Is it normal to constantly mess up ergativity after 6 months of study?

I'm a grammar-focused learner and I find myself overthinking the ergative case every time I construct a sentence. I understand the rules on paper—how the subject of a transitive verb takes the -k suffix—but it feels like my brain short-circuits during actual conversation. Does anyone have a mental hack to make these case markers more intuitive so I can stop pausing for three seconds before every verb? I am asking specifically about learning Basque, not a generic study routine.