A few specific habits make Russian's most distinctive features — aspect, cases, and stress — click faster than treating them as separate grammar topics to memorize in isolation.
Rather than learning a verb and adding its aspect partner later, learn both forms together from the start — it prevents having to relearn common verbs a second time once aspect becomes unavoidable.
Since stress isn't marked in normal Russian text but changes pronunciation significantly, marking stress yourself in your own notes (even though native materials won't) builds the habit of always knowing it, rather than guessing.
Six cases sounds intimidating as a number, but each follows a regular ending pattern tied to a noun's gender and declension type — approach it as a system to internalize through repetition, not an exception list.
Short daily practice builds more real retention than infrequent long sessions, particularly for a language with this many interlocking grammar systems to keep active in memory at once.
Together, from the start — learning both the imperfective and perfective form of a verb at once avoids having to relearn common verbs later once aspect becomes unavoidable.
Mark it yourself in your own study notes for every new word — building the habit of always knowing stress, rather than guessing, pays off in both listening and speaking.
It's more to learn than English's near-absence of cases, but each case follows regular, learnable ending patterns tied to gender and declension type — treating it as a system rather than an exception list makes it more manageable.
Short daily sessions, especially given how many interlocking grammar systems (cases, aspect, gender) benefit from staying active in memory through consistent practice.
See also: Russian for Beginners · Russian Verbs · Learn Russian