R provides a scripting language with an odd syntax. There are also hundreds of packages and thousands of functions to choose from, providing multiple ways to do each task. It can feel overwhelming. The best way to get started using R for machine learning is to complete a project. It will force you to install and start R (at the very least). It will given you a bird’s eye view of how to step through a small project. It will give you confidence, maybe to go on to your own small projects.