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I'd think it would depend on what you want to achieve with the guitar.At the age of 37, I realized that I really missed not being able to play a musical instrument (considering yourself to be a natural musician because you can sort of play a melody on high E that sort of sounds like a melody you’ve heard before doesn’t count)So I enrolled for acoustic steel string guitar classes while my son took piano lessonsI can tell you my experience: My goal was to play the guitar for myself, to play music that I grew up with and also play with friends informally. Given that:If your goal is to perform professionally, the rest would likely not applyMy experiences: I don't claim them to be scientific or universal. They just worked for meI'd recommend taking in person lessons, at least for 6 months. It adds some degree of rigor that you need to learn anything new. When you learn anything new, you will find that underneath the smooth chords and melodies lies bruised fingers as you try and play chords for the first time, muted strings when you strum and all other stuff that you only realize when you get into playing the instrument. At times, you feel 'huh, maybe the guitar wasn't a good idea. I read on <insert your favorite forum here> that stringed instruments are hard. Maybe I'll just try the drums..." and so forth, till you realize you'll face the same issue with any instrument. Taking lessons helps someone else with experience tell you how to cross these hurdles better. Small things like how deep you turn your wrist around the neck, where you hold your strumming hand, how it needs to move, the angle of your finger when you press on strings all make a difference to how easily you cross these hurdles. The guitar is one instrument where there is an *abundance* of Internet information and tutors offering videos. In my experience, nothing beats a face to face old style 1-1 lessonGoal 1: learn the first song you always loved - While you are learning the basics with your instructor, pick one song on the side you grew up with: Google around for the 'chords' version of it. Forget melodies. If you find the chords version, and find them to have barre chords, look for 'capo versions' of that song to get rid of them. Or look for another rendition. If you can't find a chord set you can play , pick another song. I can guarantee you have more than one in your 'all time favorite' list. Start with open chords. Learn the C, Am, Em, G, D chords. You'd be amazed at how many songs you can play with just these chords. If your interest is classic rock (well, define 'classic'), there are many songs that you can play just with these. (It took me 2 weeks to get to a point where I could play them in consistent fashion without muting strings). Now, if you are lucky, your instructor may agree to teach you that one song. If not, learn it on the side. The first song I learned to play was Knockin' on heaven's door by Dylan (G,C,D,Am). Whoa! When I managed to play that song, I strutted around the house like I was a pro.Goal 2: Learn to barre - Learn how to play the F chord next and the Bminor chords - (there is an F in non barre form, but the barre form sounds better)- harder but once you get them in your kitty, you can suddenly play chords for many more songs especially those from Eagles, Floyd, U2 (if that's your thing). It took me 3 weeks just to get my first barre chord right (F). That will take you to the next level of songs you can play and open you up to more varietiesSimple variations to chords, walk ups and walk downs - the cool thing in-between straight chords and melodies - Even before you master all chords (some chords are really hard to play) you'll get bored of the chords you already play and you are not yet good enough to break into leads. Enter chord variations (not sure if that is the right technical term). For example, if you are playing D, add a Dsus4 (adding another pinky to the D) suddenly - sounds great. If you are playing C, add a Cadd9 (adding a pinky) or a Cmaj7 (removing a finger) and so forth. Learn how to add a hammer (lift and un-lift a finger in a hammer like action as you play a note) Experiment a bit. Sometimes they will sound cool, sometimes rubbish. You'll figure it out soon. It will add variety and you'll love it. Somewhat more advanced is the concept of walk downs (again not sure if walkups is the right term) - for example, when transitioning from G to C, you can choose to play a brief arpeggio (individual notes) as you move your fingers from G to C - sounds uber cool. May be a little challenging at first, but a nifty trick to learnGoal 3: Intros and melodies - Exuberance - After spending a month or so on chords, and learning how to move your hand to strum in patterns, learning how to keep a count in your mind (very hard if you are singing too, I still struggle), take up the challenge to play a simplified version of the intro notes of a song. I took up Wish you were here by Pink Floyd. When you manage to get to this goal, you'll feel you are Hendrix reborn. Enjoy the feeling. It took me 3 days to get the intro (simplified) correctly.Find folks who don't play the guitar but have an interest in your kind of music - make an excuse to have them over for some reason. Play a little bit of guitar for them - even if you play the first one or two measures of popular songs and then say 'you know, the rest follows' you'll blow their mind. It's a cheap thrill, but its helps you continue your questPractical before Theory - my personal opinion here. You need to feel playing the guitar is an achievable goal before you immerse yourself in theory. For a guy like me, chromatic scale, major scale, minor scale, pentatonic, etc, etc, were of no practical meaning till I started playing different songs. Which fingers to use while playing some chords made no sense to me, till I tried switching chords when playing with wrong fingers and understood why the theory says so. After about a month or two of practically trying to play every song I remember, I focussed more on theory (and am still learning)Theory to expand your capabilities - A good foundation of theory will help you expand your repertoire. There will come a time when you will feel stuck if you are jamming or want to make your own music. An understanding of guitar theory - how notes work up and down the scale, how chords relate, the circle of 5ths - these concepts will make sense to you and will help you expand. But its critical in my opinion to get practical before like I said aboveTabs vs Standard musical notation - I started learning both. But I eventually only continued on tabs. They are easier to learn and are very visual. But most people who play professionally or play multiple instruments will tell you standard musical notation is a must. I agree, just that I preferred not to spend time on it when my goal was to learn my own kind of music and get on with it. YMMVPractice - I keep a print out of songs I like playing - on an average, I try and practice 10 minutes every day, but I don't have that sort of time often. Again, how long you need to practice depends on your age (I feel younger kids pick up much faster), natural leanings and goals.Don't ever compare your learning curve to your child if you are learning together. The chances are your child is way ahead of you. They have a knack of playing some incredibly complex piece with a bored look on their face. When you ask them how they did it, they say 'muscle memory'. And here you are banging your head trying to learn just the first measure...While I've recommended that you should learn from an instructor if that is an option, there are some excellent internet sites that you can learn from any time you want. I stopped my face to face lessons after a year - I got bored of having to play beatles all the time in the classes. So I moved to just learning stuff off the internet after I got a basic foundation set (remember, my goal was personal entertainment) .The ones I follow when I have time:martyzsongs - Marty Schwartz's guitar lessonsJustin Sandercoe's guitar lessons Justin Guitar | Free Guitar LessonsGeorgia rose's tutorials georgiarose16And of course, there is ultimate guitar - every tab you ever wanted is out there ULTIMATE GUITAR TABS. 800,000 songs catalog with free Chords, Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Ukulele Chords and Guitar Pro Tabs!Well, somewhat adhoc points, but best of luck!

So many good answers here, so I'll provide my view!Short story: Although I am not the best student in my major at my university, nor do I study at a top university in the world, my friends (even the one who do get the award for the best student in the major), consider me to be one of the top students in the class, so I think I am qualified to answer this question.Before answering the question, first of all, top students are like the other students; they sometimes burn out too from studying too much, and hence, they also need refreshing.Second, keep in mind that one advice that the other answers (and hence, mine) has provided may not work for everyone, so follow the advice that suits you best!Okay, having said that, I will answer what I do: (this applies mostly to my lessons in my university, though)See the image!This is one of the advice that I received from my Basic Calculus lecturer, and even though I actually had applied it in my high school, it really shows the effectiveness in the university level. One of the most memorable quotes from my calculus teacher is to paint the words from your textbook / lectures as an image in your mind. For example, in real life, when we see the word pizza, we do not see the word pizza as a sequence of letters P-I-Z-Z-A. Instead, we usually imagine this:​As another example for mathematics, when we see the word function for calculus, we don't see it as "F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N". Rather, we should see in your mind a graph with x- and y-axis, with one point in x-axis mapped to just one point on the y-axis. Like this:Human brains prefer pictures over text, so you should grasp a concept more quickly if you try to paint the image in your head, rather than memorizing words. It also allows you to retain information for a longer time.If you encounter a difficult concept, try to imagine how a particular thing works. For example, for my Computer Networking course, to understand "Cookies", try to paint in your image a user accessing the website for the first time, and then the website sends the "cookie" for the browser to send back to the server for the website to know what we're doing. Most books will provide pictures that will help the students to paint the image for a particular concept. If you stil don't understand, the second point will help you.Ask and teach others!Don't be afraid to be called stupid when you ask! In fact, asking friends to teach you brings you and your friend mutual benefit; your friend will understand more when (s)he teaches you, and so does you. You can also ask your lecturer, TA, or the professor; this can also help building the relationship with your instructor, and in turn, make it easier for you to get recommendation letter from them.Having asking your friends to help, it is time for you to teach others! So, don't be stingy with your knowledge for the purpose of making you the best in the class. Like I've said before, teaching will make you understand the concept more. This also builds stronger relationship with your friends, so next time you ask help for something (even non-academic related), they'll be more willing to help you.It is also a good idea to form study groups with your friends, although preferably small (mine is composed of four students, including me), so the learning process will be more effective. Then, they can learn from the top students and/or each other.Stay determined!Stay determined if you can't do your homework the first time you get it! Like in the second point, if you can't do your homework, ask one of your friend for help in doing your homework, and if (s)he also can't explain it (or you're not satisfied with his / her explanation), you can ask other friend to make things clearer to you / for the second opinion. I recommend that you try to keep yourself determined to try doing your homework by yourself, though.Second, if your lecturer gives you challenge that can make you pass the course more easily, try to do it! Not only this can boost your score, but you can learn more from doing these challenges.Also, try not to be so down if you feel you don't do really well in the test. (This is actually what I'm still trying to do when I get scores that is less than expected) From what I observed, if we don't feel that we can't do the test, we usually get better scores than we expect, and ironically, vice versa.If in case, you get a score that is less than expected, remind yourself that it is just one test, and promise yourself to learn from your mistakes, and study harder for your next test. Remind yourself that grades DO NOT measure your intelligence; in real life, your attitude actually matters more.Take break and join clubsEven the best students in my major will feel bored of studying too much, so take breaks if you feel tired of studying. Since I really like playing video games and listening to its music, I simply do these things. Others may do different things, so do your hobbies for a short time as a break, then continue studying.Also, try to join clubs in your university. Clubs are one way to satisfy your interest or hobbies outside of your major, so this is a good way to remove your burnout from studying too much. You can also meet friends from other majors too, so you can make friends with new people. Just remember to not spending too much time in your clubs, or you might lose too much valuable time to study. If you can't join clubs due to assignments due or quizzes tomorrow, just ask permission from your club leader that you can't attend the club.

Here are the top solutions to clear brain fog: [1](By: Natalia Quiroz)1. Change Your Diet:Brain fog can be causedby foods in your diet. Approximately 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies. Meanwhile, countless more are unaware of a mild food allergy. Food allergies can start at any age or be triggered from poor gut health, such as autoimmune disorders.For example,glutensensitivityis linked to brain fog. A study of 11 newly diagnosed individuals found a gluten free diet helpedimprove focus, memory, and verbal fluency. Many people suffer from a gluten allergy but don’t know it. Other common allergies include casein (dairy products), eggs, peanuts, and soy.Research also indicates that low-fat diets can lead to cognitive decline. Studies with dementia patients foundhigh-fat diets decreased brain focus. Dehydration can also cause impaired cognitive performance. Drinking too little water leadsto an unhealthy gut, which can cause constipation or diarrhea. Consider your own diet and if there is anything possibly causing your mental fog. Take note of how your meals sit with you and experiment with elimination in order to discover what foods might be clouding your head.2. Take supplements:Try taking a supplement like OptiMind (try it free here). OptiMind contains premium ingredients to help you stay focused and mental alert. Antioxidants are another key component for a healthy brain. Foods rich in antioxidants are able to fight off oxidative stress. Vitamin D and Vitamin B complex supplements are essential for cognitive function. These compounds supply the body with necessary nutrients tocleanse, rejuvenate, and heal. Some supplements are designed toenhance cognitive performance and clear mental fog.Bacopa monnieri,better known as water hyssop or brahmi, is an ancient Indian medicinal herb used to improve memory and cognition in healthy adults. The active compounds in Brahmi, known as bacosides, are being evaluated for their effects on the brain and human health. Some research has shown the compounds in Brahmi topositively influence brain cellsand improve retention of newly learned information.3. Sleep more:Sleep is a critical component for a healthy, waking reality. It is necessary for your mental and physical health.Regulating and maximizing your sleep will improve attention, memory, and mood.Lack of sleephas severe health consequences and too much sleep is also bad for your health. While common sense tells us that 8 hours of sleep is the right amount, some people only require 6 hours for ideal performance. Find out what the right amount of sleep is for you by tracking your nightly sleep."You really can make up for lost sleep and restore focus and clarity. You can lose the brain fog within a week. But start now; the longer you have bad sleep, the longer it will take to catch up."–Dr. Epstein, medicine instructor atHarvard Medical SchoolSleep studies suggest that sleep quality is more important than sleep quantity. The brain forms new pathways during sleep in preparation for upcoming information. High quality sleep improves attention, problem solving, and decision-making skills. Researchers from the Scripps Clinic Sleep Center report that people who sleep between 6.5 and 7.5 hours a night tend to live the longest. Harvard Health Letter suggests sleep improvement tips, like exercise and fasting close to bed, to “burn away brain fog.” Here are some recommendations on improving your quality of sleep.Sleep Quality Checklist from Sleep Foundation:*.Regulate bedtimes and wake up times*.Nightly ritual or habit that includes winding down*.Cool, dark, quiet room*.Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and heavy meals close to bedtime*.Comfortable bedding*.4. Exercise:Exercise is a fantastic way to eliminate mental fog and stress. Working out opens your blood vessels, gets your blood flowing,and increases oxygen levels. This drastically improves your body’s ability to perform, physically and mentally. Research suggests that exercise actually boosts the brain’s cognitive flexibility. Even walking for40 minutes, 3 times a week, can increase brain health.Studying the effects of running on depression found that running appears to increase cell growth in the hippocampus. This suggests that exercise improves learning and memory. Aerobic exercises and exercising in the morning seem to be the most beneficial for brain health and memory. Sticking to a schedule and having a workout buddy are great tricks to pick up a daily habit. Yoga, tai chi, and aerobic classes are excellent exercises for better memory and reducing brain fog. However, any form of exercise is beneficial so it’s important to choose anexercise routinethat works with your schedule, budget, and ability.5. Chill out:In today’s world, our lives are pretty hectic and often full of stress. Most of us don’t take time to chill out. The science of stress is well documented as the deadly hormone that hurts the body and weakens of the immune system.Stress can also lead to brain fog. Here are a few ways to decompress:1.Zen out-Meditation can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve overall health. It increases mental awareness as well. Researchers studied factors such as hearing, vision, and blood pressure amongst meditation practitioners and found meditation resulted in younger physiological testing.2.Jam out-Listening to music is known to reduce stress levels. In fact, classical music has been shown to slow down pulse, heart rate, and lower blood pressure. Music can also providesecurity, relieve distress, and boost self-esteem.–Music and Learning from the John Hopkins SchoolFocus and Concentration Music*.Play to increase attention levels, improve retention and memory, extend focused learning time, expand thinking skills*.Relax with the Classics. The LIND Institute. Accelerated Learning research indicates slow Baroque music increases concentration.6. Detox:Modern living means high exposure totoxinsfrom our environment. Cleaning supplies, upholstery, and clothing contain toxins that can hinder cognitive function. Chemicals for maintaining the lawn, furniture, and cars also contain toxins. These toxins build up in your liver, kidney, and throughout the body.Thanks for reading.Image: GoogleFootnotes[1] Brain Fog: 6 Solutions To Help You Improve Concentration