Many Colemak newbies struggle with the R-S switch. There's a good reason for it in the long run (bi- and n-grams), but in the start it seems harsh.

The older versions of Colemak, such as ASETION, were abandoned after careful consideration and much evaluation.

For the starting colemaker, the effect of efficient n-grams isn't always obvious as the typing hasn't reached full flow yet.

So while your version may seem more comfy to you now, I predict that you'll regret it in the long run. ;-)

[P.S.: FWIW, I'm left handed too. Go us, heh.]

Funny how everyone says that about S when they start. 

If you switch R and S, the main problem will be that words that contain FR will be more awkward to type.  FR is quite a common pairing so that will happen a lot.

I know what you are saying though, I had a hard time with S too.  Having bitten the bullet and accepted it though, it does eventually become rather pleasant, for example, words with the ST bigram (which are frequent).

The problem is that trying something out for a couple of weeks isn't nearly enough to get a real impression (unless you're a real layout pro I guess). So it's not very easy to determine what'll work best for you in the end.

I'd recommend giving Colemak a good hard try first, yes.

Have you considered your mod options yet? Check my signature topics if you're interested in knowing the possibilities. I can heartily recommend at least Extend! And if you have access to an ISO keyboard, Angle or AngleWide. For ANSI boards, Angle is more optional unless you're opting for a DH-mod flavor.

On a side note, if you make your own layout flavor, you're more on your own when it comes to implementations of other layout goodness. ;-)

My take on Extend is that you can use is straight out of the box and add skills later on. The first thing you'll get used to will likely be the arrow and delete keys. Then you may start using the homerow Ctrl+Shift with these.

Glad you enjoy it! Now get Extend and your typing experience will be even more delightful, I promise. ;-)

• Angle was my invention, pretty much (I think). But it's an obvious one. Too bad so many people use ANSI keyboards which aren't as well suited for it.
• Wide was the work of several people, and it was done well before SteveP's time. There are minor variants, but the main principle is easy.
• DH-mod was SteveP's baby. I've made a less intrusive (imo) variant, so there's two to choose from now. I really like it.

Together, I call my ergo mod Colemak-CAW which stands for Colemak with CurlAngleWide mods. "Curl" is another name for the DH-mod, since it lets your fingers curl more naturally/relaxed than the straight home row does.

So, bigger on the inside, huh. Lessee... Typing Advancement – Row Displacement Increases Spaciousness (T.A.R.D.I.S.)? :-p

So be it. ;-)

I am also left handed and I find that rs problem is what I had to deal in the first 4 weeks of converting. After these difficult and confusing weeks, you will be ok with that.