2.2 KiB
+++ title = "Learning a new keyboard layout" publishDate = 2022-08-18T00:00:00+02:00 lastmod = 2024-12-08T04:05:27+01:00 tags = ["ergonomics", "keyboard", "colemak", "typing"] categories = ["body"] draft = false meta = true type = "list" [menu] [menu.posts] weight = 3002 identifier = "learning-a-new-keyboard-layout" +++
[2022-08-18 Thu]
Given that I type a lot - and I do mean A LOT, and I'm past the age of good hand health... I'm in a certain amount of constant pain.
I started learning Colemak-DH as a way of moving away from QWERTY. This was on my laptop keyboard. It went well up until I reached about 50WPM (I was oscillating around 95-105 WPM on QWERTY). Then my hands gave out.
"Hey maybe it's an issue with the keyboard!" I thought, since my usual keyboard wasn't with me. After all, a laptop can't have the oh-so-comfy mechanical switches.
So I went ahead and ordered a Moonlander keyboard. I like it. But moving to a matrix keyboard wasn't as painless as I had hoped. The pain shifted from my wrists to my arms. I'm not yet sure what the issue is quite yet.
Still, I am able to maintain a reasonably steady 50ish WPM.
In the meantime, I am experimenting with ather layouts that will hopefully reduce the amount of strain an my hands. My job requires that I type most of the day, and so losing that ability would be rather... painful.
So far I have tried Canary (which I am typing this post with), Engram, ISRT, and a number of other layouts. There are two parts which make it difficult for me to switch from Colemak-DH full-time.
- It is a large time investment, and compromises my ability to work efficiently.
- My arms already hurt, and I'm concerned about developing RSI. Learning a new layout seems to exacerbate this process.
Once that's sorted and an opportunity presents itself, I am planning on putting in the work to move forward with a more ergonomic layout.
If you are considering moving away from QWERTY, the easiest and (in my mind) best layout to switch to is Colemak, by far. Not only does it preserve most keyboard shortcuts, but it also improves ergonomics by lhat feels like an order of magnitude.A