I'm not sure I agree with the necessity of mastering Emacs, or specifying a time frame for getting it done as the title of the article implies. I've used Emacs

I'm not sure I agree with the necessity of mastering Emacs, or specifying a time frame for getting it done as the title of the article implies. I've used Emacs alongside of vi for editing since the 1990s. I'm no expert at using Emacs, but that's never really mattered to me. On the other hand Emacs is a key part of how I use computers. I read email, use the calendar, and edit text of all kinds. I use outline mode, and now Org mode to help organize and author text. I'm also a long time user of, and occasional author for info mode. I still tend to use vi for quick edits of line oriented text. For everything else I use Emacs. I'll suggest new users simply use the built-in tutorial to get started with GNU Emacs, and learn the new features as time goes by, and your needs change.