TheStanman

Learning how to use "t" was a game-changer for me. Before that, I used "f", which cost me a fair bit of time when deleting things since the extra character was deleted. (c/d)t<space> is a great sequence that I use a lot.

I suggest VimGolf as a way to learn new commands, especially how to use them efficiently. It was how I learned to use "w" and "b", as well as macros.

I think Control is the best choice. It makes it much easier to use Control-modified commands, especially in Vim/Emacs. For Vim, you can use Control-[ to exit insert mode, a command that becomes much easier with Caps Lock remapped to Control. I use Vim, and I prefer more convenient Control-modified commands over having an Escape on home row. Besides, having Control on home row and using Control-[ is basically like having Escape on home row :)