Help with Mandarin learning

[hearty pulsar]

Hello everyone!
I'm Talontastic, a student aspiring to learn Mandarin.
My goals are to (in 6 months, personal reasons):

• speak conversational Mandarin
• understand others when they speak Mandarin
• read (not write) Simplified Mandarin

I have a few questions, and would love ANY help.
For context, the only work on Chinese I've done is 2.8k words of Scooter's HSK 1-6 deck.

Questions:
- Are my goals achievable? Scooter said it should be fine, but I'm having doubts - is this a reasonable timeframe (I'm very motivated to do this, so ignore hours needed)
- How the f*ck am I supposed to be studying? The FAQ mentions four distinct parts, but how should I be working towards this?
I have native speaker friends that I'm able to speak to for around 2-3 hours a week - should I be maximizing this time - and assume (hopefully) that reading can be done at home.
So:
- What should my study guide look like?
For example:
Months 1-2: Vocab, Months 3-4: Speaking, etc.
I'm currently working towards 5k words, but what else can I do in my time? Scooter mentioned looking at grammar points and practicing recall (the atter I have no idea how to set up)
- Following on: what and when should I be studying?
Should I be working on multiple things at once (like grammar, speaking, etc.? I know I need to maximize my time spent - does this mean rushing S&L practice ASAP?

- What about immersion?
Scooter mentioned I should wait until 5k words, but I've heard elsewhere this is SO important - what should I be doing? Considering I only have 6 months, do I need to start immersion ASAP?

And other easy, random questions:
- How many hours will I need to study?
- What can I be doing in my free time (eg, listening to music) to help my studies?
Basically, I'm looking for someone that can point me in the right direction (not a full fledged coach) - just a helping hand.
If anything else seems relevant to add that I haven't included, PLEASE let me know.
Thanks so much for any help!

[storm sphinx]

My goals are to (in 6 months, personal reasons)
Mate, can you not? Please? Ok, fine...
speak conversational Mandarin
You would definitely be able to speak something, but what's your expectation of "conversational"?
understand others when they speak Mandarin
Probably only in familiar situations.
read (not write) Simplified Mandarin
Please don't do this. These are mutually reinforcing skills: writing lets you practise active recall of characters, which helps your reading.
Terrible handwriting is not a problem (you can always keep your scribblings private), but you're giving yourself a big handicap if you don't learn how to write. It's the equivalent of learning English but not bothering with spelling.
For context, the only work on Chinese I've done is 2.8k words of Scooter's HSK 1-6 deck.
INFO: What exactly is the work that you've done with the deck?
is this a reasonable timeframe (I'm very motivated to do this, so ignore hours needed)
Not really, unless you make this a full-time job, i.e. 8 hours a day every day incl. weekends... and that can lead to a burnout.
6 months is ca. 180 days, so that'd be 180x8=1440 hours, which is maybe just enough to achieve your stated goals (when interpreted ambitiously).
I have native speaker friends that I'm able to speak to for around 2-3 hours a week - should I be maximizing this time
Yes, and focus exclusively on speaking and listening. It's also not really enough, and unless your native speaker friends are all-in on coaching you, you'll end up faffing around.
Should I be working on multiple things at once (like grammar, speaking, etc.)?
Yes. For example, read aloud the example sentences you see in your grammar notes (or, in fact, any reading material) to practice your speaking. These are all mutually reinforcing skills, and doing them together will give you the synergy to move faster.

Months 1-2: Vocab, Months 3-4: Speaking, etc.
More like:

Months 2-- : Learn to get tones right, learn vocab, learn that Chinese has weird grammar...```
> Scooter mentioned looking at grammar points and practicing recall (the atter I have no idea how to set up)
Making your own Anki decks is a good way to do recall.
For grammar points, make sentences using the construction you want to practice. Then put blanks where the grammar words should be, and check to make sure that no other words can fit that blank, otherwise rewrite your sentence. Now make a flashcard to quiz yourself on what the blanks should be. 
Do the same thing for vocab as well.
> Considering I only have 6 months, do I need to start immersion ASAP?
If you're going to make learning Chinese your full-time job, you're already doing immersion.
> How many hours will I need to study?
At least a few hundred hours. If you're going to do 1 hour/day, that's barely enough, given your deadline.
If you're serious about your deadline, then I am serious about making this your full-time job.
> What can I be doing in my free time (eg, listening to music) to help my studies?
What free time?? ![emojiHolyFuck](https://cdn.discordapp.com/emojis/787172852104691743.webp?size=128 "emojiHolyFuck")