Mapping Caps Lock to be "Control" helps a lot with this. Reaching down to the bottom row for Control all the time is terrible and should definitely be avoided.

Mapping Caps Lock to be "Control" helps a lot with this. Reaching down to the bottom row for Control all the time is terrible and should definitely be avoided. Using Alt as Meta has been less of an issue for me since I can easily hit it with my thumb without moving too much. evil is also great, and it might actually be the most popular option for new users at this point, thanks to Spacemacs and Doom.