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---
date: 2022-06-01T21:10:00+02:00
draft: false
categories:
- blog
year: 2022
title: Trying out the Workman layout
tags:
- keyboards
- layout
- Colemak
- Dvorak
- Workman
- QWERTY
- keybr
abstract: I tried to move from QWERTY to Workman.
---
I'm a terrible typist. I make more typos than I'd like to admit, I type slow and mostly use 3 fingers in total. Time for a makeover.
<!--more-->
I never liked typing. I consider it a tedious task I do 8-12 hours a day. I'm guessing this is mostly due to my terrible skills, but I hope that's not the whole story.
The standard QWERTY keyboard layout we know and (do not) love is, according to the legend, an effect of deliberately slowing do typing speeds. It comes from typewriter times, where typing too fast could result in jamming the machine. We no longer have this problem, but QWERTY is still with us.
Luckily there are alternatives. Lots of them actually, but only 3 seem viable:
- Dvorak
- Colemak
- Workman
Out of those three, Dvorak seems to be outdated as it was also designed around typewriters. Workman was designed as a solution for downsides of Colemak, and this was my choice. Then I found out about Colemak-DH, which is a modified version of Colemak addressing Workman... but I've already chosen. I'll be a Workman!
[Workman Keyboard Layout](https://workmanlayout.org/)
Also, I don't know anyone who uses Workman, so why not? What is important, is that every layout is told be a significant improvement over QWERTY.
The plan is simple:
- use QWERTY as daily layout
- practice Workman daily
- after I am able to confidently type my passwords in Workman, completely abandon QWERTY.
I've chosen Keybr as my tutoring platform
[keybr.com](https://www.keybr.com)
It supports Workman (which is not that common as I found out) and is able to emulate it on system with QWERTY. I set myself a goal of 15 mins per day... and it's a nightmare. Or at least it was for the first few days. Muscle memory is strong, even with my mediocre QWERTY skills. Keybr uses a great system where it starts with 6 most common letters of US dictionary, then grades how well I type them and decides if I am ready for more. After 5 days I am not. However, what I've noticed is the joy of flow when typing. I've never felt this way with QWERTY, it was always a struggle. I am using very few letters, I am typing slowly. However, the movements come together as something enjoyable. I'll see what comes of it. I always enjoy new things, so maybe that's just it
[My Keybr profile](https://www.keybr.com/profile/723pl7f)
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