It’s not the first time I have an argument with someone about typing speed, so I decided to write this small post to make my point clear.

The discussion usually starts with the following argument:

I don’t have to type fast to be a good programmer. Programming is not about typing, but thinking about the solution.

Yes, that’s true! The whole job of a programmer is not to type, but to solve problems. Typing faster will not make you a better programmer. What makes you a better programmer is actually… programming!

With that said, you spend a big portion of your day typing stuff. Typing code faster is useful, but I’m not even talking about the code itself, but everything else.

Just to list a few things:

  • Emails
  • Group chats (Twist, Slack, Discord, whatever you’re using)
  • Writing specs or RFCs
  • Writing good PR descriptions
  • Writing PR review comments
  • etc.

Each of these will depend on you to type stuff. Having a faster typing speed will definitely make you more productive. You don’t have to be the fastest typist around, but typing less than 80 words per minute is totally something you should consider improving.

I like to build mechanical keyboards (ref1, ref2) and I take ergonomics very seriously. I also use a different keyboard layout to make my typing more ergonomic, but you don’t need any of that type fast enough.

You can be a faster typist using your laptop keyboard and qwerty, you just need to practice. Just post is here to cut the excuses about typing. Typing fast enough is important. ✌️