Your third point made me think of a quote from Warhammer Dawn of War. “Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment” It may sound dark but it reminds me of not hoping too much for the best and just enjoying progress as it comes.
Those are some great tips. Love that you mention being realistic. So true how some days you just don’t want to even think about Japanese, let alone actually sit down and plow through all these study materials.