I did mine, removed centre console around gear stick,
jacked car up
Unbolted exhaust from manifold and left hanging
Undone the bolt going through the bottom of the shifter
Unbolted i think 2 bolts holding the bracket around the shifter
Pull the shifter through the inside of the car
You then put the surround from the new shifter on new shifter and put on the top of car and bolt it all back up I found doing it up really tight made the shifter very very stiff.
I have done it without taking the exhaust off but it is a pain in the ass and took longer. It might be worth changing the bushes as well to get a more precise shift feel. Use some DW40 on the bolts before you unscrew it as well.
Also I noticed that a plastic part that holds the shifter in was worn and would feel like it was in neutral when it was in gear.