How to Improve Data Entry Skills

Time spent typing can improve overall data entry skills.

Data entry skills are a valuable addition to a resume. If you want to improve your keyboarding skills it is within your reach to do so. Time and practice are all that's required. Start by setting up a space in your home where you can practice on a regular basis without interruptions. Your workspace should be comfortable but also feel like a data entry workspace in a business environment. Try to practice on a full-sized keyboard at a work station with a chair and desk height appropriate to the task.

Instructions

1. Set a goal. Even if you do not have a specific reason to improve your data entry skills, a specific goal can help you to monitor your progress. You may choose, for example, to improve your speed by 20 words per minute. If you are trying to achieve a certain level of proficiency for a specific job or profession, set that level or a level just higher to be your goal. In addition to a skills goal, give yourself a timeline of several weeks or whatever is reasonable in your situation.

2. Schedule regular times to practice. Data entry skill improvement can only be achieved with regular time spent in front of the keyboard. Depending on how quickly you wish to improve your skills, your practice times do not have to be very long. A daily routine of 15 minutes doing data entry exercises can go a long way toward increasing your typing speed and accuracy.

3. Follow a lesson plan. A structured plan of attack may be the most effective in getting towards your goal quickly. You can sign up for a course through a local business or community college or access free lesson plans online, from sites such as www.typinglessons-online.com. Vary rote practice sessions with games to keep you motivated and interested in learning to perform data entry quickly. Remember to practice data entry skills as well as typing. Sometimes the simple act of having to look away from your screen to source material is enough to slow you down or to introduce errors.

4. Test yourself to see if the lessons are working. Introduce periodic quizzes that review the material you have been practicing. Try to re-type unfamiliar materials, such as an article from the day's newspaper, instead of redoing practice exercises in order to get a more accurate assessment of how your skills are developing. Time yourself when you type a 500-word article. The following week, time yourself again when you type a different 500-word article, and compare your speed and number of errors.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you begin your program, decide if you want to practice numeric keypad data entry as well. If so, you may have to get a special keyboard that includes this keypad in order to practice at home.

References

• Nimble Fingers: Typing tests on touch typing airplane topics
• Trison Business College: Keyboard or Data Entry Skills
• Typing Lessons Online: Start Page, typing course

Resources

• Typing Lessons Online: Start Page, typing course