I switched to Colemak in December last year so I'm 6/7 months in. Anecdotes and tips within. At the same time I picked up KeyboardRemap4Macbook (not just macbo

I switched to Colemak in December last year so I'm 6/7 months in. Anecdotes and tips within. At the same time I picked up KeyboardRemap4Macbook (not just macbooks, but osx) which has some other interesting features. One important one I use daily is using held down spacebar to enable arrow navigation by UNEI, and "return" on O. Related is the terribly named but essential PCKeyboardHack which allows one to remap the CAPSLOCK key to backspace, giving me a more accessible backspace key. I suspect this is a double edge sword though, lowering the cost of an error. When I started with Colemak I was slow. I forced myself to write even urgent mail in it, else I wouldn't succeed. I ended up writing emails as if English were my 2nd language but after a week I was over it. Changing my phone to Colemak was a very helpful aid. Avoid writing in Qwerty. I also learnt for a while on a keyboard without the letters on the right keys. This screwed me up big time at first (i didn't touch type) but I pushed through. Now I work daily on a keyboard with Qwerty layout but don't give it a second thought and it just serves to mess with the minds of my colleagues. I still have to look for numbers because I just don't type them frequently. I haven't had a massive speed increase because my speed is limited by my ability to decide what I'm going to write which is dreadfully slow. I make fewer errors. Going back to qwerty is relatively easy if I free my mind. I typed cowboy Qwerty with my hands flying all over the keyboard for so long that it is possible for me to call it back. I am sure this is made easier in part by the two layouts being typed in completely different styles, Colemak formally and disciplined by correctness and touch, Qwerty as an untempered and free dance of my fingers and hands.