Learning from my mistake.

A strange thing happened during my last speed test. Throughout the dictation I was writing beautifully -- I didn't jump over too many words and my fingers seemed to be dancing along nicely. I couldn't wait to transcribe my notes!

I set up my laptop and I started typing. A couple of sentences later, I noticed a problem. I had consistently stroked words the wrong way. I typed "re" for "we" throughout the dictation. I typed "in the" instead of "if the" throughout the dictation. I typed "the the" instead of "is the" throughout the dictation. I also confused "has" with "had" -- and the list goes on. ~Sigh~

Great! Somewhere along the way, I've developed some bad habits. I have been trying to increase my speed by practicing to television and audio takes that were in the range of 180-220 words per minute, which is much faster than my current speed of 70-80 wpm. Since I knew I wasn't getting ALL the words, I didn't take the time to read back my notes. Yes, I know what you're thinking. "What a bonehead!"

Thankfully, when I arrived home that evening, the book I ordered had arrived in the mail. 61+ Ways to Write Faster. I sat down and started reading it that night. This book is chocked full of great suggestions. The one that seems to be repeated throughout the book is -- wait for it -- READ BACK YOUR NOTES. You may not think it's important to read your notes, but if I had done this more often, I would have noticed my problem much earlier.