch-typing incredibly slowly is so painful to watch as I keep making the same dyslexic style of mistakes.

Curious, why did you switch away from Colemak? Did you find yourself typing better/quicker/more accurately with Colemak or DVORAK?

Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #20 on: Thu, 14 September 2017, 08:19:16 »
Curious, why did you switch away from Colemak? Did you find yourself typing better/quicker/more accurately with Colemak or DVORAK?
My keyboarding experiments started with me learning to touch-type properly. Prior to that I was using my own "hunt and peck" method. After a while I learned about Dvorak and its benefits. I switch cold turkey and was typing great within a month of usage. However I did not like the way the standard keyboard shortcuts were. Then I found Colemak and it seemed better. I struggled in choosing in between the two. Finally stuck with Colemak for about 2 - 3 years. But again like now, I wasn't making much progress over the 30 WPM mark and fighting my fingers all the way. Colemak was comfortable and people are going to knock me for saying this, but it wasn't as easy to learn as Dvorak. And Dvorak felt a bit more comfortable. I felt that I could type for longer on it.

Anyways one day while trying to type an email on a Windows PC in an Internet cafe, I realized that my time on Colemak had made me really slow and incompetent on a standard QWERTY layout. I realized that I wanted to be able to type on any computer, regardless.. So even though Colemak and Dvorak are infinitely superior, QWERTY is the rotten standard by which we all have to live with. Some say that its not all that bad. I have to agree to a point. I actually had less trouble memorizing where the keys were on QWERTY than on Colemak. And I picked up speed on it rather more easily. Still not as easy as Dvorak though...


Offline OfTheWild

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #21 on: Fri, 15 September 2017, 18:40:09 »
I find that I make a ton of mistakes if i'm trying to type quickly - or trying to copy from a page. I also tend to be a horrible speller so that doesnt help.
-Dana

Offline rowdy

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #22 on: Sun, 17 September 2017, 21:56:10 »
I make endless mistakes on MX reds, and very few on most other switches.

For some reason I just can't type on reds, no matter how slowly I go.
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Offline ander

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #23 on: Mon, 18 September 2017, 02:25:10 »
If you see the attachment, you will see the nature of my problem. I have been typing on QWERTY for more than 3 years now after switching back from Colemak and no matter how much practice I get, I still keep typing the same way...

I'll tell you what I tell my piano students.

Each time you make a mistake, you teach your brain to do something the wrong way, and you have to spend that much more time un-learning that before you can learn it the right way.

So while it may be counterintuitive, the fastest way to learn to do something (or in your case, to be able to do it again) is to do it slower—slowly enough that you don't make mistakes. That may mean crawling along like a snail. But however slowly that is, that's what you should do—because in the long run, mistakes cost you more time and frustration than you'll ever save by continuing to make them.

Once you can type at a steady speed without errors (and again, however slow that may need to be), start nudging your speed back up, allowing your skill to reinforce itself. If you find you're making mistakes, slow back down until you don't. Repeat as needed. The key is to avoid mistakes by not trying to type faster than you can, you know, type.

And very importantly, resist the urge to beat yourself up—calling yourself an "idiot", etc. All that does is reinforce the belief that you can't do the thing, or that it's harder than it actually is. Your unconscious mind can't tell the difference between reality and fantasy; it just observes and obeys. Each time you make a negative statement about yourself like this thread's Subject, your unconscious mind says, "Okay, that must be true, got it!" And your life gets that much harder. So stop doing that, okay?

Just take your time, do it right, be patient, and know that you'll eventually prevail. Cheers!
« Last Edit: Mon, 18 September 2017, 02:27:12 by ander »
We are not chasing wildly after beauty with fear at our backs. – Natalie Goldberg

Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #24 on: Tue, 19 September 2017, 03:28:20 »
Going at snail speed and still making mistakes; even whilst looking at the keyboard as well. This is infuriating.

Offline Duckyreddy

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #25 on: Tue, 19 September 2017, 03:43:25 »
Going at snail speed and still making mistakes; even whilst looking at the keyboard as well. This is infuriating.

Aw I've been in the same situation, it was a tough time for me and it took me like 2 weeks to start typing normally again lol
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Offline knightjp

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Re: How do I stop typing like a dyslexic idiot?
« Reply #26 on: Tue, 26 September 2017, 03:09:39 »
I'm quite tempted to switch to Dvorak. I remember that when I was using Dvorak for those few months before I switched to Colemak. What I remember was that it was really comfortable to type and I hardly made any mistakes. By the second month, I was just as fast on my old hunt and peck method that I was using.
I think that the hand alternating was good for accuracy.

I am tempted to switch but then that would be like me admitting that I was beaten my a keyboard layout.  :(