I recently got a ZSA Moonlander and started learning colemak dh. It’s been a really fun journey so far and I’m now able to type consistently at 60 WPM. However, as you can see from the chart I’ve sort of hit a plateau at 60 and I’m having trouble breaking it.
I think it’s time to switch up my training strategy. So far, I’ve been using keybr.io and typelit which have both been great. Are there any other tools folks have used during this not-quite-beginner but not-yet-fast stage?
Hey mate, any progress breaking through 60WPM?
Not much yet. I’m improving now at a super slow rate, but it’s mostly a measurement issue. In the real world, I’ve noticed improvement that isn’t reflected in speed tests alone. My accuracy is still the biggest thing holding me back. When I get a good streak going I can get pretty quick, but it’s wrecked when I have to go back and fix a typo.
How fast were you before and how much practice are you putting in? And where are you at now? I hope you’re enjoying the journey :)
I was at about 80 WPM before I’d say. In the beginning and when I first made this post I was putting in at least an hour of practice every day. After this post I hit a wall the practice stopped yielding as much improvement which hurt my motivation. I’m still sticking with it though, and since 60 is fast enough to work without issue, I figure my speed will improve naturally over time.
I’m still enjoying the journey, and I’ve been having fun getting function layers working and trying to work my way towards eliminating keys!
If you’re feeling up for doing practice, doing more complex word sets (English 1k-5k for example) will probably yield better results. I find that practice only really shows meaningful results the next day at the earliest once you get past probably around 60wpm.
As to using fewer keys, I’m down to 34 keys for my main layout (still using a regular 60% for gaming), and if it’s something you want to explore, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s been a super great experience and I basically don’t move my hands/fingers anymore. If you want some extra inspiration for a layout, I’d be happy to share mine with you.
Glad to hear you’re still enjoying it. Keep it up man
I’ve been doing typelit.io and typing out a whole book, which I think is helping since it’s a more realistic typing scenario. I’d love to see your layout if you’re willing to share, I’m always interested in seeing peoples’ different approaches.
I’m using my corne almost a year, but still at 30-35 wpm. But english is not a my native lang. I guess I just need more time
I was at a similar place with colemak-dh plus a swap to ergo. Stuck at 60 wpm for a while. I stopped testing for a few months just typing for work and then did a test and hit 80WPM I think 60 shows good comfort and then just more time you’ll get faster
What span of time is this? 60WPM is great tbh. I’d say focus on just using this skill for the next year and don’t tie yourself up too much worrying about your WPM. Gains after this point may come a little more slowly, and through practical applications rather than repeated type training.
It’s been about 3 weeks. Yeah that makes sense, I do feel like I’ve noticed that while my speed test results are not changing as fast, my ability to actually do stuff has been getting better.
60wpm in 3 weeks is fantastic. It took me about 3 months to get up to my old speeds (also moonlander colemak dh) and 6 months to surpass my old speed.
Now that you’re 60 wpm, you can use this efficiently for daily use, and speedup will come automatically as muscle memory sinks in.
