> Doesn't have to be that complicated, though. I recommend starting with a simple workflow.
Definitely agree. I tried to force myself into using tags and agenda when I first started and it didn't end well. Instead you should start out using it as a simple TODO list manager and slowly use more advanced features when you figure out how they could fit in with your workflow. I think Carsten Dominik (the original author of Org-mode) put it best:
>What people miss when they are new to Org-mode is this:
>Don't try to set up the "final" task managing system from the
start. Because you have no idea yet what your system should look
like. Don't set up many TODO states and logging initially,
before you actually have a feeling for what you working flow is.
Don't define a context tag "@computer" just because David Allen
has one, even though you are sitting at a computer all the time
anyway! Start by creating and managing a small TODO list and
then develop your own system as the needs arises. I wrote
Org-mode to enable this development process.
I entirely approve of starting small, including avoiding tags and many different TODO keywords, but I think avoiding the Agenda is a bad idea. If your files start out simply, the Agenda will be easy to use. And once you learn its commands, and how to manipulate Org files through the Agenda (instead of editing the file itself), you will have gained a power that will continue to pay dividends later, as you get better at Org.
To me, learning to use the Agenda early on is as important as learning to use Emacs' basic movement commands early on: it will make everything after that much easier.
As a former Vim user, I can recommend evil-mode and the SpaceMacs project:
https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs
https://bitbucket.org/lyro/evil/wiki/Home
> An Emacs distribution - The best editor is neither Emacs nor Vim, it's Emacs and Vim!
Evil is a very, very complete Vim emulation in Emacs. I have yet to find a feature which is missing. Some features work better than the original.