Emacs is faster and more enjoyable
I have no idea why it's taken me this long to discover Emacs. I was using computers long before there was the internet, and long before there were color screens. For some reason, I just found out about Emacs.
If you ask me to describe Emacs to someone, I would probably say it is a text-based computer program that is probably capable of doing everything. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that. You can use it to take notes, manage your tasks, create tables, check email, browse the web, and even check the train times in Norway. I'm sure there are many more things Emacs can do, but I haven't tried them all yet. There simply isn't enough time!
Half of the fun with Emacs is the creation of your configuration file that customizes how Emacs looks. I'll be honest, when you first install it, it's awful. But through careful configuration, you can create a wonderful tool that does exactly what you want it to do. I read quite a few websites before I had my configuration file set up, and I make changes to it at least once a week as I learn something new. Today alone, I set up my Emacs instance to allow me to save content as a PDF. I press three keys, and out comes a perfectly formatted PDF document. The following image is a sample of my configuration file. The entire file is 441 lines long.
The original name for Emacs comes from an acronym which originated from "Editor Macros." GNU Emacs is one of the popular installations, and is completely free. It has over 10,000 built-in commands, most of which I'll never learn. But once you get over the sizeable learning curve, you develop the muscle memory to move lightning-quick through opening, editing, saving, and closing files - all with the keyboard. No mouse involved here!
I won't go into the details regarding how Emacs operates, since many other sites go through that in detail. I recommend videos from either David Wilson at System Crafters, or Rainer König. Rainer focuses primarily on org mode, which I use to track my tasks.
I also use Orgzly on my Android phone (a de-Googled Pixel phone running GrapheneOS). There is no equivalent for Apple phones running iOS. Orgzly allows me to sync my todo list to my phone, so I can check items off while on the go. My tasks are stored on my Nextcloud server. Don't be afraid to set up your own instance of Nextcloud, it is one of the best moves that I've made in addition to switching to Emacs.
Recently, I started checking my email using mu4e. It's a text-based email program that runs inside of Emacs. I know your initial reaction would be to dismiss a text-based email program, but hear me out for a minute. Text-based email distills email down to its essential purpose - to communicate some type of information. Yes, you can send and receive images. However, working through email with just your keyboard using a tool that loads email instantly is game-changing. You need to try it or watch someone doing it to understand its efficiencies.
If you've read this far, you know that I highly recommend Emacs. I find that it has opened up computers in a new mode that I really enjoy using. I feel much more connected to the computer, and the speed is invigorating. If you haven't used Emacs, please give it a try!