There’s some fantastic advice there, Jodie, all of which you can be guaranteed works in the field – simply because it has been tried and tested by so many people.
You will eventually develop your own method, and your skills will improve very rapidly.
However, I would suggest there are two more things to consider.
First of all, there is no-one in the world who knows what every bird is. Or for that matter comes even close. We all struggle (particularly me!) with certain birds. Whereas one birder is familiar with gulls, and has real difficulty with raptors – the next can do the raptors, but not the waders – the next can do the raptors and the waders, but has no chance with warblers, etc. etc. etc. (In fact there’s a thread somewhere around where people own up to the ones they can’t do.)
The other thing is, even in the early stages, you will be familiar with some birds, and you can use these as benchmarks.
Knowing what a bird is, is as much about knowing what it isn’t. Once you notice that you know your mystery bird is a "pigeon", because it looks like a "pigeon" and not a "thrush" or a "parrot", then you will also begin to learn what "pigeon" markers to watch out for.
And most of all… use your books! :t: