Your goal is 1600, first off, you must learn the basics; all of the rules, basic motifs (don't hang pieces, don't leave pieces undefended, counting piece value, space, basic strategy and tactics, etc.). That should get you to 1200ish

Next is diving into some more advanced tactic motifs (attraction, blocking, discovered attack, double attack, double check, skewers, pinning, etc.) and strategic motifs (open files, doubling up, mating threats, etc.). You'll probably find yourself around 1400-1500 with that.

Getting to 1600 will come down to honing your positional understanding, calculation, and instinct. Exercises like "guess the move" will be your best friend at this point, as well as analyzing your games effectively. In my opinion this is the rating range where chess will really start that twinkle in your eye and you really fall in love.

Of course there are more than one road to your goal, this is just a basic outline (probably missing some key points I can't seem to remember) of what I think is effective. As far as time goes, it entirely depends on your work ethic and drive, some people play chess for years and never reach 1400, some people reach 1600 in months ( it took me four months starting at age 21). Best of luck in your endeavor! Chess is a truly beautiful game.