Great post! Something I'd like to highlight, along with the practical advice you have outlined, is the importance of persistence! Try, try, and try again (and again!) - you may be on the brink of breaking through into the realm of understanding, so don't give up; it will all 'click' eventually, it just takes time.

Approaching the problem from a different perspective can be helpful, as well as talking to colleagues (contrary to widespread belief, maths is a social endeavour, too).

One final tip, adding to your advice, is to try and prove the result yourself, first, before looking at the proof given in the book - even if you are studying a new topic, this will do wonders for your intuition. Prove everything!

Cheers, D.