2026-01
Screenshots auto-append to 2026 01 Raw — review those for memory jogs, write here for publishing.
What happened this week
What I made / shipped
What I learned
📚 Media consumed
| Goal | LazyVim keys | Vanilla Vim/Neovim | What it actually does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make a vertical split | `␠ | ` | :vsplit / :vs |
| Move between splits | Ctrl-h/j/k/l | Ctrl-w h/j/k/l | Changes window focus (not buffers). |
| Show another buffer in the focused split | ␠ b b or Shift-h / Shift-l | :b# or :bnext / :bprev | Changes which buffer that window is displaying. |
| Close the split/window | ␠ w d | Ctrl-w c | Closes the window (split) you’re in. Buffers stay loaded. |
| Delete/close a buffer | ␠ b d | :bdelete | Removes the buffer; the window stays, and will display some other buffer (often causing the “mirrored file” surprise). |
| “Unsplit everything” (keep only this view) | (no need) | Ctrl-w o | Closes all other windows, keeps the current one. |
Windows / splits (the viewport stuff)
| Move | Keys | Why you’ll use it constantly |
|---|---|---|
| Split below | ␠ - | Quick “stack two views” moment. (LazyVim) |
| Split right | ␠ | | Your vertical split move. (LazyVim) |
| Close the current split | ␠ w d | Kill the window, keep buffers alive. (LazyVim) |
| “Zoom” current split (maximize / restore) | ␠ w m (also ␠ u Z) | tmux-zoom vibe for focus, then pop back. (LazyVim) |
| Resize split | Ctrl + arrow keys | Fast “give this pane more space” without thinking. (LazyVim) |
| Swap/rotate layouts (vanilla) | Ctrl-w x (swap), Ctrl-w r(rotate) | When you like the buffers but hate the layout. (Neovim) |
| Window “cheat sheet mode” | Ctrl-w ␠ | Pops a window-hydra so you stop memorizing everything. (LazyVim) |
Buffers (the file-in-memory stuff)
| Move | Keys | Why it saves time |
|---|---|---|
| Prev/next buffer | Shift-h / Shift-l (or [b / ]b) | Your two-file ping-pong. (LazyVim) |
| Toggle “other buffer” | ␠ b b | Instantly flips between the last two buffers. (LazyVim) |
| Buffer picker | ␠ , | When you have too many open and need a list. (LazyVim) |
| Delete other buffers | ␠ b o | Clears mental clutter (keeps just what matters). (LazyVim) |
| Delete buffer and its window | ␠ b D | The “I want this gone AND I want the split gone” move. (LazyVim) |
| Pin a buffer / nuke non-pinned | ␠ b p / ␠ b P | Keep 2–3 “active” files sacred, clean the rest. (LazyVim) |
| Delete buffers to left/right | ␠ b l / ␠ b r | Brutal tabline cleanup when it gets gross. (LazyVim) |
Getting to stuff fast (still very related)
| Move | Keys | Why it rules |
|---|---|---|
| Find files | ␠␠ (leader + space) | “Open a file” without thinking about where it lives. (LazyVim) |
| Recent files | ␠ f r | The “I was just there” time machine. (LazyVim) |
| Grep project | ␠ / | Find text across the repo. (LazyVim) |
| Grep open buffers only | ␠ s B | When you know it’s in one of the files you already have open. (LazyVim) |
| Jump to symbol in file | ␠ s s | “Take me to that function/section” instantly. (LazyVim) |
| Search your own keymaps | ␠ s k | The meta move: look up the binding instead of guessing. (LazyVim) |