How to Do Everything Faster on your Mac

Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves

Episode #339

When people ask me how to make their Mac faster, I often watch how they work only to discover (to my horror) that they are two-finger typists.

You’ve got to be kidding! Your keyboard (and, of course, your mouse or trackpad) are the master controls for your computer. The more aptly you operate them, the more you’ll accomplish. No matter what you use your computer for, typing faster without looking at the keys (touch-typing) let you complete almost any task faster.

The Secret: Type Faster!

I didn’t learn to touch-type until I was 30 years old. In high-school only girls were allowed to take typing (boys had to take wood or auto shop instead). So for years I thought typing was “unmanly” and refused to learn how to do it. I plodded along at about 20 words per minute with my two fingers for many years before I got typing tutorial app and learned to touch-type.

That was so long ago that neither the program I used nor the company that made it are still around. The good news is that there are plenty of free and inexpensive typing instruction apps in the Mac App Store. Or, search the Internet for “learn to type” to find myriad typing games and tutorials.

I couldn’t believe the difference. Typing with two fingers is like living in the Stone Age.

Once you’re able to type 50 or more words per minute without looking at the keyboard, you’ll marvel at how little time formerly onerous tasks take. It’s like getting a few more hours in every day.

Teach Your Children

Here’s another thing: If you have kids, one of the greatest things you can do for them is help them develop good keyboarding skills. My kids (now adults) used to think Mario Teaches Typing was an arcade game. They played for fun but learned good keyboarding skills along the way.

Two more things:

First, Mario Teaches Typing hasn’t been available for decades but I found a free emulation here.

This emulation is cute but probably not the best way to learn to type faster.

It’s cute and nostalgic, but you’ll be better served by the free Typist app (my favorite) or any of the other free or inexpensive typing apps in the Mac App Store.

Finally, here’s a tip on making your newfound typing skills even more useful: Memorize and use keyboard shortcuts. Most programs have them; most menus display them prominently. Keyboard shortcuts save you so much time—it’s so MUCH faster to type Command-S than to take your hand off the keyboard, move the mouse pointer to the File menu, click the menu, and then choose Save.

There’s no question typing faster saves you time… and that memorizing keyboard shortcuts for actions you perform often will save you even more. Do yourself a favor and learn to type faster.

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