I slightly disagree. Obviously you're entirely correct about the amount of time spent editing text versus figuring out how to code stuff. The "time efficiency" argument for vim is pretty rubbish.
For me (and I appreciate the irony) I like vim because it has a lower cognitive load. I can say things like "Change the contents of the quotes to say Goodbye Planet", rather than having to actually execute the instructions --
move left a word, move left a word, start highlight, move right a word, move right a word, move right a word, stop and check to see my cursor is in the right place, press delete, type phrase "Goodbye Planet"
The benefits measured in time are no doubt negligible (or even negative -- as you say, editing time pales in comparison to other work), but the benefits to my concentration are much higher. Tedious, repetitive work makes me frustrated, distracted, or both. If I can keep myself in a good mental space and not be constantly interrupted by having to babysit my source editor, I can be more productive.
For me (and I appreciate the irony) I like vim because it has a lower cognitive load. I can say things like "Change the contents of the quotes to say Goodbye Planet", rather than having to actually execute the instructions --
move left a word, move left a word, start highlight, move right a word, move right a word, move right a word, stop and check to see my cursor is in the right place, press delete, type phrase "Goodbye Planet"
The benefits measured in time are no doubt negligible (or even negative -- as you say, editing time pales in comparison to other work), but the benefits to my concentration are much higher. Tedious, repetitive work makes me frustrated, distracted, or both. If I can keep myself in a good mental space and not be constantly interrupted by having to babysit my source editor, I can be more productive.
PS: And then I spend the time on HN :/