Learn the Ten Key and Save Time

There are many skills that can help make life more productive. When you work for yourself you recognize more easily how improving specific skills can be a great benefit, but it is vital for everyone. Remember, your prosperity will be in direct proportion to your productivity, that is how much work you get done in a given time.

One skill that most people know to be highly worthwhile is typing. If you do not have good keyboard skills, I highly recommend learning how to type. Don't be satisfied with “hunt and peck” typing. Learn how to do it right. It will greatly increase your speed.

But there is another skill, closely related, that I know a lot of people neglect, mostly because it has never occurred to them, learning to use the ten-key calculator.

If you consider the time you spend balancing your checkbook, not to mention preparing your spending plans, net worth statements, and other financial records, I think you will see that developing skill in using a ten-key is a valuable investment of your time.

You can find a free training tool at: http://www.mrkent.com/tenkeytutor/index.asp. It does not take very long to gain a good amount of skill with the ten key pad and start saving a lot of valuable time.

Take time to read the instructions. Keep your eyes on the screen. Do not look at your fingers! Learn to feel the finger dot on number five as a guide to finger location (if your pad has one).

Be sure to have and use a full size keypad. Regular size computer keyboards have one built in. Practice until you can keep your eyes away from the keyboard while entering several numbers. Speed will come later, with use.

My recommendation is to keep a regular office ten key calculator on your desk and use it whenever you are working on checkbook balancing, etc. For years I neglected this skill but decided to learn it one year in preparation for doing my taxes. The time invested has been repaid hundreds of times.

This is one skill you will value a lot after you learn it. Highly recommended.