How to Touch Type Without Looking at the Keyboard

Know why you bow your head first

You may be looking down because you can’t find the starting point, you may be unfamiliar with the new keys, or you may just be worried about making a mistake. Three reasons require different treatments. If the starting point is unstable, practice positioning. If you are not familiar with the new keys, narrow the range. If you are simply worried, use short paragraphs to verify the key positions you have mastered.

The focus of touch typing training is to keep your eyes between the target text and the input result. It is not a memory test, nor does it require covering the entire keyboard on the first day. When you encounter a symbol that you have never learned at all, it is more efficient to look it up once than to press it ten times with your eyes closed.

Use controllable "don't look at the keyboard" interval

First choose short words that only contain familiar letters, and agree not to bow your head within a short line. When finished, check for errors and decide whether to continue with the next line. If you get stuck on every word, shorten the material and don't force yourself to endure too much difficulty by covering your keyboard.

When you can type short lines, add punctuation and unfamiliar letters. Only by adding one variable at a time can we distinguish whether the key position is unfamiliar or the content is complex. Changing the keyboard or layout also allows re-establishing the positioning, so temporary setbacks do not need to be regarded as failure.

Avoid memorizing questions instead of touch typing

I practiced the same string of characters very quickly, maybe I just remembered the order. A really useful check is to replace it with an unfamiliar text of the same difficulty and see if it can still be completed without looking down. You can record the number of times you look at the keyboard and compare it with the number of errors instead of just looking at the speed.

Today’s practice

Do three rounds of short exercises: the first round allows you to view unfamiliar keys, the second round only hits familiar ranges without looking down, and the third round verifies new content. When you're done write down the next key you still need to look at and just work on it next time. Don’t go for zero heads down, zero errors, and top speed all at the same time.