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    4 days using colemak from qwerty

    • Started by jkpuck
    • 24 Replies:
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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
    • Posts: 16

    Hi Guys,

    I decided to go cold turkey and switch from 20 years of qwerty over to colemak. I've found the switch to be relatively painless but days 1 and 2 were quite hard to stick with! Brain on autopilot and kept going back to old locations but seemed to really start to get my head around it on day 3. I'm up to 30wpm so my productivity is still OK but way down from the 75wpm my head has been used to. I'm aiming to get that back over the next couple of months with my ultimate goal being 100wpm.

    Colemak is already feeling more natural with the key positions so I'm very confident of hitting my target. The 'ent', 'net', 'the' etc. rolls are so much nicer to type.

    Jim

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
    • Posts: 5,343

    Best of luck!

    If you need more productivity, consider Tarmak. But if you're okay with cold turkey then go you! :)

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Thank you! Cold turkey is going OK for the moment :)

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    • From: UK
    • Registered: 14-Apr-2014
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    That very fast progress in only 4 days!  I'm guessing you were already a good touch-typist in Qwerty.   Having a good technique does seem to help with the transition.  I am also at 30 wpm with Colemak but it has taken me 2 months!  But then, I am learning to touch-type properly at the same time, after 30 years of Qwerty hunt-and-peck. Old (bad) habits are hard to shake!

    Using Colemak-DH with Seniply.

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    • Registered: 08-Dec-2010
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    Being a good typist certainly helps since your fingers are well prepared. The brain and muscle memory only need to change a bit :-))

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    I was a qwerty typist which helped I think. At least I already knew what the journey would be like to some degree. Memory is very hard to change but it's amazing how quickly you start to adapt. I've found 10fastestfingers to be very motivating to use. Some amazing speeds to aim for on there!

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    A week on from here and I'm feeling even better about Colemak. My speed has increased up to 40wpm and things are starting to flow a lot better. I can't see myself going back to QWERTY......my hands are too relaxed now!

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Averaging 68wpm on typeracer now. I'll never go back to QWERTY now, the speed just keeps going up and up as well as the comfort factor. I'm seeing flashes around the 80-85wpm mark but it doesn't feel like I'm trying very hard which is not the same experience as with QWERTY at all. I always felt that my fingers couldn't find the keys much above 75wpm.

    Very happy with Colemak!

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    • Registered: 19-Jul-2014
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    Congratulations!  I'm curious, do you have a speed goal that you are aiming for?

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Hi,

    I'm looking to get to 100wpm in the end. I hope I can do that over the next couple of months but I'll be sure to post something on here when I get there!

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    • Registered: 19-Jul-2014
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    Awesome.  I have the same goal.  I just reread you initial post, and it looks like you had already stated your goal (whoops).

    My progress is going slowly though because I am having some serious RSI-like pain issues that came a couple days after I made the switch.  So I bet you'll get to 100 before I do.  :)

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    The friendly race is on! It seems a lot easier to build speed in Colemak than Qwerty for sure.

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Fastest race on typeracer up to 83wpm now! Getting close :)

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    • Registered: 19-Jul-2014
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    Nice!  My fastest so far is 75 wpm, but steadily increasing.  To clarify my goal though, I am hoping to reach 100 wpm average.  But for this competition, 100 wpm peak seems reasonable, otherwise we might be in for the long haul.

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    84wpm now! If I can get one race at 100wpm I'll consider the goal achieved, but like yourself, the long term aim would be 100wpm average. No idea how long that will take, but that's the long term goal.

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Delighted! After 59 days of switching to Colemak I just hit 90wpm in a race on typerace for the first time! I've never been that fast with QWERTY but the good news is.........I think I have more left in the tank! Practice, practice, practice........10wpm more to go!

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    • Registered: 19-Jul-2014
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    Hey, sorry I kind of disappeared there.  You are probably at 100wpm by now.  Way to go!

    I ended up going back to Workman because the pain became too much for me to handle.  But I haven't given up on Colemak yet.  I am convinced that 90% of my discomfort is from typing the HE and HI combinations.  So, this time, I am going to take a page out of Sean Wrona's book and type the following E or I with a different finger to eliminate the strain that I normally experience.

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Hi,

    Sorry to hear about the pain you're getting. I'm not quite up to 100wpm yet, managed to peak at 92wpm! So very close. Another month or so and I hope to get at least one race at the 100wpm mark :)

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    • Registered: 08-Dec-2010
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    It takes you 1 month to get 2wpm more, so to get more 8wpm may take you at least 6 months or so, given the faster you are, the harder you can improve.

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    But he can get that one race that peaks over 100 without necessarily waiting for his average speed to catch up. 

    Since you have not hit 100 yet, that means the race is still on!  This is my second day back on Colemak, and my current peak is just under 60.  It's coming back rather quickly.  Before I went back to Workman, my fastest Colemak race was 85 wpm on keyhero.  I expect within a week, I'll be back to 85.  Beyond that, I have no idea how long it will take me to reach 100 (if ever).

    I'm really liking this finger shifting idea to avoid the pain.  I haven't had any pain so far.  Basically all I am doing is striking E with my ring finger and I with my pinky, whenever they follow an H.

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    • From: Viken, Norway
    • Registered: 13-Dec-2006
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    Alternate fingering is powerful! That's what makes Sean Wrona a champion on old QWERTY.

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    That one "adjustment" has made all the difference in comfort.  It feels just as comfortable as Workman, but without the speed bottlenecks.  Before I start flirting with the idea that I could be as fast as Sean Wrona, I'll try and reach my more immediate goal of 100 wpm.  The only natural goal after that is of course Sean's record :)  Haha.  Actually, maybe I'll make Ryan Heise my following goal.  He is somewhere around 130 now days, isn't he?

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    • From: Viken, Norway
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    I think he's around 125 WPM but I haven't followed him closely. Micah Wine was faster as I remember it.

    *** Learn Colemak in 2–5 steps with Tarmak! ***
    *** Check out my Big Bag of Keyboard Tricks for Win/Linux/TMK... ***

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    Getting close now guys! Progress is slow, but just did a 94wpm on typeracer. Painfully close to the 100wpm goal! I'll be delighted even if I do it once. That was the target I set when switching from QWERTY, would be so awesome to hit it.

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    • Registered: 25-Jun-2014
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    I did it! First race of the day, bang on 100wpm on typeracer. Goal achieved, feeling good :)

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