I don't mean to disregard what you said or insult your approach just because it is different than mine, but I can't tell you how much vim/emacs have boosted my productivity. Not only am I at least 30%+ faster while coding, but in general the process is so well oiled that I have near-0 resistance to just jumping in and getting something done. I jump around in code like crazy, can jump to different files instantly no matter where they are (find-file-in-project), do git stuff (magit), have REPL right there in the editor, replace REPL with some code buffer instantly, set up 4-way split panes and kill them in a split-second, etc. etc.
In my opinion, tooling is very important. You want something that makes you a wizard - something that's smooth and FAST.
I once worked with a very experienced gentleman who preferred Notepad to write 3-page-long SQL queries. He knew his craft very well, got the job done, but boy did he take his time :-)
As a Vim user, I consider the whole productivity thing about it quite over-rated. Yes it's efficient, yes it's faster, but in the end, anyone with a decent editor is going to go faster after a while.
The point is comfort. Once vim's mechanics are assimilated, you starts to memorize meaningful sequence of letters, like ci". And those sequences are just words you're typing, so typing code or entering commands is exactly the same thing.
And none of this require going too far frome the home row with your hands. This in my opinion is why Vim is so good :)
I have tried Zen Coding (now called some forgettable name) in several editors, vim, notepad++ and sublime text.
It is much more productive to use it in ST, just because I get immediate feedback. I get the full result in the editor in realtime, just as I'm writing the Zen Coding mantra.
The jump around all folder files in ST? Ctrl-P. It has fast and beautiful fuzzy matching. Do I need to open a file called Module/SuperCalliFractillicious.something? Ctrl-P, mscf, enter. File is opened and the cursor placed wherever it was the last time I edited it. Which could have been months ago.
Git integration? covered in several fronts. Git gutter was first seen in ST.
I do agree that tooling is very important. ST is a serious tool. Do not compare it to notepad.
In my opinion, tooling is very important. You want something that makes you a wizard - something that's smooth and FAST.
I once worked with a very experienced gentleman who preferred Notepad to write 3-page-long SQL queries. He knew his craft very well, got the job done, but boy did he take his time :-)