Learning Ergodox While Maintaining Productivity

[bennyp]

Howdy MK types,

I've been clacking away with my my WASD V2 TKL (MX Clears) at my for about three months now and I'm well pleased. My typing speed and general pleasure at using the computer have increased - there's something about the tactile feel of the keys which I really enjoy.

Being hooked, my Ergodox EZ (Gateron Browns) is about 4 days out by UPS. Naturally I'm spending the mean time voraciously consuming as many youtube videos, forum posts, and blog posts about the ergodox as I can. Seems like a common experience for users is that it takes about a month to get comfortable enough with the device to use as a daily driver. So I'm betting on the process taking at least that long. Thing is, I'm also starting a new job at a local startup, and I don't want my first month there to be occupied with such thrilling technical challenges as "How do I type on this thing?"

So I'm planning on shlepping my TKL to the office to use for work while I learn the ergodox at home after-hours. I'd like to hear from the community - have you done something like this? How did it go for you? Did you do anything special to ease the transition?

I'm thinking about leveraging Karabiner and Ukelele to add some layers to my TKL. Are there other tools and techniques I can use to simulate other Ergodox features (like the mouse keys for example) on a standard board?

Thanks!

[davkol]

derp

[codemonkeymike]

When I was learning to use my ergodox I was bringing it to and from work. Starting out I was typing about 10 wpm trying my best not to make a mistake because I had no idea where the backspace key was. If you really what to get used to the ergodox fast then force yourself to use it at work, if you can handle the slowdown in productivity.

[Orpheo]

I don't know for others but for me it's easy to swap between ergodox and regular staggered keyboards now that I'm used to it.
When I first got it I did bring it to work and used it exclusively at home for a week.
You get used to it quickly if you type a lot.
It's very confortable! I like all types of keycaps on it and particularly like this spherical low profile ;p

[bennyp]

Just a little update. After a few days I'm still pretty slow but improving.