Learn Dvorak Quickly

Around the turn of the century, my years of web dev work started taking a toll on my carpal tunnel. Some research led me to track balls (Kensington Expert Mouse) and the DVORAK layout. I managed to convert quickly enough to never have a truly bad flare up, and to this day I am rocking that layout.

Pro tip: once you have committed, you can get a hard-coded DVORAK keyboard from UNICOMP, who make modern versions of the IBM Model M buckling-spring keyboard (which is often called a “desk yacht” due to its massive size). This allows you to have DVORAK without having to mess with your system’s default keyboard, and allow you to type on other people’s systems by just dragging your keyboard along.

You need to add a customization to your order and specify DVORAK, but the keyboards are absolutely spectacular and last for many years. Be sure to also pick up the keyboard protector if you are not keen on breaking it down twice a year just to clean it. The plastic protector is low-end lame, as it is not exactly form-fitting (vacuum-moulded instead of form moulded), but it is better than nothing.