Custardcup, I understand how you feel and as Emily and others say, you'll get become more accustomed to the shifting with time. It helped me to get a cadence sensor because I can focus on my cadence and base shifting off that. I had always tried to get a sense of cadence in my my years of spinning, but when I finally got a cadence sensor, that helped me to get a sense of spinning revolution speed. Currently I'm using a Garmin 500 and it offers just enough data for me - cadence, HR, distance, percentage hill grade for climbs/descents. I learned to always sustain a high cadence; I aim for 80-100 rpm. 80 minimum. If I'm going too much above 100, I shift.