Emphatically, this. I struggled to really understand and become comfortable with vim until I actually (1) completed the tutorial (vimtutor), (2) read the manual

Emphatically, this. I struggled to really understand and become comfortable with vim until I actually (1) completed the tutorial (vimtutor), (2) read the manual (:help user-manual), and (3) learned to use :help. If I would have just read the splash screen instead of browsing intro/intermediate-level vim articles online, I would have saved a lot of time in the long run. As an aside, vim has really had a positive impact on my life (no hyperbole). It's the only editor I've ever used where I can regularly reach a state of "flow" during my day. I highly recommend giving it a try beyond learning hjkl, if you haven't already.