**Tip 1: Focus on Methods Rather Than Memorization**
One of my programmer friends often told me how helpful it was to memorize over 200 C++ functions. "I never have to look up the definitions of functions, so I can program 50% faster than other programmers," he said proudly. But what was the result? Didn't he know that the auto-complete feature in modern compilers can save a lot of time when looking up or typing functions? Moreover, when C# was released, all his efforts in memorizing those functions went to waste. Of course, being familiar with functions is necessary in programming, but you should spend more time learning the methods of doing things, such as creating a database connection, generating an RSS feed, and so on, before focusing on how the code is implemented. Learning the right way to do things is far more important than rote memorization.