Dvorak - how touch typing changed how I work

After 14 years as a software developer, I still wasn’t a true touch typist, I would hen-peck my way through my work, I managed but it was not optimal.

Whenever I made an effort to touch type, my eyes inevitably always drifted down. The keyboard was there, and the temptation was too strong.

I decided to switch to Dvorak and at the same time I bought a Kinesis Advantage 2.

Dvorak is an alternative keyboard layout which places the most commonly used letters under your strongest fingers and minimises finger movement.

I wasn’t that bothered about comparing to other layouts like Colmak. The Kinesis has Dvorak built in so it made sense.

Because I didn’t know the layout, and more importantly, the keys didn’t match the labels on the board. Looking down was useless.

It was tough! Painfully slow, but I wasn’t able to cheat by looking at the keyboard, so I just slogged through and slowly my speeds went up and now I’m fully productive!

The result? I finally learned to touch type after more than a decade in this career.

Not just that, it rewired how I work:

• Less cognitive load while coding
• Less fatigue from hunting keys
• More confidence in every terminal session
• Looked more professional!

This was one of the best decisions I have made and its be so worthwhile!