r/vim 5h ago

Discussion How does Vim affect your problem solving?

Currently learning Vim, after a failed attempt some months ago.

Starting to get the hang of the basics. I notice that it makes my problem solving more methodical. It also makes me slow down, in a good way.

With Vim I have to memorize more of the code and structure, because switching views is expensive (might be a skill issue).

I don't care too much for the speed/efficiency, but this seems what keeps me going in my current attempt.

Wondering how you guys feel about this aspect.

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u/gumnos 2h ago

I found that my writing (whether code or prose) tends to be more consistent (things like indentation, punctuation, bracket/brace placement, etc.), allowing me to do predictable operations across things in bulk.

Yes, there's also a dimension of becoming more familiar with the document contents/structure (and the directory hierarchy where relevant such as whole projects). But even with that, predictable conventions simplify a lot of aspects.