Start with your hands
Put your index fingers on F and J and feel for the small bumps. From there the other fingers fall into place: A S D on the left, K L and the next key on the right. This is the home row. Every key you type is reached from it, and your finger returns there afterwards.
When you do not know where a key is
This is the moment that decides it. If you look down, your fingers learn nothing. If you guess, you get it wrong and press backspace. What helps is a picture of the keyboard in front of you, so you can check without moving your eyes far from the text.
What Tactomo shows you
Tactomo puts that picture next to the text field you are typing in. When you press a key, it lights up in the color of the finger that should have pressed it, and the next key pulses. Animated hands show the movement. It follows you between apps, so the help is there in Mail and Messages as well as during practice.
Other tricks people use
- A cloth or a box over the hands. It forces the habit, but most people find it frustrating after a few days.
- Blank keycaps. Same idea, and it makes the keyboard harder for anyone else to use.
- Typing with the lights off. It works for a while, but not at the office.
Questions, answered
How long does it take to stop looking at the keyboard?
With daily practice, most people can type all the letters without looking in one to two weeks. It usually takes a month or two before it no longer takes effort.
Is it a problem to look at the keyboard now and then?
Not to find a rare symbol. The problem is looking for ordinary letters, because every glance means finding your place in the text again.
