The Horrors of Handwriting

Simon Chess

Your bad handwriting may be ruining your life. Many people suffer because of one thing they do: handwrite. Handwriting can be a major cause of career failure, carpal tunnel syndrome, and even insecurity. You should stop handwriting because there are much better ways to get your writing done.

Typing is much faster than handwriting. In fact, research has shown that typing can be up to 20% faster than handwriting. This is because while one finger is hitting a key the others can be setting up for the next keystroke. This means that if you do any job that involves writing, such as a technical writer, you could improve your output by 20%.

Many people are self conscious about their handwriting; this fear is not irrational. If you have bad handwriting people will judge you for it. But they can’t tell what your handwriting looks like if you, for example, type that same thing instead of handwriting it. An article published by Lynda R. Markham showed that a teacher who receives two assignments which say the exact same thing only one has better handwriting than the other. The one with better handwriting will get a better grade even though assignment had nothing to do with handwriting.

Some people will tell you that handwriting is a better alternative to typing. They are wrong. These people will tell you that handwritten notes will be easier to remember. I would like you to ask yourself two things. One: Why would you need to remember what your notes said? Don’t you have your notes to remind you? And two: Couldn't you take more notes by typing? Wouldn't that help you record more because you can write more?

So wouldn't it make sense for you to quit handwriting? Maybe you could type or use a dictation program instead? After all, typing IS faster, AND you will be judged for your bad handwriting. So what is it that keeps you handwriting? Is there any benefit to handwriting? Is handwriting the best way for you to write?