How to Type with Long and Acrylic Nails? Tips and Hacks

According to statistics, 71.8% of office workers are women only in the US. Although our jobs are a great part of our life, so is self-care. It’s not strange for women to like getting their nails done and experimenting with different designs, colors, and combinations. Nowadays, long, acrylic nails have become very mainstream. However, considering that a very high percentage of women are working in offices and are likely using a computer most of the day, typing with long nails can get especially complicated.

For today's post, we'll help you learn how to type with long nails. You don't have to sacrifice your cute nails to be able to work. In fact, it's all much simpler than you think.

Tips for Typing with Long Nails

For starters, if you have long or fake nails, try keeping in mind that you should use your fingers while typing instead of your fingernails. If you’re finding it too complicated to type, try reducing your speed to prevent your nails from breaking (and from mistyping words, of course). Typing fast with long nails is a skill that requires practice and time to learn.

Still, it’s not impossible. Let’s see what you have to consider while typing with fake or long nails.

1.  Choose the correct nail shape and length

There are tons of nail shapes you can choose from, and they can come at different lengths. While long nails can be pretty and extravagant, they’re not something you’d like to deal with in the long run. You won’t be able to do many things appropriately, including eating or even basic self-care tasks.

Therefore, explore your options and choose the right nail shape and length. We advise you to avoid sharp and pointy nails because they can make it more complicated to type. If you still want to wear pretty nails without your work performance being affected, our recommendations are oval and flat-shaped nails.

2.  Remember to use your fingers

If you have long nails, it can be pretty easy for you to type with them instead of with your fingers. It can be extremely counterproductive because nails do not have such a wide point of contact, unlike fingers. Therefore, it’s recommendable for you to straighten your fingers so you can easily “glide” through different sections of the keyboard without necessarily using your fingertips.

Typing with your nails can be uncomfortable and may also damage them. Therefore, we recommend you take a look at your typing habits and try to adjust them accordingly. You should be familiar with the proper posture for typing.

3.  Don’t focus on speed. Try to be precise

If you really want to keep your nails, then you will have to accept that some things will change. Specifically, we’re referring to the typing speed. On the other hand, focusing on being more precise is the right option in this case.

It's not complicated to be precise while typing. All you have to do is press the right keys when required. If you memorize the location of all the letters on your keyboard, you will reduce the time you spend typing, as there will be fewer typos.

There are tons of websites that can help you with this problem for free and with easy-to-follow lessons, like TypingClub.

4.  Keep practicing

Typing with long nails doesn't have to be so complicated. All you need to master is practice and patience. It’ll feel a bit frustrating at first, but after a while, you’ll get used to it and will be able to improve your performance in the long run.

We also recommend you set up the ergonomic monitor position and learn to type without looking at your keyboard. Websites like TypingClub start teaching you this method from the beginning, allowing you to master this ability even faster.

5.  Keep your workstation comfortable

Typing with long nails can be uncomfortable at first. Therefore, we recommend you try to make yourself as comfortable as possible while you're typing so you can master this skill faster.

For instance, make sure that your keyboard and mouse tray are at a comfortable distance. If possible, try to equip yourself with an ergonomic wrist rest for both your keyboard and your mouse so you can keep your hands comfy while you’re typing or gliding the mouse across the desk.

There are tons of office accessories you may want to keep in your workstation. For instance, the Deltahub minimalistic desk pad can help you keep your keyboard and mouse in the same place, preventing them from “accidentally” sliding to a different position while you’re using them. It should make it less complicated for you to learn how to type with long nails.

How to Text with Long Nails

If it’s about texting with long nails, things can be a bit less complicated. For instance, you can choose to use a stylus as it lessens the burden of typing on your phone. This way, you will never have to lose your head over a broken nail or perhaps a scratched phone screen.

Another option you can choose is to text with the side of your nails. You can use the index finger of either of your hands, preferably the dominant one, to type while you're grabbing the phone with the same hand. Doing so should make it less complicated for you to type. If you want to use both of your fingers, the best thing you can do is to place your phone on a surface, but it can also make your neck hurt after a while. Again, it may take you a while to learn how to text with long nails, but it's not impossible!

Conclusion

Typing with long nails doesn't have to be so complicated. Here we have listed some useful tips you can use to start mastering this ability. After all, you don't have to sacrifice your looks to be able to work comfortably. After all,  the concepts of feeling beautiful and being a professional do not have to be opposites. They can coexist.