Why I Switched to Neovim

After 4 years of VS Code, I finally made the jump to Neovim. Here’s why and how it went.

The Problem with VS Code

Don’t get me wrong - VS Code is great. But:

  • It’s slow - Opening a large project? Time for coffee.
  • Resource hungry - Electron gonna Electron
  • Mouse dependency - I kept reaching for the mouse

Enter LazyVim

I didn’t start from scratch. LazyVim gave me a fully configured Neovim setup that just works.

-- My only customization at first
vim.opt.relativenumber = true

The Learning Curve

Week 1: “Why did I do this to myself?”

Week 2: “Okay, ciw is actually pretty cool”

Week 3: “I can’t go back”

Week 4: “Let me add this site’s vim keybindings”

What I Love

1. Speed

Everything is instant. Opening files, searching, navigating - it’s all immediate.

2. Keyboard-first

My hands never leave the keyboard. It’s not just faster, it’s more comfortable.

3. Customization

Every single thing can be customized. And with Lua, it’s actually pleasant.

4. Lazygit integration

<leader>gg opens lazygit. Chef’s kiss.

My Current Setup

  • LazyVim as base
  • Catppuccin theme (same as this site!)
  • Telescope for fuzzy finding
  • LSP for TypeScript, Go, Rust
  • Copilot because I’m lazy

Tips for Switching

  1. Use LazyVim or AstroNvim - don’t configure from scratch
  2. Keep VS Code installed for the first month
  3. Learn one new motion per day
  4. Use vimtutor - it’s actually good

Was It Worth It?

Absolutely. I’m faster, my wrists are happier, and I actually enjoy coding more.

The initial investment is real, but the returns are worth it.