Typing on a mechanical keyboard is like writing with a fountain pen. It’s completely unnecessary (many alternatives are good enough), but lends itself to a much more pleasing experience. As such, switching to a mechanical keyboard is an underrated way to improve productivity.
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I’ve been using the Zealio V2 keyswitches on my primary keyboard for around 1.5 years so now is a good time to write about the experience. This has a distinctive feel to every keystroke that feels heavy at first (requiring more force than a standard switch) but ends up feeling crisp and snappy. The reason for that is the tactile design puts the actuation at the very top of the keypress with no pre-travel. Coming from more traditional MX keyswitches (I was using MX clear and MX copper) everything else now feels mushy.
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Typing Fast Is Thinking With Your Hands
Knowledge work is often limited by time spent thinking versus doing, but typing fast helps you think faster. Ideas don’t usually come out clearly when they go from our brain to paper—they require some iteration and correction. That means some amount of exploration is required and the act of typing can help you think with your hands.