I have followed a similar vim path, although my vimrc file never was close to 1,000 lines long! I used to use many plugins though including nerdtree, airline,

I have followed a similar vim path, although my vimrc file never was close to 1,000 lines long! I used to use many plugins though including nerdtree, airline, and surround. But in the end it was always difficult to maintain that setup long term. I do try to add a few shortcuts to my .vimrc file though which is pretty minor: - jk maps to escape - oo and OO map to create a new line below/above but stay in normal mode - leader \ to clear highlights and that is about it!