"Best not to start, if started best to finish quickly " ~ anonymous advice, on the razor's edge path.
The modern western teacher Culadasa, proposes that we get very strong in concentration practice, before getting into full on vipassana, here is his 10 stage breathe based system.
http://dharmatreasure.org/wp-content/uploads/LightOnMeditationHandout.pdfHe also states that a committed meditator may get through to mastery in 12 months or less. That mastery can be lost if we stop training, as we find with fitness training. Leave training for even 2 weeks and the muscles loose their edge. It is not different with mind training, though even if this is the case and we drop the practice for some time, we should be able to get to "edge and clarity" much quicker than from scratch.
He suggests if we first find equanimity and bliss this acts as a lubricant that allows us to experience the tough insights, without the extremes of the dark night. What a compassionate teacher, really!
This is the route I am taking, after hitting very dark periods years ago. As an astute dude once said, "Once a philospher, twice a pervert". I will take my inspiration from sources such as Culadasa (but not at all restricted to him). You may wish to consider this yourself if you are just starting out. Warnings should be given. I'm happy to give them. If you suffer from depression or have a tendency to, you may want to go this route.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5He0q5u5yYHow I find constant equanimity during the daily activities :
I engage action mindfully for long periods ( yes I loose the thread, but recover it quickly) this is a concentration practice not an observational one ( pure vipassana). Example, I'm doing a simple task, say watering the garden plants. I will stand as the body, rather than observe it, be it. Any movement I will do consciously, deliberately with present awareness and feeling (hint). I will not allow the mind to wander, I may use a key word to bring the mind back "to task". This can make any activity interesting and "happy" rather than a struggle with the mind scattered in thought and random feelings. The breathe is also a primary anchor, any noticed drifting and I strengthen the breathe, increase it's force and it tends to pull the mind back to task. There is a simple deep pleasure here. That pleasure or basic equanimity keeps the attention in the process. Teachers like E. Tolle and Thich Nhat Hanh and many others who emphasis the present state or being present, advocate this method in their own form. Some make it the end all practice. I see it as a happy and useful, functional daily practice in the midst of more advanced practices.
Marty.