I am not a guru, but here is a piece of advice that has helped me a great deal:
Keep a Linux notebook.
Write down everything you do and how you did it. I don't mean you have to keep track of every command you make, but rather things like:
BASH commands (a list of bash commands and what they do)
How you got your video/sound/nic/etc drivers working (if you had to do anything)
Keyboard shortcuts (list)
How to change permissions
How to mount drives
Useful websites
Where do download my drivers
etc etc
Just make yourself a little reference book that you can look back at if you find yourself doing the same thing over again. It will save you time and effort if you've already recorded what you did. Plus, writing stuff down often helps your memory.
I found that this was most effective when I reinstalled RH9 on my system. Every time I did something significant that I thought I might forget how to do, I wrote it down as I did it. Now I've basically got an install guide for my system. Flip to page one, I've got my BASH command reference. Flip to page two, how I got all my hardware working... etc etc.
Really, it helps a lot.
-dave