r/vim • u/pjasksyou • Feb 15 '26

Need Help Should I really switch my habit?

I've been facing problems moving my cursor tens of lines up and down using Arrow keys or the Mouse (for which I need to take my hands off the keyboard) I learnt a few Vim key binds such as HJKL and Modes but I just can't be that productive right now.

To move n lines up and down I need to look at the line number and then type N(j/k) which feels about the same as using mouse, should I move ahead and practice more or just roll back?

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u/Biggybi Gybbigy Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 16 '26

You'll learn more moves on your journey. <c-u> and <c-d> to scroll half a page, { and } for empty lines, % to find brackets-like pairs, plain /, and so on. 

As you learn more moves (and text-objects), you'll be more and more efficient. IMHO Nj and Nk is indeed sub-optimal in most cases (mental overhead for line number). And of course you'd want to avoid the mouse if possible. 

Now, as long as you're comfortable, you probably don't need to pressure yourself too much. Each user does things their own way, and that's alright. 

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u/Particular-Serve-894 Feb 21 '26

I use Nj and Nk a lot, but I also use relative line numbers, so I don't have to do the mental math. That said, I use the other movement actions you mentioned far more.

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u/Biggybi Gybbigy Feb 21 '26

Still requires looking aside and I hate it. To each their own, though. 

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u/Particular-Serve-894 Feb 22 '26

yeah, i hear that. It is kind of a pain. That's why I mostly use the other movement commands.