Sounds like you're making rapid progress. Most people take two or three months to get *really* comfortable, so take your time.

That KeyMouse is quite interesting. Not so much for the integrated mouse, but for the non-staggered layout, the thumb keys, and the programmability. Judging by the labels, it looks like they have a built-in "sort-of-Extend" layer on the "blue" key, which is accessible via the left thumb, which is a good place for it. And a second layer too on the the "yellow" key which is in the capslock position.

Its main downside is the rather high cost!

What I Learned in a Week of COLEMAK-DH:

1) Errors and misfires at this stage are less about knowing the layout, and more about wanting to go at my old speed before it is time.

2) When I get going too fast, procedural memory favors decades of QWERTY, which materializes as a complete and utter garbage fire.

3) The above statements not withstanding, 30 to 40 WPM now! It feels functional and slow. The functional bit is what I am trying to focus on. Cold turkey is cold.

4) I am still at something like 70 to 80 WPM with QWERTY on touch devices. I never thought I would see the day where I would be extra excited about composing things on an iPhone.

5) People look at you like you’re nuts when you tell them what you are doing with layout switching. They look just a touch less so when you explain why you’re doing it.

6) I still have yet to have one friend or colleague say they would do this themselves. Most people like their way, which is totally understandable.

7) I continue to be 100% committed to this. In addition to the comfort benefits, the daily sense of accomplishment is addictive.

It is very similar to learning to play an instrument I think. The natural tendency is to want to play that drum fill or that monster guitar lick as fast as the pros, but if you practice slow you develop the finesse that makes it sound right when you finally get up to speed.

In the case of typing, you end up eating away all the potential WPM gains by fixing the mistakes anyway. Slow is definitely better.

This is a great reminder to consciously slow down. Thank you! :-)

(A slow and steady 35 WPM right now. A third of the way to my goal, and having a great time getting there.)

Friends, I thought I might do a quick update since A) it is a thing worth doing and B) this forum needs a little action! :-)

I have been at this now for 4 weeks and am officially cruising along at about 45 WPM. If there had been any going back before there most certainly isn't any now. My error count has reduced significantly in just the last couple of days, and while I am still only half-way to my goal, I am way beyond the functional point. Procedural memory is kicking on in, which means the learning phase is in the rear-view and it is all practice practice practice.

Overall this feels great! The layout is very comfortable and feels wonderfully well-distributed in comparison to good ol' QWERTY. I am super happy I decided to take the plunge.

On a side note, I did a review last week of the input device I mentioned: the KeyMouse. I thought I might add it here in case anyone is interested in learning more. As will become instantly clear, I bleeding love the thing, and praise it for making these keyboard layout adventures a lot easier to embark upon.

My review can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7rC9NX89sw

Happy inputting!

I am now about 2 months in just cruising past 60 WPM on average. I have started to get a bit more serious about my practice, and thanks to the suggestion of another user have been spending 30 minutes or so a day at 10fastfingers doing their top 1000 words exercises: https://10fastfingers.com/top1000. I like the gamification of the progress, though there are definitely days where it feels like just an added layer of time-pressure and anxiety. :-)

Speaking of balanced, I am also continuing to work maintain my QWERTY skills. Since I use staggered keyboards for QWERTY, and a matrix for COLEMAK, the back and forth feels like just flipping a switch in the mind. It does highlight how weird my overall finger orientation was and still is on QWERTY. I am leaving it alone there and accepting I will just have better habits with COLEMAK.

I don't really know if I have 100 WPM in me yet but I sure as hell am going to still go for it.

This has been a fun brain exercise. I highly recommend it to those who want to build up some new neural pathways. In addition to the comfort gains the process itself is pretty gratifying.

Nice write up.  Always glad to hear the comparison of one layout over the other.  My only concern is that you are strangely enjoying the process.

I started out afresh learning to touch type with Dvorak, and it was a slow climb for me.  I struggled to get past 20wpm for ages from what I remember.  The thing slowing me down the most these days are a few almost broken keys on my laptop, it ruins all flow and hurts a little as I have to press hard on a couple of my keys.

That keymouse looks pretty awesome.  Just being able to split both halves and orientate to comfort would be nice.  I always liked the idea of the nipple on the Thinkpad, so you hands don't stray far, but it requires too much force for me to use.

A bit of movement also can beat rigidity, which I found hard to escape in the early days.  The better you get the looser you become with your finger style.  Early on I could really see the see the kink in my right hand/wrist.  I've lost that a bit with time and a better floating style.

The best bit for me with typing, is the day you just forget you are doing it.  And can get back to concentrating on what you are trying to express.  That's quite a big sacrifice for someone that can already type pretty well.  but sounds as if you are the kind of sadist that relishes the challenge.