This is standard if you begin to learn a new tool. But after really working on a lot of models and projects it will turn around to 90% hotkeys. And believe me: It is much fun if I can work that way in Lightwave. I rarely have to move my mouse away from my object and I just work, no matter if I do sizing, rotating or extending the geometry it just happens with the same speed as my brain thinks about it.

It would be a big show stopper if I had to go into several menus or pressing any buttons.

If you watch some modelling-tutorials then you will realize that most of the professionals never click any button. They just model and you have to guess how they activated this function. But fortunately they often tell you what hotkey they pressed.

This is how you work if you really work with a tool. You will be more and more efficient. And to be honest: If someone writes a lot in a word processor he / she does just the same: forgetting about menus - using hotkeys.