Stuck at the same typing speed? How to break a plateau
Almost everyone who practices typing hits a point where the number stops moving. Some of that is real and some is measurement. Here is how to tell, and what to change.
Improvement naturally slows down
When researchers fit learning curves to individual people, the curves are best described as exponential: quick gains at first, then smaller and smaller ones as you approach your current limit (Heathcote, Brown & Mewhort, 2000). Slowing gains after the first few weeks are normal, not a sign that you have stopped learning.
Check it's a real plateau
One test moves by a few wpm by chance, and easier text gives higher numbers (Behmer & Crump, 2017). Before deciding you are stuck, compare several runs on text of the same difficulty over a few weeks. Boost Type's benchmark uses comparable text for exactly this reason.
Changing technique often makes you slower first
Researchers describe skill learning as plateaus, dips and leaps: when you try a new method, performance often drops before the new method pays off (Gray & Lindstedt, 2017). People who learn touch typing often slide back to looking at the keys in everyday use, because looking pays off immediately (Yechiam et al., 2003).
If you are changing how you type (not looking, using more fingers, a consistent finger for each key), expect a dip and give it time.
What to change when you are stuck
- Change what you practice, not just how much. Find the specific keys, pairs and habits costing you time and work on those.
- Work on accuracy. Errors are where fast and slow typists differ most (Dhakal et al., 2018).
- Widen your vocabulary: less common words, punctuation, numbers. Speed on everyday text depends on how familiar letter sequences are (Behmer & Crump, 2017).
- Stop looking at the keyboard, and accept the short-term dip.
- Type with the goal of being fast in your everyday typing too. In one study, the best typists had both taken a class and set out to type quickly in daily use (Keith & Ericsson, 2007).
Find your own weak spots
Boost Type records which keys, letter pairs and habits cost you the most time, then builds short practice around them. Three tests is enough to start.
Questions
Why has my typing speed stopped improving?
Learning curves flatten naturally, and single tests are noisy. If several comparable runs over weeks show no change, change what you practice: target your specific weak spots and errors.
Will changing my technique make me slower?
Often, for a while. Skill research describes a dip when a new method is tried before it pays off.
Sources
- Heathcote, A., Brown, S., & Mewhort, D. J. K. (2000). The power law repealed: The case for an exponential law of practice. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 7(2), 185-207. doi.org/10.3758/BF03212979
- Behmer, L. P., Jr., & Crump, M. J. C. (2017). Crunching big data with fingertips: How typists tune their performance toward the statistics of natural language. In Big Data in Cognitive Science (pp. 319-341). Routledge. www.crumplab.com/publications/Crump/files/4991/Behmer%20and%20Crump%20-%202017%20-%20Crunching%20big%20data%20with%20finger%20tips%20How%20typists%20t.pdf
- Gray, W. D., & Lindstedt, J. K. (2017). Plateaus, dips, and leaps: Where to look for inventions and discoveries during skilled performance. Cognitive Science, 41(7), 1838-1870. doi.org/10.1111/cogs.12412
- Yechiam, E., Erev, I., Yehene, V., & Gopher, D. (2003). Melioration and the transition from touch-typing training to everyday use. Human Factors, 45(4), 671-684. yeldad.net.technion.ac.il/files/2016/12/type.pdf
- Dhakal, V., Feit, A. M., Kristensson, P. O., & Oulasvirta, A. (2018). Observations on typing from 136 million keystrokes. CHI '18. doi.org/10.1145/3173574.3174220
- Keith, N., & Ericsson, K. A. (2007). A deliberate practice account of typing proficiency in everyday typists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 13(3), 135-145. doi.org/10.1037/1076-898X.13.3.135