Quote Originally Posted by pooks
I am ready for clips or cages because I'm ready to get more power.

But I'm not ready to deal with getting them hooked up and unhooked without falling off my bike!
Pooks, unfortunately the two will always go hand-in-hand (unless you're very lucky, and even then, the evil bike fairy will push you over when you least expect it!).
Falling over with clipless/toestraps is a right of passage - a badge of honour. Every single person has done it (or will, in the future) - you gain more brownie points if it's in front of an appreciative audience (it usually is!), such as a bus queue - and the more people in the audience, the more brownie points you get.
I think my maximum target audience was about 20 people in one go. I almost got a round of applause.
The key is to practice clipping in and out on a soft surface if you're worried - such as a nice piece of springy grass.

Just remember:
* You WILL fall off
* It doesn't hurt as much as you think it does (if at all).
* Yeah, it's embarrassing, but so what, we've all done it (lots!)
* Practice falling kerbside, it becomes instinctive anyway.
* Anticipation is the key - anticipate when you might need to unclip - especially at junctions and lights, the worst that can happen is you have to clip in again and lose a bit of momentum - much better than not unclipping at all.