Can I make VSCode column mode like Notepadd++?

Question

I'm a longterm user of Notepad++ and new user of VSCode, where I think the column mode workflow is rather poor. I'm seeking help to reproduce the NPP workflow so far as is possible.

In NPP it goes like this:

hold down AltGR (right hand Alt key)
select column with mouse
copy to clipboard
choose destination top left anchor
paste

Pasting overwrites whatever was there before with the clipped column, which is clear and obvious. The column always pastes exactly as selected. Whitespace is auto-created before the column if it's pasted into a blank area.

In VSCode I have to

select top or bottom corner of intended column
hold down left hand Alt plus shift  
select column with mouse
copy to clipboard
use same technique to choose destination column
paste

I use a mouse in my left hand. The key combination requires a really awkward reach across the keyboard. Attempting to use AltGR as a keybinding shows it to be 'Alt' the same as the key on the left. But it doesn't work as Alt for binding column mode so I can't use the right hand pair.

Unless the destination column is accurately chosen pasting will overwrite with the clipped contents including introduced linebreaks but not respecting the column indentation. For instance clipping a 3 line column and pasting into a 2 line selection produces the most extraordinary mess. Counting lines manually is fine with just two or three but rapidly becomes absurd.

Pasting into a blank area isn't possible.

Pasting into whitespace is governed by indentation rules. I've turned them off, so pasting a column puts the first line in the right place and the rest at the margin. That isn't ever likely to be what's actually wanted.

To my mind the workflow is backwards: in my head it goes 'I want column mode, now I'll choose the column' not 'I'll choose some anchor and then invoke column mode'. Maybe that's just me.

So I'm finding it all very unnatural. Can anyone suggest which if any parts of this can be changed for the better please.